Description
Uncover the gripping narrative of 'The Beginning or the End', where history meets Hollywood in a stunning exploration of the Atomic Age. This enlightening book by Greg Mitchell delves into the untold story of how the White House and Pentagon interfered with a groundbreaking MGM film about the Manhattan Project. As one of the first cinematic attempts to grapple with the terrifying consequences of nuclear warfare, this book revisits the historic moment when American media struggled to convey the dangers of the atomic bomb. Published by The New Press, this brand new hardcover edition showcases original scripts and correspondence, revealing the chilling conflict between artistic intentions and governmental censorship that plagued the production process.
With the ISBN 9781620975732, this 2020 release is essential for history buffs and film aficionados alike. A captivating read, it not only covers the evolution of cinema during a tumultuous period but also emphasizes the larger conversation about propaganda, politics, and the morality of nuclear power. Greg Mitchell stands out as a master storyteller and informative historian, making 'The Beginning or the End' a compelling addition to any library. Don’t miss your chance to explore the compromise of ideals in the face of political pressure.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. Format: Cloth over boards. Year: 2020. Publisher: New Press, The.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781620975732
Format: Cloth over boards
Year: 2020
Publisher: New Press, The
Description:
The shocking and significant story of how the White House and Pentagon scuttled an epic Hollywood production
Soon after atomic bombs exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, MGM set out to make a movie studio chief Louis B. Mayer called 'the most important story' he would ever film: a big budget dramatisation of the Manhattan Project and the invention and use of the revolutionary new weapon.
Over at Paramount, Hal B. Wallis was ramping up his own film version. His screenwriter: the novelist Ayn Rand, who saw in physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer the model for a character she was sketching for Atlas Shrugged.
Greg Mitchell's The Beginning or the End chronicles the first efforts of American media and culture to process the Atomic Age. A movie that began as a cautionary tale inspired by atomic scientists aiming to warn the world against a nuclear arms race would be drained of all impact due to revisions and retakes ordered by President Truman and the militaryfor reasons of propaganda, politics, and petty human vanity (this was Hollywood).
Mitchell has found his way into the lofty rooms, from Washington to California, where it happened, unearthing hundreds of letters and dozens of scripts that show how wise intentions were compromised in favour of defending the use of the bomb and the imperatives of postwar politics. As in his acclaimed Cold War true-life thriller The Tunnels, he exposes how our implacable American myth-making mechanisms distort our history.
'Greg Mitchell is the best kind of historian, a true storyteller.'—Ka
With the ISBN 9781620975732, this 2020 release is essential for history buffs and film aficionados alike. A captivating read, it not only covers the evolution of cinema during a tumultuous period but also emphasizes the larger conversation about propaganda, politics, and the morality of nuclear power. Greg Mitchell stands out as a master storyteller and informative historian, making 'The Beginning or the End' a compelling addition to any library. Don’t miss your chance to explore the compromise of ideals in the face of political pressure.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. Format: Cloth over boards. Year: 2020. Publisher: New Press, The.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781620975732
Format: Cloth over boards
Year: 2020
Publisher: New Press, The
Description:
The shocking and significant story of how the White House and Pentagon scuttled an epic Hollywood production
Soon after atomic bombs exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, MGM set out to make a movie studio chief Louis B. Mayer called 'the most important story' he would ever film: a big budget dramatisation of the Manhattan Project and the invention and use of the revolutionary new weapon.
Over at Paramount, Hal B. Wallis was ramping up his own film version. His screenwriter: the novelist Ayn Rand, who saw in physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer the model for a character she was sketching for Atlas Shrugged.
Greg Mitchell's The Beginning or the End chronicles the first efforts of American media and culture to process the Atomic Age. A movie that began as a cautionary tale inspired by atomic scientists aiming to warn the world against a nuclear arms race would be drained of all impact due to revisions and retakes ordered by President Truman and the militaryfor reasons of propaganda, politics, and petty human vanity (this was Hollywood).
Mitchell has found his way into the lofty rooms, from Washington to California, where it happened, unearthing hundreds of letters and dozens of scripts that show how wise intentions were compromised in favour of defending the use of the bomb and the imperatives of postwar politics. As in his acclaimed Cold War true-life thriller The Tunnels, he exposes how our implacable American myth-making mechanisms distort our history.
'Greg Mitchell is the best kind of historian, a true storyteller.'—Ka