Subject to work commitments, we hope to have Karl Francis present to host a question and answer session after the screening. The story behind the film is fascinating and one well worth catching if you can.

One of the Hollywood Ten is the true story of Herbert Biberman. Biberman was convicted of contempt of Congress during the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings and was sent to jail for six months. He was a talented filmmaker with one bona fide masterpiece to his credit: the brilliant Salt of the Earth (1954). Biberman died in 1971 of bone cancer.

His wife, actress Gale Sondergaard, was also blacklisted. Sondergaard did not get her first role under she was 36 years old - but what a debut! She won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her part in ANTHONY ADVERSE (1936). Sondergaard was then hardly off the screen over the next 13 years. Caught up in the "Red Scare" her career was ruined. She died in 1985.

This is an excellent bio-pic that tells the story of a dark period in American film-history. It depicts how some people stood-up to their oppressors, paying a terrible price but maintaining their principles, beliefs and self-respect.

Back To Film Page