“Of the 220 people that were constantly on location shooting in Utah, 91 came down with cancer…”
“The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout” is an important documentary, and one that warrants a mass audience with as many people as possible, if only to view how Hollywood can often become the folly of the rich and powerful as well as how one man’s hubris can destroy so many lives in one fell swoop. Although William L. Nunez’s documentary is very much about the calamity that was “The Conqueror,” the Howard Hughes and John Wayne vanity project that amounted to a massive epic scale shooting that ended with an abysmal often derided biographical film, it’s also about the corruption of the American government.
“Hollywood Fallout” is a surprisingly thorough and exhaustive look at the conception of “The Conqueror,” the disastrous making of the film, and the less than welcome reception that it received. What’s more important is that the making of the film ended up bringing about a massive movement in America that held governments accountable for their acts during and after war. Director Nunez chronicles the short of “The Conqueror” and how the original sets were scouted by Hollywood agents, all of whom chose to shoot in the Utah desert. Whether anyone knew it or not, the Utah desert was ground zero for major nuclear testing that managed to contaminate every inch of land within the radius of the test blasts.
Whether or not Howard Hughes or his studio ever knew or realized this remains a mystery as “Hollywood Fallout” immediately descends into the unfortunate aftermath that followed. Sure, the bad reviews and lukewarm reception was bad, but the years and years of its contaminating its cast and crew with cancer is what ultimately became the film’s sad legacy. There’s a lot of discussion about working in and around this contaminated land, with conversations about many of the cast and crew unwittingly spent literal hours in and on the contaminated soil and plant life, even eating food that was caked in the dust brushed up from the shoot. In a moment sure to inspire dread, they even explain that producers sought to shoot some scenes of the film on a sound stage prompting them to ship back pounds of soil and plant life that was also radiated.
“Hollywood Fallout” ultimately boils down to a discussion about nuclear testing, government irresponsibility and corruption that spanned decades over everyone that worked on “The Conqueror.” Was this a big, horrible accident caused by one man’s (Hughes) enormous ego or was it a government experiment with unwitting Hollywood performers used as guinea pigs? Did Howard Hughes ever suffer any fallout from this horrible series of events? Was he or his estate ever taken to court for this utter, often imbecilic negligence? While there is a lot of contemplation and discussion on the former, I place all the blame on Howard Hughes’ immeasurable and ultimately destructive hubris. The truth will always be, as they say, in the eye of the beholder.
“Hollywood Fallout” nevertheless descends into a darker corner, discussing beat for beat how everyone on that worked on set managed to develop cancer in some form. A few made it out to tell their tales, while many sadly suffered long, painful deaths. Among them were William Powell, Susan Hayward, and John Wayne, respectively.
“The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout” is a stellar and conscious minded documentary that takes a very stern, often emotional microscope to our government and their willingness to sacrifice whatever (and whomever) they could in their race to perfect the Nuclear bomb.
Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival occurs in San Jose March 7th – March 17th.