American Reds: The Failed Revolution, 1920-1956
FAIN: TD-50460-12
Catticus Corporation (Berkeley, CA 94710-2597)
Richard L. Wormser (Project Director: August 2011 to April 2014)
Development of a 90-minute film and website exploring the history of the rise and fall of the Communist Party, USA.
"American Reds: the Failed Revolution" is the first comprehensive documentary to examine the Communist Party USA between its rise to become the foremost radical group in America during the Great Depression and its fall during the Cold War. Its influence extended far beyond its numbers because of its opposition to racism, exploitation of workers, fascism and injustice. The program is unique because it draws upon interviews videotaped with members, former members and sympathizers in the 1980s. Television audiences will learn how and why communist ideology fostered such passionate devotion and generated such intense hostility; why communism was at the center of so many national debates and ultimately how this past struggle illuminates the way Americans today perceive fundamental issues such as free speech, national security, ideology, government social programs and civil rights.