Theatrical Adaptation

Censored

One of the main themes of the FTP was that it was “uncensored”. This theme was also brought into the movie, but as a whole theme for each situation in the movie. The painting, the shows, even the work programs had the theme of being “uncensored”. This, however, was not carried through, for anything.
The painting that Diego Rivera did in Rockefeller center was a censored project. When Rockefeller went to Diego with his project, he told him to paint anything, as long as he saw the sketches first. After he saw the sketches, Rockefeller told him to start painting. But after Diego was through, Rockefeller noticed that what was painted was not what Diego had originally given him. Rockefeller ordered him to repaint it, but Diego refused. In this sense, the painting was censored because Diego was not allowed to draw whatever he wanted, and when he did, Rockefeller got very upset and told him to take it down. I don’t think it is fair to censor something like that, because it is the painter’s vision, not Rockefeller’s, and the way he expressed himself may not have been the way Rockefeller wanted him to, but what he painted was what he wanted to express. I think the only reason why Rockefeller was upset about the painting was only because of the communist-like portraits in a non-communist country.
The shows that were being performed at this time were also censored. The Beaver musical, the one that was made for children, was thought to be a communist show and was pulled after it had just gotten started. The Cradle Will Rock was also pulled when they closed down the theatres and if anyone performed the show, they would be out of a job with the government. By closing down all the theatres, however, many people were out of jobs. The FTP was the only reason why many people had jobs in the first place. Olive never would have had a job if she never went to talk to the FTP. Programs as such were a great source for jobs, but they were also censored. They could only take a number of people, and they had to have all the requirements in order to get a job. The programs were censored also because they were looking out for communists amongst the group, and if they had even the slightest hint that someone was, they would either close the program completely, or make cuts in the number of people allowed to work.

posted by LilmissKS @ 8:41 AM