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==Factual errors==
==Factual errors==


On episodes 1 & 2 it is claimed that Finland was invaded and conquered by Soviet union in 1939. In various graphics displaying the european theater map it is shown that Finland is either conquered by Soviets or Nazi Germany. In reality Finland was never conquered by Soviets who attempted this and ultimately finns were the only Soviet bordering country on the eastern front that successfully fought Soviets and maintained their independence. Neither was Finland part of Nazi Germany nor their ally. Finland did receive aid and weaponry from Nazi Germany in exchange to fight Soviets. United States never declared war on Finland, despite close relations with Nazi Germany during World War 2.
On episodes 1 & 2 it is claimed that Finland was invaded and conquered by Soviet Union in 1939. In various graphics displaying the European theater map it is shown that Finland is either conquered by Soviets or Nazi Germany. In reality Finland was never conquered by Soviets who attempted this and ultimately Finns were the only Soviet bordering country on the eastern front that successfully fought Soviets and maintained their independence. Neither was Finland part of Nazi Germany nor their ally. Finland did receive aid and weaponry from Nazi Germany in exchange to fight Soviets. United States never declared war on Finland, despite close relations with Nazi Germany during World War 2.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 13:19, 11 July 2013

The Untold History of the United States
GenreTelevision documentary
Created byOliver Stone
Written by
Directed byOliver Stone
Narrated byOliver Stone
ComposerCraig Armstrong
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Oliver Stone
  • Tara Tremaine
  • Rob Wilson
Producers
  • Carlos Guillermo
  • Chris Hanley
  • José Ibáñez
  • Serge Lobo
  • Fernando Sulichin
Editors
  • Michael Klaumann
  • Alex Marquez
Production companyIxtlan Productions
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseNovember 12, 2012 (2012-11-12) –
present

Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States, also known as The Untold History of the United States[1][2][3], is a 2012 documentary series directed, produced, and narrated by Oliver Stone.[4]

Production and release

Oliver Stone and American University historian Peter J. Kuznick, began working on the project in 2008. Stone, Kuznick and British screenwriter Matt Graham co-wrote the script.[5] The documentary miniseries for Showtime had a working title Oliver Stone's Secret History of America. It covers "the reasons behind the Cold War with the Soviet Union, U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, and changes in America's global role since the fall of Communism."[6] Stone is the director and narrator of all ten episodes. The series is a re-examination of some of the under-reported and darkest parts of American modern history using little known documents and newly uncovered archival material. The series looks beyond official versions of events to the deeper causes and implications and explores how events from the past still have resonant themes for the present day. Stone said: "From the outset I've looked at this project as a legacy to my children, and a way to understand the times I've lived through. I hope it can contribute to a more global insight into our American history."[7]

The first three episodes of the series premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 6, 2012, which Indiewire described as "extremely compelling" and "daring".[8] The series was personally presented by Stone at the Subversive Festival on May 4, 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia, which next to film screenings also included debates and public lectures by prominent intellectuals such as Slavoj Žižek and Tariq Ali.[9]

Stone described the project as "the most ambitious thing I've ever done. Certainly in documentary form, and perhaps in fiction, feature form."[10] Production took four years to complete. Stone confessed "It was supposed to take two years but it's way over schedule",[11] The premiere was finally set for November 12, 2012.[12] Stone spent $1 million of his own money on the budget, which had inflated from $3 million to $5 million.[13]

The series premiered on Showtime in November 2012. Executive producers are Tara Tremaine and Rob Wilson. A book by the same name was also published.

Companion book

The ten-part series is supplemented by a 750-page companion book, The Untold History of the United States, also written by Stone and Kuznick, released on Oct 30, 2012 by Simon & Schuster.[14]

Kuznick objected to the working title "Secret History", claiming that "the truth is that many of our 'secrets' have been hidden on the front page of the New York Times. If people think the secrets will be deep, dark conspiracies, they'll be disappointed. We'll be drawing on the best recent scholarship".[15] It was subsequently retitled The Untold History of the United States.[16]

Style and format

The series has been said to be reminiscent of the famed British Thames Television series The World at War (1973–74).[17] With the exception of an on-camera introduction and conclusion by Oliver Stone, the series contains no interview subjects. Instead, each episode consists of archival material: stock film, photographs, video and audio recordings, computer generated maps and diagrams, clips from fictional movies, and Stone's voiceover narration. Historical quotations and writings from various figures are read by actors.

Reaction

The Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald highly recommended the series and book,[18] describing it as "riveting", "provocative" and "worthwhile".[19]

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev wrote approvingly of the book:[20]

"Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick provide a critical overview of US foreign policy during the past few decades. There is much here to reflect upon. Such a perspective is indispensable at a time when decisions are being taken that will shape America's role in the global world of the twenty-first century. At stake is whether the United States will choose to be the policeman of a "Pax Americana", which is a recipe for disaster, or partner with other nations on the way to a safer, more just and sustainable future."

David Wiegand wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle: "The films are at their best when they provide a panoramic view of our history in the middle part of the 20th century. Ably abetted by the superb editing work by Alex Marquez".[21]

Stone asserted the program's accuracy to TV host Tavis Smiley[22]

'This has been fact checked by corporate fact checkers, by our own fact checkers, and fact checkers [hired] by Showtime. It's been thoroughly vetted...these are facts, our interpretation may be different than orthodox, but it definitely holds up.

Verne Gay for Newsday similarly praised the craft: "By far the most interesting part of "Untold" is the visual presentation. Stone has cobbled together a mother lode of chestnuts, including grainy newsreel footage and Soviet propaganda films. It's all weirdly engrossing", but found the content less than provocative: "You keep waiting for a fresh insight, a new twist, a bizarre fact and after a while would even be profoundly grateful for some wacky Stone revisionism. It never comes. What's "untold" here?"[23]

The Hudson Institute neoconservative historian Ronald Radosh was averse to the very idea of the project since its announcement,[24] encouraging a write-in campaign to cancel the series.[25] Describing the Untold History of the U.S. as "mendacious Cold War revisionism" and "mindless regurgitation of Stalin's propaganda", Radosh dismissed Stone's and Kuznick's historical arguments, seeing them to be in line with what "Soviet agents and apologists like Carl Marzani, Baron Blackett, and Dana F. Fleming laid out in the first years of the Cold War".[26]

Journalist Michael C. Moynihan criticized the book for "moral equivalence between the policies of the psychotically brutal Soviet Union and the frequently flawed policy of the United States" and called the title "misleading" in that nothing within the book was "untold" previously.[27] In response to such critics, Stone has said: "Stalin was horrible, he was a tyrant. We don’t downplay his atrocities, but Americans like to forget that the Russians defeated Nazi Germany on the battlefield, not the United States." Kuznick has said: "Stalin was looking forward to a peaceful collaboration with the US after the war. Had Roosevelt lived or Wallace become President, he would have got that."[28]

Episodes

Season 1

Factual errors

On episodes 1 & 2 it is claimed that Finland was invaded and conquered by Soviet Union in 1939. In various graphics displaying the European theater map it is shown that Finland is either conquered by Soviets or Nazi Germany. In reality Finland was never conquered by Soviets who attempted this and ultimately Finns were the only Soviet bordering country on the eastern front that successfully fought Soviets and maintained their independence. Neither was Finland part of Nazi Germany nor their ally. Finland did receive aid and weaponry from Nazi Germany in exchange to fight Soviets. United States never declared war on Finland, despite close relations with Nazi Germany during World War 2.

References

  1. ^ Oliver Stone's official website: The Untold History of the United States Linked 2013-07-01
  2. ^ IMDb: The Untold History of the United States Linked 2013-07-01
  3. ^ Amazon UK: The Untold History of the United States Linked 2013-07-01
  4. ^ Mitchell, Andrea (December 12, 2012). Revisiting interpretations of US history. MSNBC
  5. ^ Lowry, Brian (2012-11-11). "Variety Reviews - Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States - TV Reviews - - Review by Brian Lowry". Variety.com. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  6. ^ "Oliver Stone to show "Secret History of America", "Reuters", August 18.2009
  7. ^ http://skyatlantic.sky.com/oliver-stones-untold-history-of-the-united-states/oliver-brings-the-untold-history-of-the-united-states-to-sky-atlantic
  8. ^ "Oliver Stone Premieres His Daring New Showtime Series 'Untold History of the United States' in New York.", Indiewire, Oct 8, 2012
  9. ^ "Oliver Stone, Alexis Tsipras Join Croatia 'Subversives'". Balkan Insights. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  10. ^ Ed Rampell "Q&A: Oliver Stone on Israel, Palestine and Newt Gingrich", "The Jewish Daily Forward", January 15, 2012
  11. ^ "Director Oliver Stone embraces new film 'Savages'", "Press Telegram", July 12, 2012
  12. ^ http://www.cbspressexpress.com/TCA/showtime/pdf/tca_showtime_OLIVER_STONE_UNCOVERS_AMERICA.pdf
  13. ^ Stephen Galloway "The Untold History of the United States", "The Hollywood Reporter"
  14. ^ "Digital Catalog - The Untold History of the United States". Catalog.simonandschuster.com. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  15. ^ "Oliver Stone's Secret History: An Interview with Peter Kuznick", "History News Network", March 10, 2010
  16. ^ "The Untold History of the United States", "The Oliver Stone Experience"
  17. ^ Goldman, Andrew (22 November 2012). "Oliver Stone Rewrites History — Again". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  18. ^ Glenn Greenwald "Various Items: Oliver Stone is releasing a new book" The Guardian. Oct 30, 2012
  19. ^ Glenn Greenwald "Glenn Greenwald tweet on Untold History" Twitter. Oct 26, 2012
  20. ^ Gorbachev on Untold History, October 2012
  21. ^ David Wiegand (2012-11-08). "'The Untold History' review: Oliver Stone". SFGate. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  22. ^ "Video: Oliver Stone & Peter Kuznick, Part 1 | Watch Tavis Smiley Online | PBS Video". Video.pbs.org. 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  23. ^ "'Oliver Stone's Untold History' review". Newsday.com. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  24. ^ Radosh, Ron (2010-01-12). "Ron Radosh » I Thought Howard Zinn was Bad Enough. Now We Have to Learn Our History from Oliver Stone". Pjmedia.com. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  25. ^ <http://pjmedia.com/ronradosh/2012/01/28/tell-cbs-to-cancel-oliver-stone-doc/?singlepage=true>
  26. ^ Ronald Radosh (November 12, 2012). "A Story Told Before: Oliver Stone's recycled leftist history of the United States". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  27. ^ Michael C. Moynihan (November 19, 2012). "Oliver Stone's Junk History of the United States Debunked". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  28. ^ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-04-19/oliver-stones-untold-history-of-the-united-states-is-turning-the-american-century-on-its-head
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