HBO’s five-part miniseries “Chernobyl” came to an end June 3 with a stirring finale that exposed the physical and psychological toll the 1986 disaster left in its wake. Fans of the series hoping to further investigate the disaster are in luck as “Chernobyl” producer and writer Craig Mazin took to social media after the finale’s airing to share a handful of books and movies he used while researching and developing the project.
Mazin’s recommendations include books such as Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich’s “Voices From Chernobyl” and photography collections such as Gerd Ludvig’s “The Long Shadow of Chernobyl” that helped inform the show’s grey and blue-scale cinematography.
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As for the movies that Mazin recommends, the list includes titles that pre-date the Chernobyl disaster (Elem Klimov’s landmark 1977 Russian war drama “Come and See”) and other films that directly explore the disaster’s aftermath (the documentary “Chernobyl 3828” tracks the efforts to clean up the mess, and Mazin refers to the film as his “bible” while developing the show).
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“Come and See” was especially notable for Mazin, even though it has nothing to do with the Chernobyl disaster. “In my opinion, it’s the greatest war movie ever made,” the producer wrote. “It somehow manages to be restrained and unblinking all at the same time. Hard to watch. Important to watch.” The tone of “Come and See” is what Mazin had hoped to capture in the HBO miniseries.
“Chernobyl” is now streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now. Check out all of Mazin’s picks, plus commentary from the writer-producer himself, in the Twitter thread below.
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