While the common adage suggests that every movie begins with its script, it's the producers who often represent the true genesis of a film's journey. These relentless, visionary, and occasionally eccentric individuals ignite the process that transforms a script into cinematic reality. It's the most tenacious of producers who, against formidable odds, shepherd remarkable films through years of development hurdles and industry upheavals, leaving an indelible mark on both the film industry and culture at large—hopefully for the better.

We invite you to delve deeper than ever before in our new movie group series. We'll explore the intricate financial and creative struggles behind the production of several pioneering films. Highlighting the efforts of iconic producers and production teams, we will discuss the stories behind Hall B. Wallis’s Casablanca and Dr. Erlich’s Magic Bullet; Samuel Goldwyn’s The Best Years of Our Lives and Dodsworth; Megan Ellison’s Her and Zero Dark Thirty; Bert Schneider’s Days of Heaven and The Last Picture Show; Roger Corman's Pit and the Pendulum and The Intruder; and Sam Spiegel’s The Bridge on the River Kwai and On the Waterfront.

Film selections may be modified based on participant suggestions.

Facilitator: Theodore Rand has led previous film discussion groups at the Skirball on the films of Billy Wilder, the Coen Brothers, and Wes Anderson, among others. He is a graduate of New York University and has held technology innovation positions at Miramax, Yahoo! Media Group, Fox Networks, and the Walt Disney Company.