A Study Guide by Bruce Dennett
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FALLOUT © ATOM 2013 A STUDY GUIDE BY BRUCE DENNETT http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-329-8 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au To the teacher, How to make the best educational use of the documentary Fallout (Lawrence Johnston, 2013) is ultimately based on your professional judgement and 1 discretion. 2 Depending upon your class and personal 1: NEVIL SHUTE 2: STANLEY expertise, you can: KRAMER 3: AVA GARDNER Fallout ON LOCATION 4: HIROSHIMA 1 Simply show from start to finish and then use (PHOTO: WAYNE MILLER) this study guide. Hence it becomes a kind of enriched research task. 2 Have students read through the study guide first so that they have at their disposal a preview of Fallout – in other words, they know what to look for as they watch. This allows you to pre-test aspects of your students’ knowledge and skills. 3 Break the viewing of Fallout into manageable units or sections, and vary the student activity from, for example, watching for five to ten minutes at a time, to 3 writing, to discussion, to researching, and back again. This approach gives you more immediate control of the resource and how it can best meet the needs of Preface your class. Above all, this study guide is not intended to be definitive Fallout is an insightful documentary that can or prescriptive. Rather, it is intended to serve as an be viewed on a variety of levels. A study of the additional resource to support learning. documentary has direct relevance to the study of History, English, Social Sciences, Religious Studies, the Physical Sciences and Media. At the most basic level, it is the story of the writing 4 of the novel On The Beach by Nevil Shute, the making of a major Hollywood motion picture in Australia and the ongoing resonance of Mr Shute’s vision. Beyond that it is also the story of the creative process, which is the topic of the documentary, and offers insights into: 1 how the idea for Nevil Shute’s novel On The Beach was born – for English students the novel is part–science fiction, part-tragedy and also a warning about the ongoing dangers of nuclear weapons; 2 how the famous film director Stanley Kramer took the novel and translated it into a motion picture – for students of media, drama and history on film, both Fallout and Stanley 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION Kramer’s film open fields of study into the power of both the written word and cinematic images; 3 the fragile and tenuous grip that the human species has on life on the planet. 2 DONNA ANDERSON GIDEON HAIGH in the development of the atomic bombs used Overview of the content of against civilians in Japan. Fallout The decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan Fallout begins by focusing on the issue of nuclear remains controversial. Were they just used to bring weapons. Author and journalist Gideon Haigh the war to a speedy end? Or as Paul Ham suggests makes the point that Nevil Shute, through his in his book Hiroshima Nagasaki, were there other novel On The Beach, brought the issues of nuclear factors involved? Some historians, notably Gar weapons and the threat that they posed to life on Alperovitz, have argued that the bombs were used the planet to a wide and general audience. as a warning to the Soviet Union of America’s military might. If this is true, the Cold War began Fallout then traces the life of Nevil Shute Norway sooner than many of us assumed. from his childhood in Britain until his ultimate move to Australia as an internationally acclaimed Were both bombs needed? Historians have again novelist (Shute had already written fifteen pointed out, as noted in Fallout, that the Hiroshima published novels in the UK before relocating to bomb and the Nagasaki bomb were different Australia). types. Did the scientists and the Generals want the chance to use, test and compare the bombs and Although the real name of the creator of On The discover which of them was deadlier? Beach was Nevil Norway (Shute was his middle name), he became better known as Nevil Shute, Many of these issues are explored in Oliver the nom de plume he used as a writer. The Stone’s upcoming series and interview/ documentary follows this separation and reviews article with Philip Adams: <http://www.abc. the life story of Nevil Norway the engineer and net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/ Nevil Shute the novelist. oliver-stone-history/4787498> The fact that, as noted in Fallout, Neville Shute In general, the second part of Fallout then moves took more of an interest in just how his book was on to the making of the film version of On The filmed in the case of On The Beach than any of his Beach (Stanley Kramer, 1959). This introduces other novels provides evidence that On The Beach the filmmaker, the producer and director Stanley was perhaps more personally important to him Kramer. The focus becomes: than his other novels. It combined his two roles as engineer and author and may have challenged - turning a book into a film; his conscience as a consequence of his observing - the career of Stanley Kramer; the role played by scientists in creating the tools - the Hollywood stars – Gregory Peck, Ava of death and destruction and ultimately their role Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson – who came to Melbourne, Australia, to make the film; - the clash between Nevil Shute and Stanley Kramer during the making of the film version of the novel; 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION - the response of the American government to the film; - the international response to the film. Fallout concludes by addressing the ongoing threat posed to life on the planet due to nuclear weapons. There are more countries that have access to PAUL HAM nuclear weapons now than ever before. 3 2 2 3 1: STANLEY KRAMER WITH NOVEL ON THE BEACH Research – going further for deep 2: R100 PREPARES TO MAST 1 understanding 3: ANTHONY PERKINS AND FRED ASTAIRE 4: HIROSHIMA MOTHER AND CHILD (PHOTO: 1 As you watch the first part ofFallout that WAYNE MILLER) If terrorist groups gained access to nuclear material reviews Nevil Shute’s life and career, construct they are more than likely to use it as part of their a timeline highlighting the main events of terror campaign. Shute’s life, laid next to the key historical events of his times. The last image on the screen in the documentary 2 Although Fallout does not specifically mention is the explosion of an atomic bomb with its now the famous British inventor Barnes Wallis by familiar mushroom cloud. name, he and Shute crossed paths. Wallis was the lead designer of the British airship Task – Make up your own mind R100. Wallis and Shute were both linked to the secret British World War II organisation In the first minutes of the documentary, Gideon known as the Department of Miscellaneous Haigh described On The Beach as ‘the most Weapons Development. Wallis designed the important Australian novel of all’. bouncing bomb (shown in Fallout that was used to smash the German dams on the Ruhr Conduct a class discussion: Do you agree with this during World War II). Fallout in fact makes description of On The Beach? use of film footage from the motion picture The Dam Busters (Michael Anderson, 1955). During the discussion, think about and share your Research the life and times of Barnes Wallis to ideas on the following points: deepen your understanding of the scientific and technological world that Nevil Shute worked in - Is On The Beach really an Australian novel? before he became a world-famous novelist. Nevil Shute was born and educated in Britain. As Fallout notes, the appeal of Australia for Barnes Wallis: <http://www.sirbarneswallis.com> Shute, according to his daughter, was that it reminded him in many ways of Britain. - What makes an Australian novel? Does it have to be written by an Australian? Does it have to be about Australian people and Australian themes, ideas and attitudes? - Consider Nevil Shute’s conceptual idea of Australia’s distance and relative 4 3 isolation from the rest of the world and the fact that in the nuclear age this distance cannot save us; in other words, we are all citizens of the planet and we all share the same fate. 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION - If you agree with Haigh, why is On The Beach so important? 4 The Day After and On The Beach In 1983, Nicholas Meyer directed The Day After. The film focused on the consequences of the outbreak of a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. Although both The Day After and On The Beach were described as ‘science fiction’ and ‘drama’ and were made more than thirty years apart, each of 1 these films had a major impact on public opinion. Both films attracted criticism from the American government of the time when they were made. The Day After: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2B7sdLPMfc Also enter into YouTube: ‘Film of A bomb tests’ Watch the various documentaries and parts of feature films that deal with nuclear energy and the atomic bomb. How do the films you have chosen increase your understanding of the context of atomic bomb testing? Make a note of the aspects of bombing tests that strike you as interesting. Do you think the context is different today? Think: In Fallout, Nevil Shute’s daughter pointed out that 2 her father had suffered a number of heart attacks during his life, the first while still only in his thirties.