Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

Hello everyone,

Oppenheimer released this weekend and I'm yet to see it.
Trailer:

I'm a huge Nolan fan and the film's been praised and is getting very high ratings everywhere, however I'm not an expert on the subject and would like to hear from the WW2 enthusiasts here, especially the ones who already saw the film, if they can confirm the historical accuracy and/or whether it's told from the perspective of the generally agreed upon American history which we know is not entirely true or whether it takes the audience into "the Grey" where it's portrayed not exactly as we've been taught in schools in the US and Europe.

Also please feel free to comment your opinions about the film or write a short spoiler-free review.

I'm about to see it this week in IMAX so I'll see for myself...the main point of this thread is to discuss the historical accuracy and whether it falls in the typical 'propaganda' genre or... does it ask questions about the event and that, perhaps, the fact that we've never been told the whole truth about the creation of the atomic bomb and the events that followed.

It's called re-writing history how you want it to be. Right or Wrong it gives the viewer a history of how the "screen writer" wants it to be known. Who is behind the "story"? Bring it down to the bottom line, nobody and I mean nobody will know what went on behind the curtain at this time except the people that were actually there and then is their story correct?
What's known is some of the people involved and the end result, the rest is conjecture.

Look on it as a film to watch not as an historical period.

a reply to: Necrose

it's three hours and at some point you feel it. it's a complex film. i saw it in the original and with subtitles, which certainly didn't make it easier to follow the plot. there's a lot of talking. a constant flow of information. i didn't know oppensheimer's (suffering) history. i knew who he was, that's all. that alone was fascinating. a central theme: america's communism paranoia. the violence and immense power of his invention is palpable even when you don't see atoms swirling or walls of fire spreading across the screen. a classic nolan, i'd say. whether the film is 100 accurate i can't judge, it's hollywood so...

its a great movie and in the packed cinema there was actually clapping at the end, which happens very rarely.

a reply to: Necrose

double post

I'm looking forward to seeing it. Really enjoyed Richard Rhoads's book "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". One of my favorite books of all time. I remember being disappointed when they cast Paul Newman as General Leslie Groves in the movie "Fat Man and Little Boy" The movie was mediocre, to begin with, and while I dig Newman the actor, this wasn't the best role for him. While Newman hit the mark on Groves's personality a bit, it loses its reality when the svelt Newman plays the overweight curmudgeon. I'm thinking the same is gonna happen with Matt Damon.

IIRC Groves who didn't believe in the project at the beginning had just finished overseeing the building of the Pentagon. He wanted an assignment in Europe or the Pacific and took it grudgingly, but like a lot of soldiers put 110% into it once he was assigned the chore.

Oppenheimer and Groves fought from the beginning and constantly throughout and had a general disdain for each other. Eventually, though they got it done and saved countless Allied and Japanese lives


Oppenhiemer and Groves

Can’t wait to see it. I have tickets to see it in the 70mm IMAX format in Grand Rapids.

It was alright.

Way longer than it needed to be. It should have ended after the Trinity test.

It was obviously trying to soft play communist infiltration of American academia. But I think it just illustrated how pervasive the dirty commies were.

McCarthy was right and should have been allowed to weed them out entirely.

Haven't seen it yet, but I plan to do so. I've read every book on the Project that's out there.

I have my doubts about Damon playing Leslie Groves. He doesn't even resemble the man in the trailers.

originally posted by: putnam6

Very interesting fact -- his right leg was almost 4 inches shorter than his left, which is why appears to be leaning in photos.

And the guy next to him, Leslie Groves, he invented the tennis shoe. This photo showed one of the earliest prototypes. He left the military and became a millionaire.

originally posted by: Mahogany

originally posted by: putnam6

Very interesting fact -- his right leg was almost 4 inches shorter than his left, which is why appears to be leaning in photos.

And the guy next to him, Leslie Groves, he invented the tennis shoe. This photo showed one of the earliest prototypes. He left the military and became a millionaire.

Lol, those are "overshoes" that they would wear over their regular shoes. It prevented fallout from sticking to the bottom of their shoes when walking around the blast site.

a reply to: Necrose

excellent movie, digging deep into nationalism industrialism and ethical dilemma, nearly 3 hours of the trolley problem

one of the final lines from the movie, repeating in my mind as good movies will do

"i speculated it could start a chain reaction that destroys the entire world

and I believe it did"

originally posted by: Mahogany

originally posted by: putnam6

Very interesting fact -- his right leg was almost 4 inches shorter than his left, which is why appears to be leaning in photos.

And the guy next to him, Leslie Groves, he invented the tennis shoe. This photo showed one of the earliest prototypes. He left the military and became a millionaire.

I extremely admire both of these men, they saved hundreds of thousands if not a few million people's lives. Possibly including my grandfather as he served and did some island hopping in the Pacific.

I posted the picture to show the contrast between the historically accurate Groves to the movie's choice of Matt Damon.

I did not know he invented the tennis shoe however LOL or if I did I forgot about it nor he had one leg 4 inches shorter. One would think that would eliminate him from military service.

Regardless I'm sure Damon will be fine as Groves, as long as he doesn't say how do you like them apples.