The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan: Difference between revisions
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
The circumstances of his disappearance were mysterious, and his status and whereabouts became classified information in the U.S. Military to which the Nolan family was denied access. 40 years later, retired Lt. Dan Smith returns to the U.S. from Tay Ninh in Vietnam having encountered a nameless American man whom he later photo-identified as McKinley Nolan. |
The circumstances of his disappearance were mysterious, and his status and whereabouts became classified information in the U.S. Military to which the Nolan family was denied access. 40 years later, retired Lt. Dan Smith returns to the U.S. from Tay Ninh in Vietnam having encountered a nameless American man whom he later photo-identified as McKinley Nolan. |
||
The search of McKinley is a deeply personal journey for his brother Michael and includes groundbreaking footage and interviews of former [[Khmer Rouge]] and [[ |
The search of McKinley is a deeply personal journey for his brother Michael and includes groundbreaking footage and interviews of former [[Khmer Rouge]] and [[]] members. |
||
The film will have a world premiere in June 2010. |
The film will have a world premiere in June 2010. |
||
Revision as of 20:54, 29 March 2010
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. |
Background
The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan is a 2010 documentary film by Director Henry Corra, which follows Michael Nolan on the search for his brother McKinley Nolan, a U.S. Army Private who vanished during the Vietnam War.
The circumstances of his disappearance were mysterious, and his status and whereabouts became classified information in the U.S. Military to which the Nolan family was denied access. 40 years later, retired Lt. Dan Smith returns to the U.S. from Tay Ninh in Vietnam having encountered a nameless American man whom he later photo-identified as McKinley Nolan.
The search of McKinley is a deeply personal journey for his brother Michael and includes groundbreaking footage and interviews of former Khmer Rouge and Viet Cong members.
The film will have a world premiere in June 2010.
Synopsis
Private McKinley Nolan vanished forty years ago in Vietnam on the Cambodian frontier. Some say he was captured, some say he was a traitor, some even say he was an American operative. The US Army officially claims he was radicalized and “went native," joining the Viet Cong and was later murdered by the Khmer Rouge. In 2006, retired US Army Lt. Dan Smith, revisiting the battlefields of his youth, may have encountered McKinley, alive. So begins a journey into the heart of darkness.
The film follows the Nolan family from the cotton belt of Texas, to the battlegrounds of Vietnam, to the killing fields of Cambodia and unfolds as a mysterious fever dream filled with doubt, longing and the will to believe. Nolan's ghost starts out seeming like a nostalgic vision that we want to capture. But, like a will-o-the-wisp or a banshee, he calls us deeper and deeper into the jungle, and into impossible liaisons with Vietcong and Khmer Rouge. The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan is a mystery, but it’s also, more profoundly, a haunting meditation on war, memory, and love.
Production
Production began in 2006 after the story was brought to director Henry Corra by Journalist Richard Linnet, who had been following the case for 12 years. Captivated by the Nolans' longing to find McKinley, Corra traveled to Texas to meet them. The timing was perfect, as retired Lt. Dan Smith was scheduling his first meeting with the Nolan family with the news that he saw McKinley Nolan alive.
In the 40 years since McKinley's disappearance, U.S. government cooperation with the Nolan family in their search had been extremely limited. When the filmmakers attempted to gain access to areas in Vietnam and Cambodia where McKinley Nolan was rumored to be, they were denied access on all fronts by the U.S., Vietnamese, and Cambodian governments. Through the efforts of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the crew and the Nolan family were able to secure travel visas and permission for entry, as well as access to military records regarding McKinley Nolan.
Together with Richard Linnett, Lt. Dan Smith, and several interpreters, the team collected groundbreaking evidence regarding the Khmer Rouge and Vietcong in their search for McKinley Nolan.
Cast
- Michael Nolan: McKinley Nolan's brother
- Mary Nolan: McKinley Nolan's wife
- Frank Wagner
- Richard Linnett: Journalist researching McKinley's story
- Lt. Dan Smith: Vietnam Veteran
- Roger Nolan: McKinley Nolan's son
- R.L. Brown: Mary Nolan's brother
- Robert Lee Brown Sr.: Mary Nolan's Father
- Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee: Assisted the Nolans
- Thach Quang: McKinley Nolan's adopted son
- Ms. Hoa
- Mr. and Mrs. Cong
- Benjamin David Reich: Interpreter
- Cham Sone: Former Khmer Rouge guard
- Nguyen Van Tinh
- Dang Thuan Hoa
- Nguyen Van Thien
- Nguyen Van Tuoi
- Dao Sy To
- Tit Ream
- Thol Koung
- Ung Chun
- Ou Seng Heang
- Ta Sonn
- Sarah Thomas: Interpreter
- Denny Danielson