I Was a Communist for the Fbi Review

I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE F.B.I.

(director: Gordon Douglas; screenwriters: Crane Wilbur/from Matt Cvetic as told to Pete Martin in their article in the "Sat Evening Post"; cinematographer: Edwin DuPar; editor: Folmar Blangsted; music: Max Steiner; cast: Frank Lovejoy (Matt Cvetic), Dorothy Hart (Eve Merrick), Philip Carey (Bricklayer), Dick Webb (Crowley), James Millican (Jim Blandon), Ron Hagerthy (Dick Cvetic), Paul Picerni (Joe Cvetic), Frank Gerstle (Tom Cvetic), Russ Conway (Frank Cvetic), Hope Kramer (Ruth Cvetic), Kasia Orzazekski, (Mrs. Cvetic), Eddie Norris (Harmon), Konstantin Shayne (Gerhardt Eisler), Roy Roberts (Father Novac); Runtime: 83; Warner Bros; 1951)

"A propaganda film from Warner Brothers about the Communist influences in America."

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A propaganda film from Warner Brothers near the Communist influences in America, that is equally subtle as a sledgehammer conking you over the head. It's a Ruddy Scare film with the Commies acting the office of gangsters. It'due south told in a gritty documentary-style.

"I Was A Communist" is an intellectually bankrupt story and is filled with misleading political innuendos; such every bit, the Ceremonious Rights groups are all influenced past Communists and that the Firm Un-American Committee hearings are but patriotic actions used in combating the Communists. It was difficult to tum all the inaccurate slime this film spread, yet its moving picture noir story is grippingly tense.

For the terminal nine years steelworker Matt Cvetic (Lovejoy), who is a fellow member of a large Slovenian Pittsburgh family, has been working for the FBI as an undercover agent who has infiltrated the Communist party and risen high-up in the command structure. This has caused him tremendous conflicts with his high-schoolhouse son and his many brothers. His brother Joe hates his guts, and his elderly female parent loves him equally a son but is dislocated about why the remainder of the family is ashamed of him.

A Communist peak executive Gerhardt Eisler is trailed past the FBI to Pittsburgh where he conspires with Matt's immediate bosses Blandon and Harmon to stir upwards trouble in the steel boondocks past causing a race riot, starting a steel strike, plotting to divide and conquer the American people by feeding them misleading information, and sabotaging the steel plant.

Matt is rewarded for his adept political party piece of work, by being promoted to main party organizer. But with that job, he's farther spied upon past other party members every bit they are adamant to weed out possible traitors from their organization. Simply Matt has managed to bug all the rooms his superiors operate out of, as the Pittsburgh FBI bureau primary keeps tabs with him on a daily ground.

Because Matt's son, living with his grandmother, is in trouble in school, Matt is called into the principal's function and learns his child is getting into fights defending his dad from being called a dirty Commie by the other students. His son's bonny teacher Eve Merrick comforts Matt, and surprises him by visiting him afterward that evening in his apartment. Eve tells Matt she's as well a Communist political party fellow member and that at that place are a number of other teachers who are also members. Through the FBI bug, he learns that the party asked her to spy on him.

Fed up with his family and the communities hatred of him, Matt writes a letter to his son telling almost his undercover work and gives it to the priest to tell his son if something should happen to him. Merely at his mother's funeral the priest returns the alphabetic character considering he is beingness sent to Rome, while his brother Joe attacks him and causes the letter to autumn out of his suit pocket. Eve is undetected as she picks up the alphabetic character and keeps it.

Matt feels his mission has been compromised, simply the FBI bug proves that Eve does not tell Blandon of the letter of the alphabet. Information technology seems Eve has get disillusioned with the party for its violent and unfair tactics, and no longer believes in their ideals. Out of necessity, Matt is forced to study her to Blandon after a bloody steel strike upsets her. She'south peeved at the Communists hired goons who wrapped their weapons in Jewish newspapers to beat the striking wedlock workers. They attempted to brand it appear as if the steel bosses did this, and they would then come on the side of the workers with funds to fight them in courtroom and offer words of support.

Alert: spoiler in the next paragraph.

But Eve is suspected of beingness a traitor and when she tells them she's quitting the party and giving the FBI the names of the other Commie teachers, Matt acts fast to usher her out of town before she gets killed. When Eve goes dorsum to her place to pack, Matt is followed by ii Communist agents who impale an FBI amanuensis sent there for her protection. Matt sneaks Eve out the back way of her apartment building and puts her on the train, merely the Commie agents followed them and he has to defend himself when they try to kill him and Eve. The agents are found dead on the tracks. Just, at terminal, Matt appears before a federal probe of Communist activities and discloses his mission and all the info he could offer about the Communist organisation he worked for. His surreptitious work results in the abort and conviction of 11 top American Communist leaders. This brings great relief to his son and his brother Joe.

The film is based on the real-life experiences of Matt Cvetic. Simply the story is only partially true. It falsely glorifies him, as in real-life he wasn't a very nice person. The real Matt Cvetic was an alcoholic and had a nasty temper. Supposedly, he beat his sis-in-law so badly she required hospitalization. This is a troubling motion picture for today considering of its misinformation, though in its time information technology was very popular.

REVIEWED ON 2/ix/2002 Class: C –

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Source: https://dennisschwartzreviews.com/iwasacommunistforthefbi/