The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout

Review by Mark Woodring

You know, just looking at the title of this film and you might forgive me for thinking it was going to be a documentary about how badly this film did and what effect it had on the people who worked on and starred in it.

The “fallout” from such a project, if you will.

**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout - Review
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout (Blue Fox)

116 Minutes, Not Rated (Documentary)

Written and Directed by William Nunez

Synopsis:

Hollywood’s infamous flop, “The Conqueror,” stars John Wayne as Genghis Khan, embodying a slew of racist and sexist problems. Its enduring notoriety stems from the tragic fact that nearly half its cast and crew developed cancer, revealing a tale of government deception and negligent production choices, highlighting the devastating impact of nuclear fallout.

How wrong I was.

Instead, The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout is about a dark chapter in American history, and how that darkness remained immune to exposure until it touched one of America’s prized areas: Hollywood.

During the 1940s and 50s, America tested countless nuclear devices in the Nevada test range, and consistently — and dramatically — downplayed the effect of those people downrange — and downwind — of the blast, resulting in countless people being repeated exposed to radioactive fallout.

The film isn’t a typical, straightforward documentary, though; instead, it vacillates between recounting the development of the film, including the choice to film it in beautiful St. George, Utah, and the battle by non-Hollywood folks to finally, after realizing what effects the blasts had on them, get the government to admit and recompense those who developed all varieties of cancer, and whose future children were even impacted.

It is a glorious look at the labyrinthine process people need to go through with the government, even when the information is so incredibly clear.

Which says nothing about how folks couldn’t get any real traction on the process until it became linked to that infamous Hollywood production, The Conqueror.

“Please don’t let us have killed John Wayne,” was the cry once that connection became known and publicized.

Never let it be said that any government is quick to admit, much less address, their mistakes or other shortcomings. Thankfully, some semblance of that has occurred, though the battle for future generations lives on.

An eye-opening look at the consequences of the development of war, The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout is a must-see for American history buffs, as well as cinema fans who don’t know the tale of the making of one of the worst-cast films in Hollywood history.

The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout is now in theaters.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

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