Trumbo (2007) July 25, 2008

This documentary film chronocles the life and times of Dalton Trumbo (1906-1971). In the 1940s he was the highest paid writer of Hollywood movies ('Exodus,' 'Spartacus,' 'Roman Holiday'). In his private and professional life he was a true apostle and fighter for the unfettered political freedom of the individual. The written word was his primary weapon employed with a wit that could be gentle but also abrasive as J. Parnell Thomas of the House Un-American Committee learned. Performers reading selections of Trumbo's work include Michael Douglas, Joan Allen, Liam Neeson, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, David Straithairn, and Paul Giamatti. In the 1950s he was one of the blacklisted Hollywood Ten, who spent a year in prison for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committees in its drive to save America from the Reds.