How “Trumbo” Taught Me More About My Faith

The Old Soul

It’s likely that you can learn more about your faith from watching any movie about personal

sacrifice. The difference is I’m not usually paying attention, but when Bryan Cranston is on the screen I can’t help but pay attention.

Trumbo is not a movie about Christianity, though there are some undeniable parallels. If you haven’t heard much about this movie then here’s what you need to know: it’s the story of

Dalton Trumbo, a Hollywood screenwriter during the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.

Trumbo was among the “Hollywood Ten” targeted by Congress in an attempt to rid the

country of communism. The main reason Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten became

famous is because of their refusal to cooperate with Congress.

Trumbo and many other writers and actors were blacklisted from Hollywood during this era because the leaders of this country felt

they were a danger to the democracy of our country.

They felt as if their only purpose was to create movies and push propaganda for the Soviet

Union in an attempt to overthrow the United States.

All these years later it seems like such a ridiculous ideology. But at the time the majority of Americans felt this way. The

interesting thing about Trumbo, and the movie in particular, is that it made me think about

what it would be like to be a Christian during a time or place where Christians were

persecuted.

Or what it would be like to live in a country where Christians were not welcome or

appreciated. Maybe even seen as a threat to the greater good.

While the movie Trumbo may be less about martyrdom and more about one man’s ego

and refusal to be silenced by yuppie Hollywood bureaucrats, I think we can learn

something from the eccentric character portrayed by Cranston.

In the movie (and by all accounts in real life), Dalton Trumbo stands up against Congress and the Hollywood elites because he feels

they have no right to judge him based on his political beliefs.

He feels his first amendment rights allow him to believe whatever he wishes and that no one

can take that away from him. In short: he’s right. In long: that doesn’t ever seem to stop

anyone from judging anyone else.

The admirable quality in the movie is Trumbo’s willingness to standup for what he believes in.

His willingness to go to jail and take his “punishment” for something he feels he

should not be punished.

It may be a stretch of a comparison, but while I was watching the movie I couldn’t help but

think of John the Baptist. A man who was beheaded because of his faith in God. The

man who baptized Jesus.

Being a communist in the time after WWII must have been difficult. As a communist you were a minority of people seen as anti-patriots in a time where America had just defeated one

of the most feared enemies in centuries. Patriotism was alive and running rampant.

I think it’s probably safe to compare those times to the years just after 9/11. Being a

Christian in the time Jesus was walking the Earth was much the same. And like any other belief, the stronger you display your faith, the

more people believe you’re a radical.

If you want to know what it’s like to be a Christian in a place where you’re not

welcome, or even seen as a threat, watch this video. This video shows a Muslim man trying to get plans for a mosque approved in a small

town.

He’s at a town hall meeting and all of a sudden someone stands up and accuses him

and ALL Muslims of being terrorists. It’s quite shocking to me that anyone can treat another human being this way, but the sad thing is it

happens all too often.

Trumbo is a good movie, it’s not great, but it’s worth seeing. The narrative moves too quickly

with some characters and too slow with others, but in the end these problems can be

overlooked as the film is carried by an incredibly engaging actor in the lead.

Being a follower of Christ has never been pitched to anyone as being easy. It’s not. It’s difficult to have faith in something you can’t

see or touch. It’s difficult to have faith in something that so many people see as a fairy

tale.

It’s difficult to have faith in something so many people believe is the root of why our world is constantly at war. But it begs the question, maybe our faith is the only thing

worth fighting for.

If you haven’t seen Trumbo, go see it. And while you’re sitting in the theater think about whether or not you’d fight as Dalton Trumbo

did for your beliefs as he did for his.

To really light the fire inside of you it takes a spark.

!

The good news is, I have flint.