Let's place ourselves back in time for a few moments. It's the 1950s, the red scare is in full swing, McCarthyism is rampant, and cheep B- movies are in their heyday. It is during this time you take your brand new '57 Chevy out to the drive in with your significant other and the first film comes on. 'Journey to Freedom,' is the title and your anxious for the main feature to start, but feel optimistic about this title with its intense theme song and use of appropriate stock footage. However, as the film continues, I believe that your optimism would begin to wane as you realize that the film you are viewing is just okay, and not the spectacular Cold War epic you were hoping for.
With the context for this film set, allow me to divulge into the plot. The story follows a young Bulgarian refugee named Stephan (Jacques Scott) and his two friends on their escape from the clutches of their tyrannical government who frequently jailed and beat the trio for their anti-communist views. The story focuses on Stephan who manages to make it country to country until finally reaching his destination in America where he is an active member in an Anti-Communist group.
During this time, Stephan settles down in his new American life. He gets married, becomes an active member of his community and seems to have finally made his exodus from the clutches of tyranny. However, getting away from communism, for Stephan, isn't all that easy. During his time in America the commies continue to try to hamper his success, especially because of his continual attempts to fight the Bulgarian government even after his exile. These attacks on Stephan are a mainstay of the film, demonstrating that life does not instantly get easier for refugees and that life after communism is a constant struggle.
Outwardly, Journey to Freedom has a great deal going for it. The film, after all, was written by a man who shared a similar life to Stephen in the film, director Stephen C. Apostolof of Ed Wood fame, giving it a genuine feel the whole way through. Furthermore, the film is generally well acted, while it isn't Shakespeare, I've seen a lot worse acting in 1950s B films. And finally, the plot isn't full of preachy patriotic dribble, it tells a legitimate story from the perspective of a refugee from behind the Iron Curtain. Where this film falls short is in its pacing, a problem which really makes this film difficult to watch at times. The different scenes in the film do not flow particularly well, and the plot is explained through dialogue rather than actions.
With this said, I keep coming back to this film. Another reviewer of this title stated that this film is more interesting because of its history rather than because of its own merit. I agree with this. The history I believe that this reviewer is discussing is the both Apostolof's personal connection to the film, and perhaps more importantly its Ed Wood Connection i.e. Tor Johnson, William Thompson, and Aspotolof. For me personally, that may be why I keep coming back to this time. As a lover of 1950s B movies, and films with a larger historical context, that might also explain why I like it so much. Rather or not you will like the film or not really depends on you; if you don't care about the history, Tor Johnson, or B films, I doubt you'll find much here worth viewing.
As a nod to my colleague who also reviewed this film, I agree fully that this film would have gathered a few more stars if it would have had Tim Farrell in it, but I digress.
In all, slightly recommended if you have read the reviews and know what 50s B-films are like.
With the context for this film set, allow me to divulge into the plot. The story follows a young Bulgarian refugee named Stephan (Jacques Scott) and his two friends on their escape from the clutches of their tyrannical government who frequently jailed and beat the trio for their anti-communist views. The story focuses on Stephan who manages to make it country to country until finally reaching his destination in America where he is an active member in an Anti-Communist group.
During this time, Stephan settles down in his new American life. He gets married, becomes an active member of his community and seems to have finally made his exodus from the clutches of tyranny. However, getting away from communism, for Stephan, isn't all that easy. During his time in America the commies continue to try to hamper his success, especially because of his continual attempts to fight the Bulgarian government even after his exile. These attacks on Stephan are a mainstay of the film, demonstrating that life does not instantly get easier for refugees and that life after communism is a constant struggle.
Outwardly, Journey to Freedom has a great deal going for it. The film, after all, was written by a man who shared a similar life to Stephen in the film, director Stephen C. Apostolof of Ed Wood fame, giving it a genuine feel the whole way through. Furthermore, the film is generally well acted, while it isn't Shakespeare, I've seen a lot worse acting in 1950s B films. And finally, the plot isn't full of preachy patriotic dribble, it tells a legitimate story from the perspective of a refugee from behind the Iron Curtain. Where this film falls short is in its pacing, a problem which really makes this film difficult to watch at times. The different scenes in the film do not flow particularly well, and the plot is explained through dialogue rather than actions.
With this said, I keep coming back to this film. Another reviewer of this title stated that this film is more interesting because of its history rather than because of its own merit. I agree with this. The history I believe that this reviewer is discussing is the both Apostolof's personal connection to the film, and perhaps more importantly its Ed Wood Connection i.e. Tor Johnson, William Thompson, and Aspotolof. For me personally, that may be why I keep coming back to this time. As a lover of 1950s B movies, and films with a larger historical context, that might also explain why I like it so much. Rather or not you will like the film or not really depends on you; if you don't care about the history, Tor Johnson, or B films, I doubt you'll find much here worth viewing.
As a nod to my colleague who also reviewed this film, I agree fully that this film would have gathered a few more stars if it would have had Tim Farrell in it, but I digress.
In all, slightly recommended if you have read the reviews and know what 50s B-films are like.