Although the life and career of the father of the atomic bomb is addressed, the film Oppenheimerby Christopher Nolan, doesn’t really show the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on camera.
In the biographical film we meet the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) from his years as a student at the University of Cambridge to becoming a “hero” for American society, due to his leadership in the Manhattan Project, which saw the birth of the first atomic bombs in the mid-1940s.
The film also addresses the years after World War II, in which Oppenheimer’s moral compass leads him to publicly oppose the continued development of nuclear weapons, in part because of the guilt and horror that the attacks on Japan instilled in him. However, it never shows the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an omission that directors like Spike Lee and others have criticized.
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That creative decision, however, was intentional. Christopher Nolan decided to stay 100% faithful to his protagonist’s perspective. Hence it was never his intention to recreate the catastrophe in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather Oppenheimer talk about that event the same way the titular character heard about it in the first place. That is, through a simple radio announcement.
This is how the British filmmaker explained his reasoning in an extensive interview with Variety:
“The film presents Oppenheimer’s experience subjectively”Nolan commented. “It was always my intention to stick rigidly to that. Oppenheimer learned about the bombing at the same time as the rest of the world. He wanted to show someone who is starting to get a clearer idea of the unintended consequences of his actions. It was as much about what I don’t show as what I do show.”.
On the other hand, something that does exist in Oppenheimer It is a sea of allusions to that devastating atomic bomb—from the flash it emitted when it detonated to the horrifying effects of its destructive force—that rather emanate from the scientist’s imagination, once again in tune with Christopher Nolan’s decision to respect subjectivity. of the protagonist. “It is not a documentary, but an interpretation. That’s my job”, the director stressed during a screening in New York last July. “I think it is dramatic narrative cinema.”
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For Nolan, it was much more important to provoke a conversation than to provide a solution. Oppenheimer became increasingly concerned about nuclear proliferation. He even advocated the creation of an international body to control the production of radioactive material. Although he never publicly criticized the decision to drop the bombs in the first place. What does Nolan think about this discussion?
“My research and my commitment to this story tell me that anyone who claims a simple answer denies many of the facts,” the filmmaker added to Variety. “Obviously, it would be a lot better for the world if it hadn’t happened. But much of the attitude toward bombing depends on the situation of the individual answering the question. When you talk to people whose family members were fighting in the Pacific, you get an answer. When you look at the devastating impact on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, you get another one. The film is an honest attempt to express my feelings on the matter.”
come in HERE to read the review of Oppenheimer of PREMIERE Cinema.
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to get lost too. Preferably, in a movie theater.