The Story of Alfred Nobel

This episode of John Nesbitt's long-running series of short subjects for MGM, THE PASSING PARADE concerns itself with a surprisingly well-known subject: ALfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, and the founder of the Nobel Prizes.

Or does it? How does a man go from making explosives used in war to being better known for prizes in pure science and for peace? The company he founded is still in existence as Akzonobel, and still quite prosperous. Yet it is the prizes that everyone knows. What caused the change in focus?

Nesbitt offers a somewhat melodramatic explanation.

Story of Alfred Nobel, The (1939)

*** (out of 4)

The third entry in John Nesbitt's "Passing Parade" series tells the story of Alfred Nobel (Paul Guilfoyle), the man who invented dynamite as a way to help mankind but it turned out to cause more deaths than he had expected. Towards the end of his life Nobel decided to try and do right by giving all of his earnings away so that peace might follow. If you've never seen one of the "Passing Parade" episodes I guess the best way to sum the series up is that they told stories of people who you might know their creations but not the name of those who actually created it. This one is pretty simple as I'm sure the majority of people know about Nobel and they've certainly heard of the Nobel Peace Prize but this is a pleasant entry in the series. I think, as usual, Nesbitt's narration really adds a lot because there's just so much passion in his voice that it really makes you feel as if he cares about the importance of telling the story. Guilfoyle doesn't get any spoken lines but he too was quite good in the part as is Eleanor Wesselhoeft who plays the mother of a victim harmed by Nobel's creation.

An MGM John Nesbitt's PASSING PARADE Short Subject.

The life of the celebrated inventor dynamite, and his attempt to stop warfare and influence the nations for peace, is portrayed in this moving short film. Paul Guilfoyle has the title role; the Soldier's Mother is portrayed by Eleanor Wesselhoeft.

Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.