New George Clooney Movie Partly Based On Levittown Unrest

A few years back George Clooney was watching political speeches about “building fences and scapegoating minorities.” The speeches led the acclaimed actor, director and humanitarian to learn more about the racial unrest in Levittown in the late 1950s after the black Myers family moved in.

Clooney, who grew up in the racially divided south, said during a press conference last week at the 74th Venice International Film Festival that he considered making a movie about the strife in Levittown and then decided to mesh his idea together with a previous script written by the Coen Brothers. Media reports indicate the addition to the script based on the events in Levittown was significant.

“Suburbicon,” a satirical film directed by Clooney, is “funny, mean” and a little bit “angry,” the director told reporters last week.

The film that stars Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac tells the story of a crime set in a 1950s suburban town, much like William Levitt’s Pennsylvania community, that faces rioting and unrest after a black family moves in. A review from Variety stated the plot pulls all the elements together in a satisfying way and Clooney “keeps it all nice and tight.” The film was shot in California.

Clooney said the film was meant to be about the recent race riots in our country and “isn’t a movie about Donald Trump.” He further added the film was about “coming to terms constantly with the idea that we have never fully addressed our issues with race.”

“I’m an optimist and you can tell that by the end of the film.”

Clooney added the movie isn’t meant to be a civics lesson.

The real-life Myers family moved into Bristol Township’s Levittown section in August 1957; the events led to cross burnings, violent rioting, protests and death threats.

Developer William Levitt stated during interviews he had no bias against black families moving into Levittown. None had moved into the 17,000-home suburban community that started construction in 1953 until the Myers settled into a house on Deepgreen Lane in the Dogwood Hollow neighborhood.

A Bristol Township police officer was hurt in the rioting and state troopers were called in to protect the Myers.

The Myers moved from Levittown to York County in 1961 but Daisy Myers stayed at the forefront of racial equality until her death in 2011.

The film is set to be screened at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival before a wide release in the United States on October 27.