THE BEGINNING OR THE END

US, 1947, 117 minutes. Black and white.
Brian Donlevy, Robert Walker, Tom Drake, Hume Cronyn, Beverly Tyler, Barry Nelson, Godfrey Tearle, Richard Hayden, Hurd Hatfield, Joseph Calleia.
Directed by Norman Taurog.

The Beginning or the End is a surprising film for 1947. It was released under eighteen months following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. It tells the story of the Manhattan Project, the science and technology behind the building of the atom bomb. That such a story should be told so soon after the event, given the secrecy of the project, seems quite extraordinary in retrospect.

The film has a prologue which describes the burying of a time capsule in 1946 to be opened five hundred years later, explaining what had happened during World War Two, containing footage and other material related to the Manhattan Project. The film shows the actors concerned, impersonating the personalities involved in the project.

The film explains in some detail the science and physics behind the splitting of the atom – with an appearance by an actor impersonating Albert Einstein, appealed to by the scientists of the Manhattan Project to explain the situation to President Roosevelt (played by Godfrey Tearle). Throughout the film there are explanations for the lay audience, inserted into sequences, especially between Tom Drake as a scientific engineer and Robert Walker as the military liaison with the project.

The film highlights the possible progress for a nuclear age. It also highlights the dangers, especially for war and the exploitation of bombs. The character played by Tom Drake expresses many doubts throughout the film – and his character, based on an actual character in Chicago, inserts his hand into the bomb and receives a lethal amount of radiation in order to fix the bomb and make it safe for those around.

Brian Donlevy plays General Groves who was placed in command of the whole project. Robert Walker plays the army liason. A number of character actors portray nuclear scientists from the United Kingdom, from Italy, and from the United States. Hume Cronyn portrays J. Robert Oppenheimer. It is he who narrates aspects of the film.

While the focus of the film, semi-documentary, is on the Manhattan Project, the secrecy, the experiments, the technology, the building of a town in the New Mexico desert, visualising the actual tests in Nevada in July 1945. The film also shows the plans for the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, discussions with President Truman inheriting the presidency with the funeral of Roosevelt. Truman feels that he is constrained to approve the dropping of the bomb to shorten the war and save the lives of many Americans. The emphasis on American lives rather than on Japanese lives.

The film goes to Tinian, the assembling of the bomb, the raid on Hiroshima commanded by Paul Tibbetts (Barry Nelson) and visualises quite vividly the explosion and the fires as well as the radiation and the winds after the dropping of the bomb.

The film inserts a small human story with Tom Drake and his wife as well as Robert Walker and a secretary to General Groves and the touch of romance.

The film becomes somewhat sentimental and preachy at the end, with a letter from Tom Drake’s character read by his wife after his death, considering the past, expressing hopes for the benefits of a nuclear age.

The film was directed by Norman Taurog who had won an Oscar for directing Skippy in 1931. He directed many comedies and, in the 1950s and 60s, many Martin and Lewis comedies as well as Elvis Presley films. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead, a World War One veteran, who wrote quite a number of screenplays concerning aviation and warfare.

In retrospect, the film is very interesting in what it presents in 1947 – just prior to the Iron Curtain coming down in Europe and the American swing to the right, suspicion of communism and the House of un-American Activities and the blacklists.

The theme was taken up in a number of documentaries, especially concerning Robert J. Oppenheimer, The Day After Trinity. There was a combination of fact and fiction in the 1989 film directed by Roland Joffe, Fat Man and Little Boy, with Paul Newman as General Groves.

1. The impact of the film for an audience of the 1940s? The immediate era of post-World War Two? For later? The experience of the war, the American involvement, Japanese hostilities? The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

2. The perspective of 1946 – the splitting of the atom, the atomic energy, the positive energy possibilities, safety? Atomic energy and weapons, the extent of destruction? The visuals of the tests in Nevada in 1945? The visuals of the destruction on Hiroshima?

3. The prologue, the time capsule, the setting of the scene, the contents of the capsule, the perspective of five hundred years hence?

4. Oppenheimer and his talking to the camera, the history, the comment? His role in the Manhattan Project? The aftermath?

5. The history of the Manhattan Project, the 1940s, the information given to the public in films so soon, the breaking of secrecy, the openness of the information, the personalities? Einstein and his role, the group going to him to persuade President Roosevelt? The decision, the evidence, the budget, the appropriations? Eisenhower and his reactions? Truman and his reaction, decision, for peace, the saving of lives?

6. The portrayal of historical personalities: Einstein, the atomic scientists, from the United States, from the United Kingdom, Fermi and Italy, the scientists from Europe? The military, General Groves in command? The Enola Gay and Paul Tibbetts? The realism? The treatment of the realities for a general audience – with some sanitising?

7. The history of science and engineering, Matt as a character, his scientific and engineering background, his skills, a civilian? His experiences? His personal life, his wife, the postponed honeymoon, their meetings? His doubts, his work, his decision to continue? His anguish, moving house, the new city? Time and the testing, the effect on him, his going on the flight, putting his hand into the bomb to rectify the problems, his death?

8. The scientists and their work, the issue of the plugs and their impracticality, the nature of the tests, the experiments? The teamwork? The huge equipment? The rods and their size, removal and replacement?

9. The military observer, his listening to the explanations of the science and the engineering? His secrecy? Not telling General Groves? The appointment of Groves, his presence, the military liaison, friendship with Matt, their discussions, at the end? His meeting Anne and telling her of Matt’s death?

10. General Groves, his capacity, the meeting and his appointment, the briefing with the scientists, the money and appropriations, logistics, the need for silver, the building of the town, his work with the personnel, waiting for the news about Hiroshima, the success of the mission?

11. His secretary, her work with Groves, the flirting with the military liaison, at the end and their being together?

12. The building of the town, the nature of the security for all the workers? The extent of the building, the secrecy?

13. The United Kingdom, Churchill’s collaboration, the sending of the British scientists, their arrival in America, working with the team?

14. The Nazis, the race for atomic energy, the motivation to move quickly against the Nazi possibilities of success?

15. Science, the atmosphere, the splitting of the atom, the chain reaction, uranium, plutonium, the size – and the amount of plutonium obtained for the initial bombs?

16. The bomb and its size, power, the test, the light, the heat, the personnel wearing dark glasses, the cloud, the radiation and the wind?

17. Tinian, the assembling of the bomb, the flight, the personnel involved, Tibbetts and his leadership? The tactics for the planes? The dropping of the bomb? The Hiroshima fire?

18. Matt’s letter, the superimposition of him speaking, his wife, the contents of the letter, the feeling, atomic energy and hope?

19. The Manhattan Project seen in retrospect?