''The Way of Peace'' is a 1947

puppet animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

film, financed by the

Lutheran Church in America The Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was an American and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press. The LCA's immigrant heritage came mostly fr ...

, giving a Christian view of life in the Atomic Age. It was written and directed by Frank Tashlin, produced by

Wah Ming Chang Wah Ming Chang (August 2, 1917 – December 22, 2003) was an American designer, sculptor, and artist. With the encouragement of his adoptive father, James Blanding Sloan, he began exhibiting his prints and watercolors at the age of seven ...

, and narration read by

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

. In 2014, the film was named to the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Premise

The film is a Christian parable about the end of the world in the Atomic Age told with puppet animation. Its scope is broad, from the creation of the world to the birth of Christ to the atomic destruction of the Earth.

Production background

*Producer Wah Ming Chang was a well-known designer, and Lew Ayres was a famous actor who was a conscientious objector during World War II. *The Reverend H. K. Rasbach, a frequent adviser on big-budget films such as ''

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

'' (1956) and ''

The Greatest Story Ever Told ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast ...

'' (1965), provided technical supervision and story concept. *The film premiered at

Constitution Hall DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall located at 1776 D Street NW, near the White House in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Me ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, with more than 2,700 in attendance, including members of Congress, representatives of the Supreme Court, and 750 leaders from various branches of government.

Television

This short premiered on WCBS-TV in New York on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1947 at 7:15 p.m.''New York Herald Tribune'', Apr. 6, 1947, pg. C9.

References

External links

* * 1947 films United States National Film Registry films 1940s American animated films Short films directed by Frank Tashlin 1940s stop-motion animated films Films with screenplays by Frank Tashlin Films about Christianity 1947 animated films 1940s English-language films {{1940s-animation-film-stub

Premise

Production background

Television

See also

References

External links