For those who never heard about the disastrous aftermath revolving the filming of Howard Hughes-Dick Powell epic failure "The Conqueror"
(1956) and its filming on a desert area used for atomic tests in the 1950's and what would cause hundreds of deaths in the following years, this
special documentary is an eye-opener and a must-see film, not only just to follow the case but also in witnessing a wider scope that goes beyond
the Hollywood film and its quest for perfection and accuracy that end up resulting in a massive tragedy.
This is the story of a proposed Genghis Khan epic adventure produced by Howard Hughes in the hopes of making one of the most important films ever made, but it
turned out to be a laughing-stock that failed with critics and audiences, and when several residents of the area near the atomic tests began to
feel sick and die, and later names such as John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendariz, Lee Van Cleef, Dick Powell, a total of 90+ personalities
involved with the film started to develop cancer, the story broke out in the media when a local woman made an extensive research that wasn't a
coincidence, it was a fact that something was happening in that Nevada area.
The challenging aspect of it all, the big question audiences will make with this film is to whom do we blame and point our fingers as
being responsible for everything that happened in the town of St. George? The AEC (Atomic Energy Comission) and the authorities for lying to the
public saying that the environment was safe and uncontaminated? The government for creating a red scare and an alarmist defense response in hurrying technology and bombs fabrication, for an attack that'd never happen? Hughes and the film crew knew about the real extent of everything or were lied to?
To whom the families of artists and the locals affected with several forms of cancer in the decades following the filming would recur?
It's a gripping, fascinating and explosive documentary that debunks myths, proves its facts and manages to interview many people related with
the fallout disaster, specially the town's people who followed in great detail the shooting of that film, and even military personnel involved with
those early tests in 1950's America present the work pattern of those days.
I was expecting to see the typical Hollywood tragic/E! Kind of special,
and I was greatly surprised that there's a focus beyond the film as it is a serious topic that affected regular people who never expected that they
would have to deal with sickness and numerous deaths in a same household or neighborhood. Sure, it's very interesting when we follow the John Wayne's
son or Susan Hayward's son detailing curious stories about the filming and their final moments, but following the locals and the battles they faced
against authorities to prove that wrongdoings were made and they fought for some form of compensation, is exhilariting, nervous and sad - and those
facts weren't familiar to me as I knew about the making of "The Conqueror" - also worth pointing out that it wasn't just the actual location
responsible for the problem, but an enormous quantity of sand from the place was taken to Hollywood to recreate the desert on a soundstage.
We're told, through an animated sequence narrated by actress Sophie Okonedo, about a legendary story revolving Hughes watching the film
repeatedly during his reclusive days - I always heard that "Ice Station Zebra" was a frequent private session of his, a clear obsession. It'll
die with him as to why he watched "The Conqueror" ad nauseum, if it was a regret for making it since he had high hopes that went nowhere and he
never returned to movie making, or because of what happened later on (a little unlikely but possible). I can't talk about that movie, as I still
haven't seen it; but just the story alone from its making creates an appaling tragic record that gladly Hollywood never returned to it - the excesses
done ever since all relate to bad scripts and lousy filmmaking. But it makes me wonder if those powerful men were simply cutting costs while choosing
location and if they knew about the atomic tests conducted there. 10/10.
