History Discussion Group

A rich American (Ralph Bellamy) hires four adventurers (Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode) to go to Mexico and rescue his bride (Claudia Cardinale) from the clutches of bandit Jack Palance and save him a big ransom. But all is not what it seems...

Richard Brooks wrote and directed this action-packed 1966 western, based on Frank O'Rourke's 1964 novel A Mule for the Marquesa. Cinematography and music by Conrad Hall and Maurice Jarre!

A Polish-Jewish pianist (Adrien Brody) hides from the Nazis.

Roman Polanski directed this 2002 biopic from a Ronald Harwood script based on Wladyslaw Szpilman's memoir. Polanski, Harwood and Brody all won Oscars.

Asa Yoelson (Larry Parks) becomes Vaudeville star Al Jolson, reaching his peak fame with the first talking movie.

This 1946 musical biopic, directed by Alfred E. Green from a Stephen Longstreet script, took some liberties with Jolson's true story. (Evelyn Keyes plays a character based on Jolson's real-life wife Ruby Keeler, who insisted on renaming her.) The musical numbers are staged by Joseph H. Lewis. Jolson had been out of fashion for years, but the movie's success led him into a mini-comeback. The little-known Parks became a star, also playing the role in the sequel Jolson Sings Again, but he later became a victim of the anti-communist blacklist.