Guilty by suspicion opens somewhere in the 1940's-1950's, in the height of controversy in the entertainment world. David Merrill, the protagonist in the film, had recently separated from his wife and is living in Hollywood as a film director. He travels to France to make a movie and when he returns, he is oblivious to the problems in Hollywood. Many film directors have been put on what is called the "Hollywood Blacklist" and accused of being communists. .
When Merrill attempts to work on new film projects, he is stopped and told to go see a lawyer. Apparently, he too has been accused of communist behavior. He is asked by the House on Un-American Activities to tell about his time in France and to please tell the names of anyone there who has been communist-related. Merrill refuses to give names of anyone else and decides to fight against the accusations. He reunites with his wife and they take their case to court. .
During his testimony, David admits attending Communist meetings and makes it clear that he will only talk about himself and not the others who were involved. Because of this, he is thrown in prison, along with the many other people in the industry who were prosecuted for the same thing. Lots of people lost their houses, jobs, families and money to the accusations. Lives were ruined for up to twenty years because of this. .
This movie was a good example of how the government can take false skepticism and turn in into life-altering punishment on unstable grounds. I liked this movie because it taught me a lot about our government; and I do not think that they should be able to take people's lives away from them without giving them a fair voice. .