Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Freedom and JK - Pt. III


Part III of "Freedom and JK"...

Jerry is put on trial by the State after being arrested at the museum:


The prosecutor (Mike Road) reads off the charges against Jerry: "Subversion, deviationism, and treason". He offers Jerry a chance to confess his crimes, but Jerry asks where the proof is that he committed any crimes at all. The prosecutor answers that it's up to Jerry to prove his innocence.

Jerry asks how he can prove his innocence if he doesn't know what he's accused of: "'Subversion' against whom? 'Deviationism' from what? 'Treason' against what government?"


The prosecutor states that Jerry was given the opportunity to confess and should now be sentenced. Jerry protests that the State is falsely accusing him of crimes while it committed actual crimes such as breaking into his home without a warrant, taking Linda away, desecrating a house of worship and turning his family against him.

He begs Helen to back him up. But, the prosecutor produces a document signed by Helen stating that Jerry tried to turn their children against the Communist State. He asks her if the statement is true:


She answers "Yes":


The prosecutor has signed accusations from other witnesses, including Bill Martin, and they each confirm that their statements are also true:

 
The prosecutor says that the evidence against Jerry is overwhelming and that he should be sentenced immediately. Jerry demands to read the witness statements and to speak in his own defense.

The judge (Andrew Duggan) orders him to return to the box.


He tells Jerry there's no need to examine the witness statements, because he stands condemned by his own words. The judge calls Jerry "a dangerous enemy to the proletariat, who must be treated as such, as an ugly remnant of a diseased bourgeois class, who must be eradicated before the contagion can spread". He sentences Jerry to be shot at a time and place to be decided:


Before Jerry is removed from the courtroom, he delivers an impassioned speech against Communism, saying that although the State uses big words like "proletariat", there's one word they're afraid of: freedom.


Jerry is chained to a chair by Communist soldiers. His executioner is the same officer (Peter Breck) he saw speaking in the street. The executioner offers him one last chance to confess his "crimes". Jerry refuses, but tells him that one day people will finally realize that "Communism" is just another word for "slavery":

 
As he utters these final words, the executioner fires a shot:


Luckily, Jack Webb shows up again and assures us that the bullet won't reach Jerry:


Jerry really wakes up to discover that it was all just a Red nightmare:


And Helen is Helen again:


Sally and Jimmy are back to being their playful selves:

 
And, Linda and Bill have decided to postpone their marriage until after Bill finishes his hitch in the service:


Everything's back to normal:

 
Except this time, as Jack Webb concludes, "Jerry knows now so he'll never forget it--responsibilities are a privilege...freedom has a price, and its price is vigilance..."

JW then launches into a patriotic salute to the US and its armed forces, which, like the end credits, was filmed in color. Too bad the rest of the film wasn't:


Well, that's the end of Freedom and You...but please stay tuned because there's more of "Freedom and JK" coming up in TDS! :)

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