“Openheimer”the new one film directed by Christopher Nolan, takes us into the fascinating life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the famous physicist known as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” As is common in film biographies, the film has taken some license to build a captivating narrative, but it also draws on many real aspects of his life, while omitting and adding elements to enrich the plot.
Starring Cillian Murphy in the title role, “Oppenheimer” spans several decades, capturing key moments from his Cambridge days to his leadership of the Manhattan Project.
The film is heavily based on “American Prometheus,” the biography written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin in 2005.
THE CHANGES THAT “OPPENHEIMER” MADE TO THE REAL STORY
5. Oppenheimer accepted the position at Princeton
The film cuts to Lewis Strauss offering Oppenheimer a director’s position at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Oppenheimer actually accepted the offer in 1947, after leaving Los Alamos. He stayed at the IAS for 20 years, becoming Albert Einstein’s boss.
4. Los Alamos was not the only city built
The film primarily focuses on Los Alamos, New Mexico, but General Groves also approved two other locations for use under the Manhattan Project: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Hanford, Washington.
Oak Ridge had a uranium enrichment facility, while Hanford was the plutonium production site.
3. The real reason for the separation of Oppenheimer and Jean
The film highlights Oppenheimer’s relationship with Jean Tatlock, a psychiatrist and communist. Although they became engaged, they had an on-off relationship due to Jean’s struggle with her sexuality.
She admitted that she was attracted to women, which scared her because of the time they lived in. Her struggles contributed to the end of her relationship with Oppenheimer, and they saw each other for the last time before his tragic suicide.
2. Oppenheimer bet against the success of the bomb
During the Trinity Test, where there were doubts about the success of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer placed a $10 bet against his colleague George Kistiakowsky’s monthly payment, showing his light-hearted attitude towards the monumental event.
Fortunately, the atomic bomb proved successful, allaying fears that it could destroy the atmosphere and wipe out the world.
1. His opposition to the hydrogen bomb caused him a lot of trouble
The last third of “Oppenheimer” focuses on the parallel hearings of Oppenheimer and Strauss, and one of the main reasons his security clearance was ultimately revoked was his opposition to the hydrogen bomb.
Despite his personal enmity with Strauss, it was Oppenheimer’s vehement opposition to the creation of the hydrogen bomb that made the authorities uncomfortable. His stance and his connections to communist friends led officials to turn against him, and he came under FBI surveillance in the 1950s.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT “OPPENHEIMER”
TECHNICAL SHEET OF “OPPENHEIMER”
- Original title: oppenheimer
- Year: 2023
- Country: USA
- Address: Christopher Nolan
- Script: Christopher Nolan
- Music: Ludwig Göransson
- Photography: Hoyte van Hoytema
- Companies: Universal Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, Syncopy Production
- Distributor: Universal Pictures