Documentary of the U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, who rose to prominence in the early 1950s by trumpeting allegations of a vast conspiracy by alleged Communist agents whom he claimed had infiltrated the U.S. government, media, film industry, labor unions and other organizations.
Editing
De Antonio's surgical juxtaposition of McCarthy's lies against damning archival footage.
Writing
Newman's narration drips with controlled fury—practically spitting through the microphone.
Director
Emile de Antonio
Paul Newman
Self - Host
Roy Cohn
Self (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self (archive footage)
Mamie Eisenhower
Self (archive footage)
Joseph McCarthy
Self (archive footage)
Ethel Rosenberg
Self (archive footage)
Julius Rosenberg
Self (archive footage)
Robert F. Kennedy
Self (archive footage)
Harry S. Truman
Self (archive footage)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
De Antonio was blacklisted himself in the 1950s; this film is essentially a 55-minute act of controlled revenge using only the accused's own words.
Released just months after Nixon's resignation, audiences recognized McCarthy's tactics in real-time—making this less history lesson and more urgent warning.
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