Sometimes, Hollywood has a very long memory, and other times, a very, very short one.

By 1999, almost five decades had elapsed since director Elia Kazan had made known the identities of communists in his orbit to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Much of the world had moved on, but for many in the industry, Kazan’s testimony remained a scab to be picked at. So, in the final year of the last century, when Kazan picked up an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards, many who were there found themselves paralyzed by self-righteousness, unable to applaud, let alone stand for, a great filmmaker.