{"id":11569,"date":"2023-08-24T19:46:57","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T18:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=11569"},"modified":"2024-07-10T11:04:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T10:04:08","slug":"everything-you-might-have-missed-in-oppenheimer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/everything-you-might-have-missed-in-oppenheimer\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Might Have Missed in Oppenheimer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span><\/span>film is <\/span><\/span>currently hold<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span> a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which in itself is quite rare and equates <\/span><\/span>Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span> to <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>cult classics like <\/span><\/span>The <\/span><\/span>Shawshank Redemption<\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>Pulp Fiction<\/span><\/span>. While the <\/span><\/span>film<\/span><\/span> deserves all the praise it <\/span><\/span>has <\/span><\/span>receive<\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span> from movie buffs, <\/span><\/span>its<\/span><\/span> impressive runtime may have made it difficult to grasp certain plot or <\/span><\/span>visual<\/span><\/span> aspects<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>To s<\/span><\/span>imply put<\/span><\/span> it<\/span><\/span>, some of the details that Christopher Nolan intentionally inserted into his movie went unnoticed by people who have seen <\/span><\/span>Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span> just once (yes, the<\/span><\/span>y exist<\/span><\/span>). That<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s why, in order to f<\/span><\/span>ully admire<\/span><\/span> this new benchmark of <\/span><\/span>period<\/span><\/span> film<\/span><\/span>, we need to make <\/span><\/span>discuss<\/span><\/span> these moments<\/span><\/span> you might have missed out on<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The plot <\/span><\/span>follows<\/span><\/span> the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>father<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). In 1926, Oppenheimer studies at Cambridge University. Here, the anxious young man unsuccessfully attempts to poison an apple belonging to his teacher, whom he dislikes. After receiving his doctorate in physics, he becomes a professor at the University of Berkeley. World War II <\/span><\/span>starts<\/span><\/span> and General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) asks him to participate in the Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer leads a group of scientists working secretly in the New Mexico desert to build the atomic bomb. At one <\/span><\/span>pivotal<\/span><\/span> moment in the <\/span><\/span>film<\/span><\/span>, Oppenheimer has a private conversation with Albert Einstein (Tom Conti).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When <\/span><\/span>Nazi Germany<\/span><\/span> surrenders<\/span><\/span>, participants of the Manhattan Project begin to rethink their work. However, despite the doubts of many <\/span><\/span>other <\/span><\/span>scientists, the first successful test of the nuclear bomb is still conducted. After that, President Harry Truman (Gary Oldman) bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oppenheimer feels <\/span><\/span>deep <\/span><\/span>remorse over the enormous <\/span><\/span>number of deaths<\/span><\/span>. He expresses these feelings <\/span><\/span>during<\/span><\/span> a meeting with Truman, but receives scorn and ridicule in return.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Later, this encounter, as well as the connections of Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s brother and his mistress to the Communists, cause the US government to <\/span><\/span>suspect him of betrayal<\/span><\/span>. The US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) holds hearings on Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>investigation<\/span><\/span>. Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), a senior member of the commission, <\/span><\/span>acts against<\/span><\/span> Oppenheimer, claiming that the scientist spoke negatively about him <\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span> Einstein. Oppenheimer loses his reputation and is stripped of his security clearance. Eventually, the government<\/span><\/span> apologises<\/span><\/span> to Oppenheimer, and President Lyndon B. Johnson presents him with a science <\/span><\/span>award<\/span><\/span>. The final scene <\/span><\/span>depicts<\/span><\/span> a dialog<\/span><\/span>ue<\/span><\/span> between Oppenheimer and Einstein<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> in which the two scientists discuss not Strauss, but the long-term consequences of atomic weapons.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The historical accuracy of the movie has already been questioned several times and not only <\/span><\/span>by<\/span><\/span> the audience. Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>real <\/span><\/span>grandson, Charles Oppenheimer, stated that the scene with the poisoned apple is fictitious, as there is no confirmation of this act. In <\/span><\/span>reality<\/span><\/span>, Robert Oppenheimer himself admitted many times among<\/span><\/span> family and<\/span><\/span> friends that he had tried to poison his mentor. The film does not <\/span><\/span>cover <\/span><\/span>this, but Oppenheimer had to confess to his <\/span><\/span>misconduct<\/span><\/span> and had to<\/span><\/span> spen<\/span><\/span>d some time in <\/span><\/span>a neurological cent<\/span><\/span>re <\/span><\/span>during his <\/span><\/span>time at<\/span><\/span> Cambridge. Upon leaving the cent<\/span><\/span>re<\/span><\/span>, he was given a certificate of residency that did confirm the incident<\/span><\/span>, although indirectly<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another historical moment that is often questioned is Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>connection<\/span><\/span> with the Communists. <\/span><\/span>As the shown throughput the plot<\/span><\/span>, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), a psychiatrist and journalist in real life and Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s mistress in the <\/span><\/span>film<\/span><\/span>, encouraged him to join the Communist Party<\/span><\/span> multiple times<\/span><\/span>. At the same time, Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s younger brother, Frank (Dylan Arnold), had been a member of the party for many years. In real life, Jean Tatlock was Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s girlfriend for several years, whom he even intended to marry, however she turned him down many times. Oppenheimer himself had sympathy for communist ideas and supported many of his students at Berkeley<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> who were open members of the party. During Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> security hearing, he denied all ties to them after the Manhattan Project began, including his association with Jean Tatlock. Therefore, the scene where they meet while working on the atomic bomb may have been <\/span><\/span>fictionalised<\/span><\/span> and included <\/span><\/span>for a greater dramatic effect<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, it is worth noting that the very <\/span><\/span>portrayal<\/span><\/span> of <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>communists<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> in the movie is surprisingly positive for Hollywood. For a viewer who is used to seeing communists as villains and immoral characters, it comes as a big surprise that all the most educated, pleasant and, one could <\/span><\/span>even <\/span><\/span>say, <\/span><\/span>upright<\/span><\/span>characters in this movie are communists. Even Klaus Fuchs, the scientist-traitor who passed information about nuclear weapons to the Soviet Union, is presented in the movie as a highly intelligent and moral man who had good reasons for his action, including unshakable ideals. All of this is put in comparison to <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>capitalist Americans like Strauss, President Truman and Judge Roger Robb, who<\/span><\/span> all<\/span><\/span> mock <\/span><\/span>and ridicule <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>protagonist<\/span><\/span>. Despite the fact that Nolan wanted to show the process of creating the atomic bomb and its consequences through Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>point view<\/span><\/span>, this approach to portraying communists is very <\/span><\/span>interesting<\/span><\/span> for American cinema.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The film is divided into colo<\/span><\/span>u<\/span><\/span>r<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span> and black-and-white scenes, which <\/span><\/span>could seem<\/span><\/span> confusing at the beginning. The reason for this directorial decision of Christopher Nolan could be the idea to divide the part about the hearing of the Oppenheimer case, performed in the black-and-white <\/span><\/span>docu-<\/span><\/span>style of the last century, and colo<\/span><\/span>u<\/span><\/span>r scenes, in which the work of Oppenheimer was presented through the eyes of the physicist himself. This creates an interesting effect of how the viewer perceives the scientist, being transported from one reality to another as the story progresses. Nolan himself confirmed that his goal was to show reality through Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> eyes through <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>colo<\/span><\/span>u<\/span><\/span>r<\/span><\/span>ed <\/span><\/span>pictures, which would contribute to greater empathy on the part of the audience.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

M<\/span><\/span>ajority<\/span><\/span> of the <\/span><\/span>film<\/span><\/span> focuses on the theme of betrayal, which is a common t<\/span><\/span>opic the<\/span><\/span> in war and spy movies. In <\/span><\/span>Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span> this theme is developed on several levels. The already mentioned Klaus Fuchs betrayed his colleagues in the Manhattan Project by passing information to the USSR. The US government betrays the protagonist, who helped them end the war with Japan and put the States in <\/span><\/span>the lead <\/span><\/span>of the world in the arms race, because of personal views, also depriving him of his job. He is also betrayed by his colleague, former friend and <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>father of the hydrogen bomb<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>, Edward Teller (Ben<\/span><\/span>nie<\/span><\/span> Safdie), when he testifies against him at a hearing, which in the story seems to be driven by nothing but personal career <\/span><\/span>anxieties<\/span><\/span>. Oppenheimer himself feels endless anguish because he has willingly betrayed all of humanity by creating a weapon that instantly destroys millions and which now, following the example of the USSR, will <\/span><\/span>be <\/span><\/span>want<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span> by every <\/span><\/span>other countr<\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span> in the world. It is Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s worries about having opened the <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Pandora’s Box<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> of the possibility of nuclear war that become the reason for his trial<\/span><\/span> and so-called downfall<\/span><\/span> \u2014<\/span><\/span> he discusses his fears with Einstein and expresses his regret to Truman.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In light of this view of Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s emotional state after the use of the atomic bomb, the opening quote <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. For this he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity,<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> which Nolan chose to <\/span><\/span>open<\/span><\/span> the movie<\/span><\/span> with<\/span><\/span>. The author of the book <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>American Prometheus<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>, on which the movie is based, explained this <\/span><\/span>thought<\/span><\/span> by <\/span><\/span>stating<\/span><\/span> that like Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind, Oppenheimer gave <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>modern man <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>atomic fire<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>, but when he tried to warn people about the dangers of his invention, those in power, like Zeus, punished him. This is a very interesting explanation of this quote, however some viewers have suggested that the eternal suffering to which, like Prometheus, Oppenheimer was <\/span><\/span>destined<\/span><\/span> is not the American government<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>condemnation <\/span><\/span>of him, but the <\/span><\/span>realisation<\/span><\/span> of his complete <\/span><\/span>futility<\/span><\/span> to further the use of nuclear weapons around the world. This is precisely what the final dialog<\/span><\/span>ue<\/span><\/span> between him and Einstein reveals. Oppenheimer tells the scientist that he has started a deadly chain reaction that can no longer be stopped. After this dialog<\/span><\/span>ue<\/span><\/span>, Einstein, who had initially opposed the creation of the atomic bomb, walks away in utter horror and <\/span><\/span>dismay<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Oppenheimer<\/span><\/span>, despite its length, an amazingly dynamic movie, not for a second does <\/span><\/span>the plot <\/span><\/span>slow down<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> it moves <\/span><\/span>as if flying over the whole tragedy, <\/span><\/span>with <\/span><\/span>which was filled both personal and professional life of the great scientist. More than half a century has passed since the creation of the atomic bomb. The secret of its creation is <\/span><\/span>open<\/span><\/span> not only <\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span> the USA and Russia, but also <\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span> India, China, North Korea and other countries, whose interests on this planet often do not coincide. More than one generation has already grown up in a reality<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> in which the atomic bomb is not something new, but rather<\/span><\/span> ordinary<\/span><\/span>. This perception often <\/span><\/span>erodes<\/span><\/span>the understanding of the lethality of these weapons. However, the most important <\/span><\/span>message<\/span><\/span> that Christopher Nolan <\/span><\/span>has <\/span><\/span>put into this film, which <\/span><\/span>must<\/span><\/span> not be missed, is that if the man who created the atomic bomb <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>later <\/span><\/span>realised<\/span><\/span> the horrifying consequences of using this weapon, <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>which turned out to be monstrous torment<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>for him, then modern people<\/span><\/span> today<\/span><\/span> should remember and understand this, without resorting to its use.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christopher Nolan\u2019s Oppenheimer was a real sensation this year. Despite the most exciting confrontation with it had Barbie, created by the humorous modern users of the Internet, Oppenheimer did not lose to its cinematic rival in almost nothing. Except for the viewers\u2019 mixed response. Whereas Barbie drew mixed reactions and encouraged questions about whether Greta Gerwig was on the side of women or men, Oppenheimer received mostly favourablereviews from critics and viewers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":11572,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"type_post":[],"column":[],"class_list":["post-11569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11569"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=11569"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=11569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}