Film Review: The Majestic (2001)

Late 1940s and early 1950s represent period of history Hollywood isn’t very proud of. Main reason for that the role major studios and some of its most prominent film makers had in brutal persecution of their colleagues over real or alleged Communist beliefs during McCarthy era. As a result, there are very few Hollywood films that deal with this painful subject. And those few that do, even when made with some sort of ambition and notable names behind and in front of camera, are quickly memory-holed into oblivion. One such example can be found in The Majestic, 2001 period drama directed by Frank Darabont.

The plot is set in 1951 Hollywood. Protagonist, played by Jim Carrey, is Peter Appleton is young screenwriter specialised in B-film scripts. His career seems to be ascending – he is dating a beautiful starlet and his latest work Sand Pirates of the Sahara is a big hit, making certain that he would be promoted by studio into writer of A-productions. But all that comes crashing down when it is revealed when US House Anti-American Acitvities Committee summons him to testify as alleged Communist over his attending a political rally many years ago. Appleton isn’t a Communist and he attended rally only to impress the girl, but the mere accusation is enough to be left by girlfriend, abandoned by friends, fired from studio and blacklisted by the rest of Hollywood. Trying to find consolation in alcohol, Peter gets drunk and begins to drive aimlessly. He ends somewhere in Northern California where he gets involved in a car crash that would result in a memory loss. He is found in Lawson, small town whose citizens find strange resemblance to Luke Trimble, local hero who went missing while serving in Second World War. There isn’t any dilemma for Luke’s father Harry (played by Martin Landau) – the man is indeed his long-lost son and he would do anything to help him restore memory and rebuild old life. Town, which lost sixty of his young men during the war, is coming back to life Harry reopens its cinema. Even Luke’s girlfriend Adele Stanton (played by Laurie Holden) recognises Luke in Peter. Life begins to look idyllic for him, but soon he would have to face the reality.

Frank Darabont, who has built his career on sentimental period dramas like The Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile, entered this project with great ambition and its film was initially even considered to be serious Oscar contender. The film’s theme was important, while its script was drowning in sentimentality and reminder of America’s glorious past, best embodied in small towns and ordinary Americans, willing to sacrifice everything to defend country’s values. Darabont, however, miscalculated and the result was series of unenthusiastic reviews and disaster at the box office. Many critics complained about too much pathos, including over-theatrical and unconvincing ending that makes finale of Scent of a Woman look subtle in comparison.

Most of those complaints are valid, but Darabont’s main sin was to remind Hollywood of the times when, out of fear and opportunism, it had discarded its best people, abandoned the very American values of free speech and took part in rape of US democracy. Darabont tried to be mild in the criticism of the period, described McCarthyism as merely a short aberration from otherwise shining path of US history. Yet, the chasm between noble ideals and reality faced by protagonist appeared to be too much for Hollywood and US critics alike, especially in a time of release that coincided with patriotic hysteria following 9/11. But the real issue that condemned The Majestic to relative failure is pacing that makes the film overlong and some of its flaws more glaring.

Those flaws are, on the other hand, compensated with high production values and good reconstruction of 1950s America. Darabont gives impression of a film maker who loves his country and its cinema tradition, especially populist comedies of Frank Capra that celebrated small towns and ordinary people. Casting was very good. Jim Carrey again proves that his talents go beyond comedy and that he could handle more serious dramatic roles. Laurie Holden, actress best known as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files and Andrea Harrison in The Walking Dead looks exactly like the 1950s screen goddesses looked like, yet her character seems to transcend stereotypes. The Majestic is hardly a perfect film, but it could be recommended as a work of someone who truly believes in what he is doing.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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