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Oliver Stone Secret History of America Showtime Series Uncovering the secrets about what is in Oliver Stone's upcoming Secret History of America. Summary The ever-controversial Oliver Stone is launching a ten-hour documentary series later this year on the Secret History of America. He has promised to show Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin in a more sympathetic light in this film. That has already caused warning flares to shoot up into the sky, and the series is not even released yet. Oliver, what are you doing? Here we reveal what is known about the Secret History of America. It will be updated as more comes in.
30 July 2010 USA Published by Los Angeles Times Written by Abraham Cooper Excerpt The Oliver Stone Danger[Oliver
Stone’s] Sunday Times controversy comes on the heels of his announced
participation in a 10-part docudrama for Showtime, "Secret History of
America." Why
all the angst over such a production? For one thing, Stone's extreme
makeover of the 20th century's greatest butchers in a U.S. production could
resonate in all the wrong places overseas. It parallels troubling real-life
makeovers of tyrants and the trivialization of the Holocaust: •
In Germany, "revisionist" historians apologetically argue that
Nazi death camps were merely replicas of Stalin's gulags. •
In Russia, Vladimir Putin dusted off the cult of Stalin as the last great
czar. •
In Eastern Europe, where Hitler's Final Solution was actually implemented,
Lithuania — which continues denying its own shameful chapter of bloody
collaboration with Nazi mass murder — is leading a campaign to have the
world eliminate International Holocaust Memorial Day and meld it into a
joint memorial with victims of communism. •
In India, Hitler's "Mein Kampf" is a runaway bestseller,
successfully marketed to business students looking for a template for a
highly organized and disciplined mind. The image of this "strong
leader" from Europe and his Nazi regalia are regularly featured in
marketing campaigns and restaurant decor in Asia. •
In the Arab and Muslim world, Third Reich trendiness takes on an ideological
edge with Arabic, Turkish, Urdu and Farsi translations of "The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and "Mein Kampf" adorning
airport bookstores and pro-terrorist websites. Iran is the leading state
sponsor of Holocaust denial. Ultimately,
Stone's "contextualizing" of Hitler and Stalin as
not-such-terrible-guys with whom we could empathize not only casts an ugly
revisionist shadow on the past, it could also disable our future resolve
against mega-evil. [The
complete article can be seen here.]
11 January 2010 Israel Published at Haaretz.com Written by Reuters Excerpt Why
Oliver Stone believes Hitler was an 'easy scapegoat'
American film director Oliver Stone has many in
the viewing world up in arms over his new documentary series which seeks to
"put into context" certain controversial figures - including Adolf
Hitler and Joseph Stalin - who he says have been "vilified pretty
thoroughly by history." "Stalin, Hitler, Mao, (U.S. Senator Joseph)
McCarthy," Stone told reporters at the Television Critics Association's
semi-annual press tour in Pasadena. "These people have been vilified
pretty thoroughly by history." "Stalin has a complete other story,"
Stone said. "Not to paint him as a hero, but to tell a more factual
representation. He fought the German war machine more than any single
person. We can't judge people as only 'bad' or 'good.' "He's not saying we're going to come out
with a more positive view of Hitler," emphasized professor Peter
Kuznick, the lead writer on the project. "But we're going to describe
him as a historical phenomenon and not just somebody who appeared out of
nowhere." Stone said that conservative pundits will dislike
the show. "Obviously, Rush Limbaugh is not going to
like this history and, as usual, we're going to get those kind of ignorant
attacks," said Stone, who also compared the experience of sympathizing
with war criminals to making his "W" movie about former President
George W. Bush. "I'm trying to understand somebody I thoroughly
despised." The project will also show lesser-known positive
aspects of American history and unsung heroes. Stone eventually hopes to
send "Secret History" to schools as a teaching curriculum. "It would be a very different counterweight to what they're learning," Stone said. "Nobody is going to force it down anybody's throat." [The
complete article can be seen here.]
10 January 2010 United Kingdom Published at Guardian.co.uk Written by Ed Pilkington in New York and Holly Bentley Excerpt Hitler?
A scapegoat. Stalin? I can empathise. Oliver Stone stirs up history
In
a film-making career spanning almost 40 years, Oliver Stone has turned
political controversy in America into an art form. He has upset financiers
with his caustic portrayal of Wall Street; conservatives with his depiction
of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez and George Bush; and Democrats with his
conspiracy theories about the assassination of John F Kennedy. All
of which may come to look like a tea party – of the social as opposed to
right-wing protest variety – when his next big venture hits the screens. Stone
announced yesterday that a 10-hour crash course in the history of the 20th
century he is putting together for American TV is designed as an antidote to
the inaccuracies and biases he believes exist in the conventional historical
narrative dished out in American schools and mainstream media. The title
alone gives an inkling of what lies ahead: Oliver Stone's Secret History of
America. Within
hours of the comments being made, they had begun, in the predictable pattern
of such things, to effervesce on the internet like yeast in dough. A
blogger by the pen name Orphia Nay summed up the billowing emotion:
"Ohhhhhh, this is not going to end well," she wrote. Others were
less temperate. "Again, another 'blame America first' person. If
he/they hate it, just leave it. We'll all have a party and help you pack.
You won't even have a full body scan." Say
what you will about Stone, he can't be accused of opting for the easy life.
His 2006 film on 9/11, World Trade Center, was both critically acclaimed and
a box office hit, with an appeal to all political persuasions. Next he
bounced back with a sharp portrait of George Bush in W. Then he made South
of the Border, his glowing portrayal of Chávez as champion of the poor
which premiered at the Venice film festival in September where Stone
appeared with Chávez on his arm. His Wall Street 2, with Michael Douglas
reprising Gordon Gekko, is in post-production; it's a fair bet that the
money men will come off no better this time than they did the last. Courting
controversy
•
JFK (1990) Caused a furore by asserting that JF Kennedy's vice-president and
successor, Lyndon B Johnson, was involved in the president's assassination
in Dallas in 1963 along with CIA agents and anti-Castro exiles. One critic
called it "a monstrous charade'' •
Natural Born Killers (1994) A savage portrayal of a young couple's killing
spree. Intended as a satire on the media's obsession with violence, the film
was subsequently linked with a series of copycat murders •
Comandante (2003) A US network postponed Stone's documentary on Fidel
Castro, following a crackdown on dissidents by the Cuban leader. Stone spent
three days with him n 2002 to make the film but was accused of being too
sympathetic • W (2008) Even before release, Stone's portrayal of former president George W Bush had rightwing columnists and bloggers condemning it as a vicious smear although the New York Times was among those who thought "he (Stone) goes easier on Mr. Bush on screen than some of his off-screen remarks suggest. [The
complete article can be seen here.]
10 January 2010 USA Published at Collider.com Written by Jackson Cresswell Excerpt Oliver
Stone to Reveal the SECRET HISTORY OF AMERICA on Showtime
Director
Oliver Stone, who has built his career on controversial films like JFK,
Platoon and W, is staying true to form with
his newest project, The Secret History of America, a 10-part
documentary mini-series that will air on Showtime. Stone promises to
portray the most vilified people in history “in context.” In
addition to highlighting the lesser-known aspects of figures like Hitler and
Stalin, the mini-series will also tell the stories of underappreciated
people and events that shaped the modern world. There’s no premiere
date set, as of yet. Stone
seems passionate about showing more well-rounded versions of America’s
enemies. Of Hitler he says, “We can’t judge people as only
‘bad’ or ‘good.’ Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and
it’s been used cheaply. He’s the product of a series of
actions.” He goes on to add, “You cannot approach history unless
you have empathy for the person you may hate.” Asking non-skinhead
Americans to empathize with Hitler is a hefty task as he is generally agreed
upon as being the worst person. Ever. But the series’ head
writer, Peter Kuznick is quick to point out that empathy is not the same as
admiration. He says, “[Stone's] not saying we’re going to come out
with a more positive view of Hitler, but we’re going to describe him as a
historical phenomenon.” Oliver Stone is capable of making good movies that have nothing to do with history (see: Natural Born Killers) but the man clearly owes a lot of his fame and money to controversial portrayals of American history. Stone’s politics make him a polarizing figure. People either love him or hate him, but he makes undeniably enthralling films. JFK with all of its inaccuracies and fabricated drama was entertaining despite starring Kevin Costner. Oliver Stone may revel in political controversy, but the man does it extremely well. If anyone has the clout and talent to pull off a more human portrayal of the most evil figure in history, then it’s Stone. [The
complete article can be seen here.]
Books on conspiracy theories and subjects explored by Oliver Stone:
Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglass (2008) Douglass argues persuasively that there was, in fact, a conspiracy to kill President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, and goes into the details of why he believes it happened.
Vietnam War by Frederick Downs, Jr (2007) In the Vietnam War, Downs earned four Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star with Valor, and the Silver Star. He left with injuries suffered in service, and apparently knows whereof he speaks.
© 2010 S. Holst |
JFK Assassination
Born on the Fourth of July
Wall Street Other books about societies with secrets and secret societies: The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital (2002) by David Ovason. A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry - in Two Volumes (1921) by Arthur Edward Waite. Holy Blood, Holy Grail (1982) by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln. The Craft and Its Symbols (1985) by Allen Roberts. The Trial of the Templars (1978) by Malcolm Barber. Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol (1991) by W. Kirk MacNulty. The Rosslyn Hoax? (2006) by Robert L. D. Cooper. The Meaning of Masonry (1922) by W. L. Wilmshurst. Freemason's Guide and Compendium (1950) by Bernard E. Jones. A Dictionary of Freemasonry (ca. 1890) by Robert Macoy.
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JFK
and the unspeakable: Why He
The
Killing Zone: My Life in the
