Guilty by Suspicion (1991)

David Merrill (Robert De Niro), a fictitious 1950s Hollywood director, returns from filming abroad in France to find that his loyalty has been called into question by the House Committee on... See full summary »

Director:

Irwin Winkler

Writer:

Irwin Winkler

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Annette Bening, George Wendt

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	David Merrill
Annette Bening	...	Ruth Merrill
George Wendt	...	Bunny Baxter
Patricia Wettig	...	Dorothy Nolan
Sam Wanamaker	...	Felix Graff
Luke Edwards	...	Paulie Merrill
Chris Cooper	...	Larry Nolan
Ben Piazza	...	Darryl Zanuck
Martin Scorsese	...	Joe Lesser
Barry Primus	...	Bert Alan
Gailard Sartain	...	Chairman Wood
Robin Gammell	...	Congressman Tavenner
Brad Sullivan	...	Congressman Velde
Tom Sizemore	...	Ray Karlin
Roxann Dawson	...	Felicia Barron (as Roxann Biggs)

Storyline

David Merrill (Robert De Niro), a fictitious 1950s Hollywood director, returns from filming abroad in France to find that his loyalty has been called into question by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and he is unable to work until cleared. Before being called, his highest priority had been his work to the extent of leaving his wife (Annette Bening) and son (Luke Edwards) alone for months at a time. He initially refuses to implicate others or himself in a private meeting with Roy Cohn and a studio lawyer. This decision initially to stick to his principles first leaves him unable to work in his profession, even with films and producers he never would have worked with before. Harassment by the FBI leaves him unable to work on Broadway, with advertising agencies, or even in a small film repair shop. Finally, having fallen so far, and tempted with a new offer to direct a film from his old studio (if he testifies), he agrees to go before the Committee, initially planning to ...

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | mccarthy hearings | house unamerican activities committee | film director | blacklist | 

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Taglines:

All it took was a whisper.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Schuldig bei Verdacht

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$9,480,198 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam Wanamaker, who plays Felix Graff, really was blacklisted by HUAC during the McCarthy era.

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Goofs

There is a Milwaukee Braves baseball pennant on the wall of Merrill's son's room. This film takes place in 1951 and 1952. The Braves didn't move to Milwaukee from Boston until 1953.

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Quotes

David Merrill: I'm a filmmaker. That's all I am, I don't know what else to do. What the hell do they think I'm gonna do? Blow all the bridges if the Red Army comes invading Manhattan?

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Connections

Featured in Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998)

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Soundtracks

"JEEPERS CREEPERS"
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Performed by Louis Armstrong

User Reviews

Americans should never forget

This was the directing/writing debut of long-time producer Irwin Winkler, and he attempts to deal with a serious, and still controversial issue, and is more successful than most who have tried. Winkler caught De Niro in an upswing. After a pretty disappointing decade, De Niro return with vigour in the 90s with Goodfellas, Awakenings, Cape Fear, and this. He receives solid support, especially from George Wendt as his loyal screenwriter friend. Although this had it's detractors, take a look at it alongside The Majestic, a film that attempts similar groundwork, and this will begin to look like a masterpiece in comparison.