On this day, 2 December 1984, the world’s worst industrial disaster took place in Bhopal, India, when the Union Carbide chemical plant leaked poisonous gases to 5 million people, killing, blinding and disabling tens of thousands. The crumbling plant had no health and safety measures. The chief executive responsible, Warren Anderson, went unpunished, and of the $470 million compensation paid to the Indian government, only a small fraction made its way to the victims and their families: an average of $500 each. Those exposed continue to die prematurely today, and children continue to be born with disproportionately high incidences of birth defects, cancers and chronic illnesses.
This is a short account of what happened and its aftermath: https://libcom.org/library/night-gas-bhopal-india
Pictured: photos of some of the victims https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1597971747054636/?type=3
The Other Side of Madness is an interesting effort for a number of reasons, chief among them that it is the first cinematic depiction of the Manson Family murders. Released in 1971, it was produced while the trail was still ongoing. A portion of the movie was shot on location at Manson’s old stomping ground, Spahn Ranch in Los Angeles, CA, where some of his extended “family” members not involved in the trials appeared as extras. Two of Manson’s original songs are even featured on the soundtrack.
This may sound like a recipe for a cheap exploitation picture, and in some respects The Other Side of Madness fits that bill, but director-cinematographer-editor Frank Howard’s (his only film credit) avant garde approach to the sensational subject matter gives the 81-minute docudrama an experimental flourish. The script - written by J.J. Wilke Jr., with additional dialogue by Duke Howze and research by Ron Shepherd - is faithful to the information that was available publicly at the time.
This blog is mostly so I can vent my feelings and share my interests. Other than that, I am nothing special.
If you don't like Left Wing political thought and philosophy, all things related to horror, the supernatural, the grotesque, guns or the strange, then get the fuck out. I just warned you.
