Hide and Seek - Blacklist

The most startling admission was Bernstein’s feelings or lack thereof of the informed decision to drop the atom bombs. He writes, “Many American lives would be saved. I felt no guilt. A bomb was a bomb....I did not understand that dropping this bomb was different from dropping any other kind of bomb” (130-131). Even in writing this as a memoir i.e. looking back, it seems to me that Bernstein may still not understand the gravity of this decision. It is this type of self censorship that I feel makes its statement here. I wonder, if in attempting to censor Hollywood and thus media in the form of entertainment, the big proponents i.e. political, ended up censoring America to the _. This ‘knowing’ is kind of reflected in Bernstein’s feelings towards technicolor. “ A few films were now coming out in glorious technicolor, but these seemed paradoxically pallid beside black-and-white...There shadows had no mystery...they had lost the quality of dream” (127). The colors almost bring reality more to the forefront - where all of the flaws are for the audience to see. That shield of black and white - especially with the blacklist and its sometimes no-nonsense accusations- reveals the gray in between. People are forced to confront reality. It’s interesting how this idea is changes or transforms for the current generation. Movies are still a source of escapism, but it’s the content not necessarily the color/no-color that provide this source. On a side note, this makes me think of how this blacklist could have an affect today if it were re-instated. What would be censored? Going back to Bernstein’s disappointment with technicolor, he continually tries to fill that void, especially evident in his search for ‘fronts’ once he is blacklisted. However, he continuously fails to realize that as much as he uses his fronts, they are using him for their own ‘selfish’ means. Contrary to most, he doesn’t feel betrayed, and instead finds a strange comradeship in being censored - similar to his war experience (199). Among blacklisted people he finds a common purpose. He’s almost absolved himself to take a back seat to the events at the forefront of the war abroad and at home. I wonder if this distance is an indication or product of him writing this memoir. The only thing I can think of is that this memoir is a reflection of how it is to be blacklisted. For instance, I would imagine that blacklisted people don’t know or understand everything about the war or the reasons for their blacklist. They have to go through life taking opportunities that fall at their feet, unable to search for them themselves - otherwise they’ll draw even more attention to themselves. According to Bernstein, this is even harder for actors as they have to show their face in order to get work (whereas writers can use pseudonyms - eventually backed up by a physical body). This game of ‘hide and seek’ can’t just be taking place in the ‘Hollywood’ scene. In censoring this type of media, how much are the other types of media being censored? How much of the faces of political strategies/ists being presented to the public? In other words, how much of the war did the people at the time truly understand? Were they primarily concerned with conflicts at home or abroad?