Christopher Nolan’s latest film covers the life of J Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, the theoretical physicist who developed the atomic bomb. Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer largely consists of a series of flashbacks covering the most significant aspects of the life of the “father of the atom bomb”. Most notable of which is the part he played on the Manhattan Project which led to the United States using atomic weapons against Japan at the end of the Second World War.
Oppenheimer was a New Deal Democrat who was on friendly terms with a number of communists, was openly sympathetic to causes such as Republican Spain and was staunchly pro-trade union. His wife, played by Emily Blunt, was at one point a member of the CPUSA; as was his brother Frank, played by Dylan Arnold and part of the film is taken up with Oppenheimer’s affair with the communist activist Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh.
His Jewish background made him a staunch opponent of Hitler. It was possible concerns about the Nazis obtaining atomic weapons that motivated him to develop one for the United States. During the Second World War he may have favoured sharing scientific knowledge with the Soviet Union and in the post-war era he campaigned against the spread of nuclear weapons.
It could be said that Oppenheimer, although not a communist was not an anti-communist. However, to the US far-right, such as Senator Joseph McCarthy, himself a supporter of Adolf Hitler, there was no distinction. It was for this reason Oppenheimer eventually lost his security clearance to work in the Atomic industry. Much of the film is set in a committee room where Oppenheimer is questioned about his political allegiances.
Meanwhile in a film about a scientist one would expect some reference to science; in this the film does very well. Albert Einstein, who developed the Theory of Relativity is portrayed by Tom Conti whilst the Danish physicist Niels Borr is played by Kenneth Brannagh. Although the film is set largely in the United States, it features many British actors.
A point of discussion in the film was the possibility of a nuclear explosion igniting a chain reaction that couyld destroy the Earth’s atmosphere. Although this did not happen in 1945; it is still a possibility, especially if a larger and less one-sided conflict was to take place. The film also touches on the somewhat complex subject of quantum mechanics; the study of the movement of sub-atomic particles and the space between them. The issue of Oppenheimer’s own feeling of guilt features heavily in the film. This is shown in scenes where Oppenheimer imagines radiation damage on those he is talking to. Meanwhile the film uses sound to dramatise the effect of the nuclear explosion as well as it’s impact of Oppenheimer’s conscience.
In a scene with President Truman (Gary Oldman) the scientist expresses his guilt. Truman sarcastically hands him a handkerchief and points out that the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki don’t blame J Robert Oppenheimer for their fate. They blame him. It’s not often that I agree with the 33rd President of United States but on this occasion, he has a point.
Oppenheimer was a New Deal Democrat who was on friendly terms with a number of communists, was openly sympathetic to causes such as Republican Spain and was staunchly pro-trade union. His wife, played by Emily Blunt, was at one point a member of the CPUSA; as was his brother Frank, played by Dylan Arnold and part of the film is taken up with Oppenheimer’s affair with the communist activist Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh.
His Jewish background made him a staunch opponent of Hitler. It was possible concerns about the Nazis obtaining atomic weapons that motivated him to develop one for the United States. During the Second World War he may have favoured sharing scientific knowledge with the Soviet Union and in the post-war era he campaigned against the spread of nuclear weapons.
It could be said that Oppenheimer, although not a communist was not an anti-communist. However, to the US far-right, such as Senator Joseph McCarthy, himself a supporter of Adolf Hitler, there was no distinction. It was for this reason Oppenheimer eventually lost his security clearance to work in the Atomic industry. Much of the film is set in a committee room where Oppenheimer is questioned about his political allegiances.
Meanwhile in a film about a scientist one would expect some reference to science; in this the film does very well. Albert Einstein, who developed the Theory of Relativity is portrayed by Tom Conti whilst the Danish physicist Niels Borr is played by Kenneth Brannagh. Although the film is set largely in the United States, it features many British actors.
A point of discussion in the film was the possibility of a nuclear explosion igniting a chain reaction that couyld destroy the Earth’s atmosphere. Although this did not happen in 1945; it is still a possibility, especially if a larger and less one-sided conflict was to take place. The film also touches on the somewhat complex subject of quantum mechanics; the study of the movement of sub-atomic particles and the space between them. The issue of Oppenheimer’s own feeling of guilt features heavily in the film. This is shown in scenes where Oppenheimer imagines radiation damage on those he is talking to. Meanwhile the film uses sound to dramatise the effect of the nuclear explosion as well as it’s impact of Oppenheimer’s conscience.
In a scene with President Truman (Gary Oldman) the scientist expresses his guilt. Truman sarcastically hands him a handkerchief and points out that the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki don’t blame J Robert Oppenheimer for their fate. They blame him. It’s not often that I agree with the 33rd President of United States but on this occasion, he has a point.
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