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ERA
Did you know
50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
The Front
"America's most unlikely hero."
1976 1h 35m EN
👍
7.0
SOLID
🍅
67%
FRESH
⭐
7.3
IMDB
★7.0TMDB · 186🍅67%Rotten Tomatoes★7.3IMDB · 9,815
ComedyDrama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.
“America's most unlikely hero.”
Cast
Woody Allen
Howard Prince
Zero Mostel
Hecky Brown
Herschel Bernardi
Philip Sussman
Michael Murphy
Alfred Miller
Andrea Marcovicci
Florence Barrett
Remak Ramsay
Hennessey
Marvin Lichterman
Myer Prince
Lloyd Gough
Delaney
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Martin Ritt
- Writers
- Walter Bernstein
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
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DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Martin Ritt, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 7
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 7
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Sidney Levin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 7
CAST
Did you know
Woody Allen and Zero Mostel and Herschel Bernardi carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 7
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "America's most unlikely hero.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 7
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0074554 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Martin Ritt directs. Michael Chapman behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. Sidney Levin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 150 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2Directed by Martin Ritt, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 3Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 4Editor Sidney Levin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 5Woody Allen and Zero Mostel and Herschel Bernardi carry the top of the cast.
- 6Marketing tagline: "America's most unlikely hero.".
- 7IMDB entry: tt0074554 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 8Classified under 11 themes, including "friendship", "fight", "politics", "movie business".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Michael Chapman
- Original score
- Dave Grusin
- Editing
- Sidney Levin
- Costume design
- Ruth Morley
- Makeup / hair
- Robert Jiras
- Sound
- James G. Stewart
- Runtime
- 95 min · 1h 35m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG
- IMDB
- The Front (1976)
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 67% 🍅 Fresh
- IMDB rating
- 7.3/10 · 9,815 votes
- MPAA
- PG
Awards
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 1 win & 5 nominations total
- Silver nugget for the best foreign film
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Martin Ritt
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
- DE
Devon/Persky-Bright
- PE
Persky-Bright Productions
Columbia Pictures
US
- JA
Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions
US
Key crew
- ProducerMartin Ritt
- First Assistant EditorRalph S. Singleton
- EditorSidney Levin
- Production ManagerRobert Drumheller
- Costume DesignRuth Morley
- Executive ProducerCharles H. Joffe
- Art DirectionCharles Bailey
- Associate ProducerRobert Greenhut
- Assistant DirectorPeter R. Scoppa
- Second Assistant DirectorRalph S. Singleton
- Producer's AssistantGolda David
- Script SupervisorB.J. Bjorkman
- Production Office CoordinatorLois Kramer Hartwick
- Location ManagerPeter Burrell
- Location ManagerChristopher Cronyn
- Transportation CaptainJames Fanning
- Set DecorationRobert Drumheller
- Property MasterJoseph M. Caracciolo
- Scenic ArtistBruno Robotti
- GafferRichard Quinlan
- Key GripRobert Ward
- Makeup ArtistRobert Jiras
- HairstylistPhilip Leto
- Wardrobe MasterPeggy Farrell
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- friendship
- fight
- politics
- movie business
- screenwriter
- mccarthy era
- front
- writer
- communism
- mccarthyism
- 1950s
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical (limited)1976-09-30PG· New York
Also known as
International titles
- The FrontUS
- Il PrestanomeIT
- La tapaderaES
- El testaferroAR
- El prestanombresMX
