Scientists and witnesses involved in the creation and testing of the first ever atomic bomb reflect on the Manhattan project and its fascinating leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who upon compl... Read allScientists and witnesses involved in the creation and testing of the first ever atomic bomb reflect on the Manhattan project and its fascinating leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who upon completion of his wonderful and horrible invention became a powerful spokesperson against the n... Read allScientists and witnesses involved in the creation and testing of the first ever atomic bomb reflect on the Manhattan project and its fascinating leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who upon completion of his wonderful and horrible invention became a powerful spokesperson against the nuclear arms race.
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That said, let me state unequivocally that my heart breaks for the suffering of the victims of these terrible weapons, as I sorrow for all victims of war and it's associated atrocities.
What I mean is that this documentary filmmaker has achieved the rare goal of so involving me in the time, place and action of these events, that when the movie ends, it's like saying goodbye to very dear friends.
I don't think I've seen another movie that so effectively combines still shots, interviews, background music and narration. This film should be boring and it is anything but.
Most of the scientists interviewed here have passed on and I mourn both the loss of their lives and the loss of the age. The age that was a time that America excelled in everything it put it's mind to.
A previous reviewer identified the tension between the delight of scientific discovery and the tremendous moral responsibility for the results. I agree; it is deeply moving to witness the obvious delight the scientists have in reliving what may have been the best years of their lives while attempting to resolve the deep struggle with the suffering it occasioned.
In both cases the hubris of the scientists (that nuclear weapons can be controlled, that politicians will act selflessly and share the knowledge, and enter into an international stewardship of the Bomb) reminds us of the gulf between technical skill and political savvy.
All of this is well presented well in the film, focused through the lens of the story of Robert Oppenheimer, and his triumphs and failings - his genius and short-sightedness - are laid bare. It does falter a bit after detailing the use of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - seeing anything after the presentation of this destruction leaves us emotionally exhausted - but Oppenheimer's fall from grace does feel like an anti-climax, and seems a little rushed.
Rating 7 out of 10 (quite good).
It's not enough to change the story about Oppenheimer, but with the same set of facts, one can construct many stories. Nolan's movie is much more about Oppenheimer's personal life, and begins much earlier. This offers a viewpoint of his activities after the war, to control and limit the damage caused by his work. Each takes advantage of considerable hindsight to reach very different conclusions, both of which seem impeccable given the facts chosen by each. Based on having seen both within a short period of time, I can only conclude that they are both brilliantly done, and both badly lacking in completeness.
And, I ask you - Do 2 wrongs (Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor & America's A-bombing of Hiroshima) make a right?
Well, if you were to have asked "The Father of the Atomic Bomb", Robert Oppenheimer, that very question following all that took place in 1945, he, I'm sure, would have very likely replied back with a flat "No!".
Anyway - In order to fully appreciate this documentary (which is now 35 years old) and comprehend its historical relevance completely, the viewer must first be willing to look beyond its glaring production deficiencies in order to realize the incredible story that it tells just below its surface flaws.... And, as we all know - It's a story that literally changed the very course of man's future, forever.
*Note* - Robert Oppenheimer (born in 1904) died in 1967 from throat cancer. He was 62 at the time.
Did you know
- TriviaThe same photo of Oppenheimer can also be seen stuck to a computer monitor in Jurrasic Park (1993) along with a Post-it reading "beginning of baby boom" and a sketch of an atomic explosion.
- Quotes
J. Robert Oppenheimer: [on the proposal for talks to halt the spread of nuclear weapons] It's twenty years too late. It should have been done the day after Trinity.
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- День после «Тринити»
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