A Night with Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer has a few a visual flourishes that make it really pleasant to watch. The plot jumps through the different stages of the famous scientist's life as he races against time in order to develop the atom bomb. It is a film about political intrigue, though it has its moments of physics and engineering. I think the film glosses a bit over the historical context in which the bomb was developed. The paranoia of the times was palpable, especially with the specter of atom bombs raining on cities. I don't think the film captures this very well. To be fair, there are entire generations who have grown up in a post-Soviet world, so they're not familiar with that uneasy feeling one gets with the idea of some alien enemy out there willing to ruin your entire day with physics. I still enjoyed watching the film, as it show some interesting scenes that I think are relevant to today's world. Overall, it's an enjoyable and thoughtful film, illuminating if you got your radars perked up.
The label for this ink (called Dark Matter) features an image of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the Manhattan project that led to the development of the atom bomb. The ink is a replica of the one used during the project in Los Alamos. pic.twitter.com/EEsXD6h16t
— litguru (@litguru23) August 3, 2023
Images by @litguru
You can keep Barbie. Oppenheimer is one movie I want to see.
Not only was I born two years after the bomb was dropped, but I lived through the 'duck and cover' classroom drills of the 50s.
Then there was the paranoia about spying, HCUA witch hunts. Did it all seem dramatic to me because I was a child, or was it?
I'd love to see how this movie handles the issues of that time. The atomic bomb hung over all of it--both politically and existentially.
Great review.
Those were some intense times to live through. With only a few channels and radio, the narrative was tightly controlled. The movie doesn't touch on these wider society issues but focuses on the post war troubles of oppenheimer. I hope you get a chance to see it. Thank you for reading!