Ten screenwriters and directors were jailed in 1947 for their refusal to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the McCarthy-era crusade against Communism. The Hollywood Ten, as they were known, were both scapegoats to protect studio stars and idealists who... [More]

Ten screenwriters and directors were jailed in 1947 for their refusal to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the McCarthy-era crusade against Communism. The Hollywood Ten, as they were known, were both scapegoats to protect studio stars and idealists who would not allow their political beliefs to be compromised. Upon their release, they joined an even larger group of people in the film industry who were also being blacklisted by Hollywood studios. One of these men was director Herbert Biberman, the defiant subject of this biopic. Pulled off of a film in mid-production, Biberman (Jeff Goldblum) was jailed with his nine colleagues for supposed Communist ties. Fellow Hollywood Ten inmate Edward Dmytryk fingered Biberman and others to continue his career while Biberman and his Oscar-winning wife, Gale Sondergaard (Greta Scacchi), faced opposition for their unwillingness to incriminate their peers. Biberman fought back, directing the independent film SALT OF THE EARTH about the struggles of Mexican immigrant laborers. The difficulties of the production, using non-actors and filming in the hostile environment of New Mexico, gave Biberman an even greater realization of the importance of his ideals. An independent work itself, ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD TEN boldly criticizes film studios such as Warner Bros. for their complicity in this dark period in American history. [Less]