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Tag Archives: Tom Hanks

The whole truth about The Pentagon Papers: Most Dangerous + The Post

17 Saturday Feb 2018

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Film, History, Nonfiction

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Ben Bradlee, Daniel Ellsberg, Elizabeth Fais, Excellence in Nonfiction Award, First Amendment, History, Katharine Graham, Meryl Streep, Most Dangerous, National Book Award, Nixon, Nonfiction, secret history, Steve Sheinkin, Supreme Court, The Pentagon Papers, The Post, Tom Hanks, Vietnam war, YALSA

Film and fiction bring their own strengths to storytelling. The secrets behind The Pentagon Papers requires both to fully understand the people and events that shaped this turning point in American history and culture.

Most Dangerous, by Steve Sheinkin, reveals the how and why The Pentagon Papers were stolen and released to the press by Daniel Ellsberg. The Post (starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep), is the story of the Washington Post’s role in exposing the lies behind the Vietnam war to the American public.

Most Dangerous, by Steve Sheinkin

Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

Most Dangerous, coverDaniel Ellsberg was the obscure government analyst who became “the most dangerous man in America” by risking everything to expose decades of government deception and lies.

The Pentagon Papers—the top-secret history of the Vietnam war—had been kept under lock and key for over a decade, with only the highest ranking government officials aware of their existence. On June 13, 1971, the New York Times blew open the government’s tightly kept secret, exposing The Pentagon Papers to the American public and the world. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara had documented the government’s actions in the Vietnam War, revealing lies that spanned four presidencies. Sheinkin’s page-turning narrative provides direct insight into the people and political events that brought Ellesberg—a self-proclaimed patriot—to commiting what many would call treason. Sheinkin interviewed Ellsberg and others who were involved in shining the light of truth on The Pentagon Papers. The result is a front row seat to what the New York Times deemed “the biggest story of the century”, as if you are experiencing it unfold in real-time. Thought provoking and emotionally stirring, Most Dangerous delves into the true meaning of patriotism, freedom, and integrity.

Sheinkin’s insightful investigation of The Pentagon Papers was the 2015 National Book Award finalist and winner of the 2016 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award.

The Post

The Post, in comparison, focuses on the unprecedented battle between the press and the The Post, movie postergovernment regarding the right print The Pentagon Papers. Katharine Graham, the country’s first female newspaper publisher and her hard-driving editor Ben Bradlee were the force behind bringing the truth behind the Vietnam war to the American people.

The Washington Post’s legal team advised Graham against publishing the stolen documents, as Nixon would surely slam them with criminal charges. If they lost the legal battle, Graham risked destroying the newspaper that was her family legacy. If they won, she’d the Post would become a national journalistic institution. She was a fighter. She ran the story.

The White House retaliated with full force, and the Post and Times went before the Supreme Court to plead their First Amendment stance. Newspapers across the country rallied the story in solidarity, and the court ruled in favor of the newspaper and the people’s right to know.

Meryl Streep’s performance provides a movingly nuanced reflection of the societal inequality professional women of the time faced. For this reason, The Post is as much a statement about the turning tides of equality as it is about freedom of the press and the American people’s right to know.


The Story Behind Mary Poppins ~ “Saving Mr. Banks”

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Disney, Disneyland, Movies, Walt Disney

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Dancing Penguins, Dick Van Dyke, Elizabeth Fais, Emma Thompson, Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins, Movies, P.L. Traverse, Saving Mr. Banks, Tom Hanks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Family Museum, Walt Disney Studios, WDFM

The Trailer That Stormed the Twitterverse

Mary Poppins book coverA couple of weeks ago, news of the just-released trailer for a new movie about Walt Disney stormed the Twitterverse. That’s how I first heard about “Saving Mr. Banks”, the untold story behind Walt Disney’s acquisition of the rights for “Mary Poppins” — the much-loved children’s book by P.L. Traverse.

P.L. Traverse’s Mary Poppins books were loved by many, well before Walt Disney turned the first book in the series into a major motion picture in 1963.

But the whole world fell in love with Mary Poppins,Mary Poppins movie poster when Julie Andrews starred in the leading role opposite Dick Van Dyke. The Sherman Brothers’ musical score had everyone singing the hit songs Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Spoon Full of Sugar, Step in Time, and Feed the Birds, to name a few.

Maybe it’s because so many of us grew up loving this story and its characters (even the dancing penguins!), that the trailer about the untold story behind the personalities that brought this story and film to life sparked a reaction similar “the tweet heard round the world.”

Characters Need To Be Larger Than Life

Anyone who’s seen Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color on TV (or Tom Hanks as Walt Disneybecame addicted to the reruns), is familiar with Walt Disney, the man: his voice, his mannerisms, and demeanor.  So, it would be a hard-sell for any actor to fill those shoes. The same could be said for P.L. Traverse, if we were as familiar with her as we are with “Uncle Walt.”

Emma Thompson as P.L. TraverseI admit, that at first I was taken aback by Tom Hanks‘ impersonation of Walt Disney. My internal editor said things like, “Walt Disney didn’t talk like that” and “Walt Disney wasn’t that demonstrative.”

Then I took a step back and realized that P.L. Traverse probably wasn’t as pinched and twitchy as Emma Thompson‘s impersonation either. I finally realized that, much like the characters in the stories we write, the characters in movies have to be larger than life to be interesting.

Along with the characterizations of Walt Disney and P.L. Traverse … I’m sure embellishments were added and (or left out), to make the “story” screen-worthy. I’m OK with that, for the sake of an engaging (based-on a true) “story”. How about you?

A Sneak Peak at “Saving Mr. Banks”


To Learn More About the REAL Walt Disney…

If you are captivated by Walt Disney (the man) and all he accomplished, you should most definitely visit the Walt Disney Family Museum (WDFM) in the San Francisco Presidio. Trust me. It’s not like any museum you’ve ever been to. You will be amazed. You can find out more on my blog post about the WDFM here.


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Why Writing is Like Baseball

26 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Baseball, Humor, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

A League of Their Own, Baseball, Damn Yankees, Elizabeth Fais, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Hanks, Writing

If you’ve stopped by this blog recently, you’ll remember that I’m currently under a self-imposed deadline to finish the revision of my Young Adult (YA) novel.  Now, I admit that I tend to get a little punchy at this stage of a long-haul. But no, I haven’t gone completely around the bend. Yet.

NoCryinginBaseball5

“There’s no crying in baseball” scene from A League of Their Own

Here’s eight reasons why writing is like baseball:

  1. Writers are in a League of Their Own.
  2. The publication process is a team effort — writer, critique partners, agent, editors, graphic designers.
  3. It’s an American (and a whole lot of other cultures too) dream — seeing a  story we’ve written in print.
  4. Personal history (backstory) affects baseball players as much as it does our characters. Take the players’ personal issues in Bull Durham that stop the game with a prolonged huddle on the pitcher’s mound.
  5. You need a tough hide to survive the slides. Rejection isn’t pretty. Or easy. Ever. And it’s part of the process. [A League of Their Own trailer].
    LeagueOfTheirOwnSlide
  6. You’ve gotta have heart to make it in the industry. An entire song in Damn Yankees can’t be wrong.
  7. Shoes are optional. Shoeless Joe Jackson set the precedent there. Would Damn Yankees  (Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo) lie? I don’t think so!
  8. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains. But it’s fun, goddamit!

I write because the “hard” is what makes it Great!

 


How about you? Why do you write?


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