Two filmmakers want you to know that the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were lies.
At least, that’s what filmmaker Oliver Stone and AU Professor Peter Kuznick’s new documentary series wants you to believe. Stone and Kuznick screened an episode of their 10-part documentary series, “The Untold History of America,” and answered questions about the upcoming show and book at Ward on Nov. 8.
Stone is known for making politically charged films, so the pairing for the documentary makes perfect sense. His film “W,” which highlights the personal issues of President George W. Bush, made a splash in 2008, while his earlier military-driven films “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Platoon” were nominated for Oscars in the late ‘80s (with “Platoon” actually taking home the golden statue for Best Picture in 1986).
Kuznick introduced the series as a “history of the American empire” ranging from World War I to present day, including the presidency of Barack Obama.
The series, beginning Nov. 12 airing at 8p.m. on Mondays on Showtime, aims to “puncture the common American myths,” Kuznick said. It began as one documentary, based on the 1944 Democratic Convention when President Harry Truman was chosen to be on the ticket above the favorite, Henry Wallace.
The general idea behind exposing this injustice was to highlight the fact that had Wallace, a vocal supporter of equality and peace, been chosen, he could have gone on to become president and avoided Truman’s mistakes.
The first episode, shown at the event on campus, was about Truman’s decision to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The episode argues that Truman lied to the American people, making them believe that the bombs were necessary to win the war when the Japanese had surrendered three months earlier.
Kuznick and Stone have been working on the project for about eleven years, 11 of which were for filming, since the movie required extensive research. During that time, they also collaborated in the classroom, with Kuznick teaching a course titled “Oliver Stone’s America” at AU.
The documentary project started when Stone sat in on one of Kuznick’s class and heard the story of Wallace. Stone was immediately hooked, saying he “could not get the story out of his head for years.”
Stone was raised in a conservative household and dropped out of Yale University to volunteer in Vietnam. Kuznick pointed out that several of Stone’s friends from the war claim that he even saved their lives.
In regards to handling criticism, Stone said he is “empathetic towards these political figures, not sympathetic…and there’s a difference.”
The project was important to Stone because he “felt the urge to do something while [he] is still alive.”
“Only 12 percent of Americans are proficient in U.S. history, and the little that people do know, it’s often wrong,” Kuznick said. “That’s what we’re trying to combat.”
“It’s better to know the truth before you die,” Stone said, “or at least some version that’s a little closer to the truth.”
thescene@theeagleonline.com
