08 Feb The Beginning or the End
(1947) The 1947 story of the development of the first atomic bomb, code name Manhattan Project. It was the first time a major Hollywood studio made a movie about nuclear weapons. It started off like a documentary but quickly became a compelling story. Sean Carroll, physicist, was the TCM host for the film. He explained that MGM had so many name actors on its payroll, and that is why there are so many (then) recognizable names in the cast. Hume Cronyn was Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist often called “the father of the atomic bomb.” Barry Nelson played Colonel Paul Tibbets, Jr., pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
What was most interesting to me was how authentic some of the details were; the TCM article suggests that they did extensive research to make it so. Dr. Einstein warned President Roosevelt that the Germans were making progress in their race to build the first atomic weapon. Toward the end, there was actual footage of the bombing of Hiroshima. After the bomb was dropped and the crews watched the horrific aftereffects they looked like they were going to throw up.
For obvious reasons, the technical details and processes shown were nowhere near factual.
My favorite reviewer of that time, Bosley Crowther of the New York Times wrote that the “film is so laced with sentiment of the silliest and most theatrical nature.” Partly true. Crowther didn’t like the two romances going on after work hours. Of course MGM did that to entice female moviegoers … that was obvious in the original trailer.
The trailer also headlines: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Daringly Presents the most Timely Production in Motion Picture History. Unfortunately, the movie was a commercial failure, and MGM lost a lot of money. I guess the public just wasn’t ready to think about it yet.
We know the beginning. Only you of tomorrow, if there is a tomorrow, can know the end. (Hume Cronyn as Dr. Oppenheimer)
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