Guilty of Treason

Description

Agonizing torture at the hands of the secret police threatens any citizen who resists in a Hungary subjugated by the ruthless dictator Joseph Stalin. Cardinal Josef Mindszenty (Charles Bickford), taking a courageous open stand against the Communists, is labeled a traitor by the brutal regime bent on crushing all opposition. Intrigued by whispers of what may be going on inside the Soviet-occupied nation, American foreign correspondent Tom Kelly shows up in Budapest to investigate.Shortly after arriving, he is introduced to beautiful Stephanie Varna (Bonita Granville), a Hungarian schoolteacher who is secretly involved with a Russian colonel. She manages to lead Tom to the Cardinal only days before he is thrown into prison, while a wave of false arrests and mysterious disappearances envelops the brave souls who dared to follow the Cardinal's anti-Communist lead.This film showcases gruff-voiced Charles Bickford whose work includes Of Mice and Men (1939) and the acclaimed Days of Wine and Roses (1962). Inspired by the true story of Cardinal Mindszenty's persecution and trial in Hungary, the documentary/propaganda style of Guilty of Treason examines the Hungarian Communist regime which rose to power after Nazi rule.

Customer Reviews:

Guilty of Treason................2005-04-21

I was quite disappointed with this documentary/movie. It only told half of the story of Cardinal Josef Mindszenty's heroism and sanctity. It was very short and ends by saying he was sentenced to prison. Nothing about his having been rescued from prison by freedom fighters, his boycott by the American Embassy staff, his removal from office as Cardinal by Pope Paul VI because he refused to keep silent on the evil of communism, and his courage, even in exile from his beloved Hungary, to travel the world and show everyone the true face of communism. I guess we will have to wait for someone like Mel Gibson to make such a movie on this truly holy Catholic martyr of the 20th Century.

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