And then came that day when you were overrun by communist hordes.
If you’re in the mood for some manipulative propaganda, Invasion, U.S.A. (1952) as an American mouthpiece for anti-Soviet forces fits the bill. In this movie, various enemies of a military build up, including elected members of Congress and various heavy industry bosses, are targeted for refusing to take the threat of the Soviets seriously, as the United States is invaded and we find ourselves unable to adequately defend ourselves. Characters come and go, dying in various grisly ways, and the whole thing is hard to take at all seriously, at least from this vantage point in history.
1952 places it in the latter third, roughly, of what we have termed the McCarthyism period of American history, when Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) attempted to rid the country of suspected Communists through tactics which most Americans, when introduced to them, found to be highly disagreeable and even un-American. I do not know if this movie was allied with McCarthyist forces, but it seems quite likely, given the anti-communist tilt of the story, and its blatant advocacy for a highly militaristic state.
But all that said, don’t bother with this one unless you have an historical interest. It’s really dull, poorly made, and occasionally quite laughable.
