Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War is an engrossing documentary of five notable film directors and their sometimes difficult relationship with the government in creating WWII propaganda films. We’ll view this three-hour documentary at session one, followed by weekly viewings and discussions of five movies made by these notable filmmakers after their return from war. We’ll discuss their pre-war careers and films, as well as how their war experience may have changed and affected how they practiced their craft. Films will include: State of the Union by Frank Capra, The Searchers by John Ford, Friendly Persuasion by William Wyler, We Were Strangers by John Huston and The Diary of Anne Frank by George Stevens.
Note: Some sessions will be 30 to 45 minutes longer due to the length of the selected film.