My full breakdown for Oppenheimer is here. Hope you enjoy it and stay tuned for my spoiler video essay tomorrow and a biggest questions video early next week!
Who needs a breakdown? Oppenheimer went "mew mew mew" like a little plush toy, and he was kicked to the curb. J. Robert Oppenheimer knew exactly what he was doing. And after the victory, boohoo, I did a wrong thing.... Nobody cared at that point because the US was then dealing with commie spies--like his friends. What more is there? Read a flipping book, folks.
Hmm. Looks like they are still running with the lie in the movie too. Which lie? The one about the commies hating the nazis (or that in 1939 they were for all intents the same thing). That, and the fact they both invaded Poland together…
It was so satisfying that Struass was just paranoid, and Oppi and Albert were literally talking about something more important. Albert ignoring strauss was just him ignoring him😂
Also, i think the atomic explosion itself is a metaphor here. Just like a nuclear explosion starts on a sub-atomic level, the "explosion" of the nearly career ending hearings, started with this one brief, tiny misunderstanding. Perhaps the other small moments can be seen as a chain reaction, like the embarrassment from Oppy mocking the idea of prohibiting isotopes, part of a string of small misunderstandings that led to a metaphorical explosion if the security revocation hearings.
@@squirlmyhonestly I felt that Truman had a point though. Truman made the decision to drop the bomb. He even called oppenheimer a crybaby. It's funny because in a way, Truman was right. He didn't make that decision. And in the end, they did it to beat the nazis from doing it themselves. If it wasn't oppenheimer, it could have easily been heisenburg or someone else.
The JFK name drop felt like the Bruce Wayne fixing the auto pilot/Robin reveal at the end of The Dark Knight Rises for me, got me hyped for some reason 😂
I’ve seen horror movies in theaters, and been jumpscared far too many times, but I have to say, the victory speech scene was by far the most terrifying and anxiety inducing scene I’ve ever watched in theaters.
I love how the movie starts with Louis Strauss' perspective watching Oppenheimer and Einstein talk and at the end, the movie comes back around that same scene between Oppenheimer and Einstein but this time in Oppenheimer's perspective.
However, in reality, that conversation never actually took place. When that topic of conversation about the possibility of an uncontrolled chain reaction that could consume the planet came up, Oppenheimer never asked Einstein that question. He asked Arthur Compton, who was actually associated with Los Alamos.
i love how it also shows how egotistical Strauss is, with him believing that the entire conversation he was having with Einstein was about him and not something "greater"
I just realized that when Oppenheimer is looking at the raindrops on the pond at the end of the movie, it looks exactly like nukes hitting the Earth’s surface when he envisions a nuclear war! Nolan is a genius!
You forgot to mention... Oppie's convo with Einstein. It had NOTHING to do with Strauss. That was the point of his vendetta. It was over nothing. Einstein was just bummed out and couldnt be bothered to acknowledge a beaurocrat. But, of course, Strauss took it personal. Convinced the conversation was about him.
He also took it personally when oppie humiliated him in front of Congress stating something along the lines of strauss was as useful as a sandwich can't exactly remember what he said but never the less he embarrassed him in public and strauss remembered it that added to his hatred and also maybe contributed to his paranoia about the einstein-oppenheimer conversation at the end.
The test scene itself is legendary. A massive fire propagated in the atmosphere in absolute silence. The silence continuous and the personnel in charge inspecting that moment in silent astonishment and the silence continues and still the focus on the fire. It is like that moment when Prometheus stole in silence the secret of fire from Olympus and delivered it to humanity. And when it became within the reach of humanity came the roar of anger from the Olympian Gods. That is when the thunderous sound of the bomb hits the audience’s ears. Using myth, physics, and philosophy to portray the moment that changed the world was an epic moment of the movie.
It serves beautifully as a symbolic reminder, that while the light of the bomb was spectacular, there was loud and unexpected aftermath, as the sound hits them.
It all makes sense… Einstein and Oppenheimer weren’t ONLY talking about the bomb’s ability to blast a chain reaction in the atmosphere, but it’s a METAPHOR for the creation of the bomb being the beginning of a chain reaction across the WORLD to build bigger and deadly bombs
Yeah...and Oppenheimer and Einstein never had that conversation. The real conversation about the atmosphere was between Oppenheimer and Arthur Compton who was head of the Met Lab at the University of Chicago. I understand why Nolan took liberties with that as he would have had to introduce and establish an entirely new character for one scene with no background on Arthur Compton while Einstein and his credibility are automatically known by the audience.
what I love about the moment with Einstein by the lake, is that for Struass, it is the kindle that starts a fire which will eventually lead to a personal war with Oppi. It's not the physics that are dangerous, it's the fact that they are in the hands of beings who make emotional decisions to destroy each other, often based on complete misunderstandings.
I dont agree, exactly. Oppy didn't have better choices, and it was ultimately Truman's decision, after all. His was a complex moral calculation, but it was still moral. Opp had to first consider that he was racing the Nazis for the bomb, and then consider Teller might develop a more powerful "hydrogen" bomb to drop on Japan. It's not preachy, but i thought still profoundly moral. and it certainly made points of "right and wrong" about the security clearance hearing.
As a history buff I'm glad to see Oppenheimer story being revisited. I always thought he got a raw deal and was thrown under the bus after the Russians got the bomb. Oppy was a complex flawed human being as most of us. I think he did was right for him at the time.
Strauss was a petty and vindictive bureaucrat who was in the position to exact revenge on Oppenheimer for embarrassing him in front of Congress on two occasions. Oppenheimer, on the other hand, made very poor life choices that came back to haunt him. Both were human beings who lived their lives through individual moments with no thoughts of future ramifications. While Oppenheimer was used as a scapegoat by Strauss, Oppenheimer was responsible for the life choices that created the information used against him.
@@buckhorncortez The "poor life choices" that Oppenheimer made were actually pretty typical for his time. For the most part, a man who "womanized" was not outted by the media as is common today (consider JFK and Marilyn. Virtually everyone in Washington knew, but fooling around was considered a man's private business). As far as his interest in communism, Kitty summed it up best: The communism our brightest and most socially responsible minds were investigating in the 20's and 30's was NOT the communism practiced under Joe Stalin. Anyone who didn't acknowledge the unfairness of capitalistic policies in the early 20th century was either profiting from those policies or just plain ignorant. One of Nolan's more subtle warnings here is that ANY event that ignites a national mass hysteria -- like McCarthyism and certain, more recent events I could name -- probably needs to be examined pretty carefully before we jump on the bandwagon.
Just saw it this afternoon…. It’s midnight now and since leaving the theater I haven’t gone more than a few minutes all day and evening without thinking about it. The story of this complicated man aside, this film is a PERFECT example of when you can be blown away and appreciate every aspect of filmmaking as an art. Chris Nolan and his brilliant writing and direction, & Emma Thomas, Van Hoytema, Göransson, the visual effects team and production designers, the editing team, sound people, period costume designers etc, the amazing cast all puttin in the work, just unbelievable. Hats off to everyone involved.
Oppenheimer was off the HOOK!!!! I will pay to see it again. Christopher Nolan,Cillian Murphy, Emily Blount, and RDJ ALL deserve Oscar Nods, and this is coming from someone who could really care less about award shows.🙌🏾🙌🏾
Ah, yes...review time. There is a lot to absorb in this film. The performances, music and editing are all standouts and the narrative flows nicely, although at times, can be a bit hard to follow with all of the intercutting happening throughout the runtime. This is a dialogue heavy film, which is propelled by the dynamic cutting and grand musical score. The topics explored are very interesting, and the manner in which Oppenheimer's inner thoughts are visualized give the experience its artistic flavor. 5...4...3...2...1 The trinity test sequence is probably the most tense piece of film I've ever experienced in a movie theater. The stakes are high, and the fears and anxieties among the group of scientists can't help but be felt by the viewer. The actual bomb looks great, but the focus is placed more on Oppenheimer's reaction to the event. The three hour runtime is definitely felt, but that does not take away from the way in which this story is told. This film is not for everyone, as it is more of a character study than a spectacle. I definitely will be giving this one a second viewing. 8.5/10
The black and white isnt about objective reality. Its very much the subjective reality of Strauss. The color scenes tell the subjective story of Oppenheimer. Neither are objective reality. Both are told from the viewpoints of their protaganist.
@immasimp6516 No, he didn't. He said that the black and white is the story from Strauss's perspective, and the color is the story from the point of view of Oppenheimer.
7:22 "Jean is a psychology student ..." Actually, she was taking the pre-requisites for medical school at Berkeley when she met Oppenheimer in 1936. She went on to Stanford medical school, graduating in 1941, and eventually completed residency training in psychIATRY.
*I saw the film OPPENHEIMER two days ago. I agree that the film is a masterpiece. It has some of the most amazing images when we are inside Oppenheimers head while he is contemplating the physics.* *If this film doesn't bring home a bunch of Oscars this year then someone has their thumb on the scale.*
I loved it. I did find it a bit long but it's fine...I'd miss watching good "adult drama" movies at the theatre, so seeing this on IMAX was amazing. The bomb test scene in particular was incredible, I find it curious that some people wanted more of an spectacular explosion out of it...that wasn't the point. The point is Oppenheimer and the rest internal realization of the new, terrible world the had just created by detonating the thing. I'm not the biggest fan of Nolan but this has become my favorite of him alongside Interestellar
A lot of people spent like $25+ for an IMAX enhanced screening, and for them I'm sure it was a let-down, as people are accustomed to pretty dazzling pyrotechnics nowadays. They definitely thought they should get MORE BANG FOR THEIR BUCK. I saw the film in a cheap theater with a small screen, and though I don't like to gloat, slightly tempted to. The explosion was far less impressive than watching a real atomic explosion on your Ipad.
Lots of minor errors in this review. - He says he will examine the story chronologically, in contrast to the film's narrative structure, but he then proceeds to detail each scene in the non-linear order presented, only discussing the appeal and confirmation scenes later. -I'm not sure what he means by calling the color scenes "subjective" and the B&W scenes "objective." Maybe he has a proper interpretation of those terms but he doesn't explain it. - He calls the film a "biopic thriller" but it is not in any way a a thriller. It's a biopic but more accurately the genre is squarely a historical drama. - He mentions how Oppenheimer and Kitty met in "both the US and New Mexico." I'll chalk this up to a Brit's forgivable ignorance of American geography. - Not a mistake, per se, but he doesn't discuss the most impactful component of the scene with Gary Oldman; Truman's disdain for the "crybaby scientist" Oppenheimer stemmed from his recognition that it was he who would answer to history for the bombing: "The Japanese don't care who built the bomb. They care about who it to be dropped on them," or something to that effect. It was a brilliant scene. - He refers to Oppenheimer's trial which, as the film repeatedly explained, it was not; it was a security clearance appeal hearing.
Thank you for making this. I needed this video. Just got out of seeing Oppenheimer and there was so much dialogue and a lot of characters and the back-and-forth through time - this clears everything up. Thank you
As a 19 year old MIT electrical engineer (genius) my father worked on the Manhattan Project. He later became an attorney. He once said: “The law is one way to look at the world.” I realized after seeing this movie that the other way to look at the world for him was: quantum mechanics.
@@kmart1303 It is possible this man shares a quote from his father...that might be ~103... And to me he really looks rather older...in his 70´s if this is his actual profile picture...(!) As his father was only 19 years during the Manhattan project...around 1943-1945... Let´s suggest he got his son at 25...~1950... Seems rather correct. Don´t think it´s him who talks shit...😂
Excellent breakdown! Def helps revisit and organize the acts of the film. Will def be watching again. Absolute masterpiece and achievement by Nolan and the cast.
I think that Nolan goes back to the roots with the structure of "Oppenheimer" and it is a little bit structured like his first two films "Following" and "Memento". With the two layers "Fission" and "Fusion" jumping from one to the other layer it needs time for you to understand what is going on and connecting and rolling out the fuse for the big explosive chain-reaction. The story arc for Murphys Oppenheimer is the same symbolic arc from Prometheus making Oppenheimer the Prometheus in this story. With revisiting the citation of vishnu "Now i became death, the destroyer of worlds" at important points of the story it also seperates the 3 acts (the trinity) which i would call 1. Before Manhattan-Project 2. Manhattan-Project 3. After Manhattan-Project. And with his most initimate ending - a small talk between two of the biggest scientifics - the conclusions shatters und leaves you floored when it comes all to the fleshed out quote from Oppenheimer "Now i became death, the destroyer of worlds".
I'm glad to read someone else made the connection between the near career-ending explosion of Oppy's own life, and the physics of nuclear explosion. The very brief, nearly insignificant moment where Strauss misinterprets what was said to Einstein, also reminded me of how a very brief sub-atomic reaction starts a huge nuke explosion.
@@briantomassoni8928yes. while not reciprocal, the hydrogen bomb that Teller wanted to build does go from fission to fusion, and just like Oppy stopped the first used bombs from being the megaton hydrogen type, he also recovered at least some of his reputation, his life wasn't completely destroyed by scandal.
Many years ago, I used to work in a building where I saw an office with Oppenheimer name on it. When I entered I saw pictures on the wall with general Eisenhower with what it looked like military photos. I used work in the buliding. I did not understand and was naive at the moment. I was around 18 years old today. I'm now 66 years old. It was an experience
People who haven't seen Oppenheimer should watch this video first. I saw it today for the second time which was after I watched this video. It was much more comprehensive. Thank you
Another great video, Cortex! I can't wait to rewatch this film. I absolutely loved the film when I got out of the theater with my friends and we stayed in the theater just to digest what we had just witnessed. It was a beautiful yet haunting experience and I totally believe that this is Nolan's best work. Thank you for explaining the details better because there were just a few things I had missed.
I enjoyed the film. I was anxious to see the difference between 'Oppenheimer and Fat Man Little boy' with Paul Newman. I saw it in an IMax theatre and I guess my eye is not that sharp because I saw no difference in the quality of the film and any other film. I'm older and it was too loud for me. The dialogue was muffled in some scenes, especially early on with Oppie and his wife and lover. At home I would certainly que up close captioning. - I wish the scene when Strauss was embarrassed by Oppie was made a little clearer. Robert Downey Jr was award nomination for sure. Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer and acting was spot on. - Oppenheimer, what a intellectually gifted man.
he spent his early life protected from the reality at the time he was very strong on obssesion he was very difficult yet super intelligent he was a very complex person this is why the masses find him hard to know not every man is always so simple to explain its not always a blessing to be the one
Having read the book by RIchard Rhodes "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", from cover to cover, I can definitely state that Nolan's film amounts to a most trustworthy rendition of the historical facts. Notwithstanding, I found the final scene to be deeply overpowering and unsettling - it sent chills all through my body. Please accept my most sincere appreciation for this outstanding and thoroughly precise analysis.
Interesting that “burst” mentions the Rhodes book. The Making of the Atomic Bomb is the definitive history of the Manhattan Engineer District. It also covers the Russian espionage aspects of the story. Followed by Dark Sun, also by Rhodes, you get the full picture including the controversy involving Lewis Strauss.
At the point in the movie when the test bomb went off I just started sobbing. Emotionally I felt the same in 2004 standing at the empty site of the twin towers. Mass destruction of these magnitudes is so wrong.😢
Okay. Within the context of attempting to end WW II and the worldwide pandemic of death that was going on, there is only ONE ending that results in fewer deaths. The government of Japan accepts the Potsdam Declaration sent to them on July 26, 1945. If they had even bothered to respond, there would have been no need to use the atomic bombs. Every other ending to the War, results in more deaths than the use of the atomic bombs.
In reality, the US Government didn't treat Oppenheimer badly. It was one person within the government, Lewis Strauss, greatly aided by the FBI and Edward Teller. If you want to play the "Strauss represented the government" game it still doesn't work as this was a personal vendetta by Strauss who was in a position to manipulate the system for his revenge.
I knew Strauss was going to be a hot mess when: 1. He told the man "it's admiral" when the man called him mr.strauss. 2. He was Gung ho on introducing Opp to Einstein. 3. He emphasized to Opp how important the position at the institute was. It was glorious when towards the end the guy told Strauss that maybe Einstein and Opp were discussing something more important than him. Lol Folks in the theater cracked up on that. Good movie 🎉
J. Robert Oppenheimer was brilliant. Knowledge is our greatest power and our greatest weapon. Oppenheimer wanted to prevent knowledge from being used in the future as a weapon.
Yet, he readily and enthusiastically participated in developing the atomic bomb, while Leo Szilard was at the same time, years ahead of Oppenheimer in recognizing the dangers inherent in atomic weapons and actively attempted to find methods of controlling the proliferation of the devices. Oppenheimer is hardly the poster boy for arms control...
It might also be worthwhile to explain, as it correctly happened, the SOUND of test takes over a minute to arrive after the light of the explosion. My explanation: the explosion PUSHES OUT all the air creating a solid vacuum of immense size, not letting any sound medium for travel until the air comes back to refill, and let the BOOM arrive.
Your explanation is not correct. The blast wave is supersonic for a long period of time and light travels at the speed of light. This means both travel faster than sound so they arrive before the sound within a specific circumference of the explosion. The light will always arrive before the sound at any distance. The sound and blast wave will arrive at the same time when the blast wave speed and speed of sound are the same. At some distance, the blast wave will slow to less than the speed of sound at which point the sound precedes the blast wave. If you want a full explanation and can understand the mathematics involved, there are two sources of information available. The first is the book, "Blast Wave," by Hans Bethe (et al), and the second is, "The Effects of Atomic Weapons," by Los Alamos National Laboratory (Samuel Glasstone, Executive Editor). "Blast Wave" is still available, while "The Effects of Atomic Weapons" is a bit harder to find and appears intermittently through used bookstores or websites.
Thank you very much! I watched the movie on Friday and it's Monday today. I had mixed feelings when I left the theatre and it took me two days to sort my thoughts about the movie. I wasn't sure if it was an average movie that I'll remember seeing, but forget about the details, was it a good film, or was it masterpiece. I was familiar with the Manhattan project, with McCarthy era, but was overwhelmed with all the threads. You really helped me to sort it all the and put the pieces in place.
I talked 4 older lady friends into seeing Oppenheimer instead of Barbie and they all loved it. We’ve been talking about it for days and I hope to see it again in IMAX.
Thank you for breakdown. I have read and watched and you did an excellent recap. Some things that surprised me was the way the movie was so fluid and captivating. Also, the movie portrayed Strauss and Oppenheimer relationship much closer. I also thought the Kitty would have more scenes. I am very surprised that they didn’t end with his final years. That being said that ending with Einstein was the singular best moment of the movie, very haunting.
I was intrigued by recurring scenes of flowers being thrown in the trash by Jean Tatlock, digging further I read she was gender-conflicted at a time that was poorly understood. I also noticed that the film budget is reported as $100M which is remarkable given its scale and scope. Now reading the wiki pages of the characters featured, quite an education of Physicists Assemble, and started Bernstein's book about Julius.
What the fuck is gender conflicted? And what does throwing flowers have to do with it? Gender as a human identity will always be badly understood because it is a fundamentally incoherent concept. It's actually renaming personality/temperament into something new so that narcissists can feel they are special than others
It was a fantastic movie based on a great book. As a history buff I have read books on both men’s perspective. Strauss and Oppenheimer are both heroes and villains in each others history’s . The film is a great movie it is easily the best movie I have seen this year. That being said the film did take a lot of liberties with both men and history. I do understand that it was to make the film much more entertaining.
"In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most. Time taken in stocking energy to build an energy system, adding to it the time taken in building the system will always be longer than the entire useful lifetime of the system. No energy store holds enough energy to extract an amount of energy equal to the total energy it stores. No system of energy can deliver sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it. This universal truth applies to all systems. Energy, like time, flows from past to future" (2017).
BIG THANKS, GREAT EXPLANATION. I want to watch the movie again. I have unexplained feelings after watching this. This movie is a masterpiece. Greet From Indonesia.
In my opinion, this is the best film ever made, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT!. And as an afterthought, the dropping of the A-bombs on Japan was TOTALLY unneccessary. watch the documentary 'The Fog of War' to learn more about Japan in 1945.
You keep referring to "the prosecution" with regards to Oppenheimer's security clearance hearing. As was stated many times, it wasn't a court case against him. In U.S. law, there is a distinction between a hearing and a court case. No criminal charges were being brought. Regardless of the outcome, Oppenheimer was never at risk of jail time. The committee convened to determine if he deserved to keep a security clearance for the purposes of working on future projects. Perhaps the outcome was a corrupt decision, but it was basically a means to discredit him publicly. The main thrust of the story was that: it takes a theoretical physicist to make a nuclear weapon, but a politicians decision if and when to use one. As we see ever increasing distrust in politicians, especially in the aftermath of COVID, the story cautions us to take an active role in public policy to ensure the law is on the side of the people.
My only problem with this movie is that that my theater should've implemented an intermission, i was holding my pee for like 30 minutes until i finally gave up and went to the bathroom😂😂😂
I liked that it didn't. My theatre had showings in different rooms with some having an intermission and others without. The room with the best projection and sound system had no intermission though.
@@dandelves I really liked Aftersun and Top Gun: Maverick. Those two I would give 10/10 but from the rest of what I've seen, I agree, it's been a poor decade so far. Edit: On second thought, Top Gun ain't a 10. It's great yes, but a 9 at max. I just remembered The Father which was incredible. Maybe a 10 for that.
I recently viewed Oppenheimer and appreciate this overview. For me, the telling words of the film which speak to our Times now are "With all due respect, we'll take it from here". That was the military at the time of Trinity, pushing the conscience of the scientists aside, oblivious to the potential of disaster in the future. With AI on the rise, the only thing to fear are Monsters of the ID, as the cult classic "Forbidden Planet" foretold in the 50s. Perhaps it is time for Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green and Omega Man to play in the theaters again as a Wake Up for the human race. We are on the brink with Putin placing nukes in Belarus and mercenary armies of paid killers to do his will. I find it disturbing that no nation has voiced censure of Russia for such tactics. It's as if the world is holding its collective tongue as it considers adapting such methods across the board. Films that evoke critical thought and self examination, such as Oppenheimer, are truly great...if difficult to truly watch.
Correct analysis... Fearing this (r)evolution too... The world needs a serious wake up call again! To prevent 2nd Hiroshima-Nagasaki disaster...wich will be even more damaging nowadays. Wish the US gouvernment didn´t silence the Manhattan project to Russia... Understand so profoundly now the struggle Oppenheimer felt... Thanks to director Christopher Nolan we get a new warning to the biggest threat to the whole world, to all life...
It was the military's responsibility to use the latest weapon developed for them - not engage in political debates. It was up to the politicians at that time to consider what implications the weapons might have in a future world. Let's not conflate the military's area of responsibility in WW 2 with the political responsibilities of that time.
Saw it in 70mm on 8/1/2023, before reading any spoiler reviews, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was the first Nolan film that didn't leave my guessing at the end, so I loved that. But your breakdown filled in all the little details and makes me want to see it again. Thank you for doing the main story breakdown first, then going into the hearings explanation, it really clears things up!
There was so much to unpack in this film. So much dialogue was hard to understand with the score pounding in the background. Did love the score. It's a very unique bio done in Nolan fashion. But am I alone when I feel I was wanting more awe from the trinity test. The characters reactions to it gave it weight but I wanted to see more of the actual bomb reaction . Still a 9 out of 10 film.
Actually, for me I thought the Trinity Test was a very powerful scene, different to what I expected, but the silence, with a focus on nervous breathing, and the faces as they witnessed the historic moment was really engaging, incredibly tense, and far more effective than I could have imagined it.
@@mrclaytron When the loud blast came after the silence, the person sitting next to me flinched so hard he kicked the back of the seat in front of him xD
I think the fact that it was "quiet" made it more powerful (and unexpected). The point of the scene was showing the inner reaction/conflict of the characters while realising they created an end-of-world weapon
I enjoyed this movie but the time skipping made it so confusing I was convinced he loved three women at the same time and Strauss's vendetta didn't make sense until the end
Thank you. You did a great job explaining the movie to someone who hadn't read the book. The movie was powerful and left me feeling sad and fearful. Cillian Murphy claimed it took that playing the character of Oppenheimer took a toll on him. I can certainly understand why.
I went into seeing this movie rather cold, avoiding reviews and explanation on purpose, so I could see it on a theatre screen as a primer before watching it again on IMAX (an IMAX theatre is a 2 1/2 hour drive away). No pun intended, I was blown away. But it left me with a lot of questions that dogged me a bit, which was cleared up quite a bit from this video; like the perspectives of Oppenheimer and Strauss. The Communist Party nuances were informative too. I'd not known before that there was a sort of moderate communism, though that still scares the hell out of me. ALL parts were played to perfection, but perhaps RDJ's role is the most deserving of awards praise... but not one wasted part played in this film. Every performance was significant to the story... and Nolan... his name is synonymous with perfect storytelling to me. This was the shortest 3 hours I've experienced in some time.
At that time, the Communist Party had a following throughout the world, including the United States as it was a "new" form of government and all of its ramifications were not known. The American Communist Party held its largest meetings at Madison Square Garden in the 1930s to accommodate all of the people.
In a nutshell, it captures the government treatment of their very best for the last decades, once they have served a purpose, and thrown away as their service no longer required, many years later to be given a medal/reparations, recognitions to undo a past wrong, clearly for them to look good, but not the individual whose life got ruined. I always have found the time from the atom bomb to the early 2000s as the most fascinating years of creation of new technologies and discoveries, but the unknown dirt/truths of each creation a total mess.
@@CortexVideostnks and again amazing breakdown-I’ve seen few and this one is brilliant. Not to long but summarized perfectly.(seen few on Diff channels edited)
Brilliant video--I watched the film in the cinema today. Compelling & extraordinary film of the emergence of weaponry which is horrifying. Oppy's achievement horrified him-Nolan's achievement remarkable.
I might be getting this wrong but once we finally heard the conversation between Oppenheimer and Einstein that took place at the beginning of the film and heard them discuss the intricate details of how the atomic bomb works (whether it would be a continuous reaction or not) and the calculations used, that means he already had all the mathematics done and figured out already before the Manhattan project even began?
Yes I was also confused about this because I thought that scene in the beginning happened before the Manhattan project, but I guess it wasn't? I wish the timelines in this movie were clearer
The conversation on igniting the atmosphere happened during the Manhattan project after the math was done that demonstrated the atmosphere might ignite The conversation that happened when Oppenheimer says they think they started a chain reaction, by the lake, that Einstein walked away from and didn't meet Strauss eyes, took place after the Manhattan project once Oppenheimer had been hired by the AEC under Strauss
@@HESAYYOUABRADERUNNER Edward Teller brought up the idea of nitrogen in the atmosphere being caused to react in the summer of 1942 at an atomic fission symposium organized by Oppenheimer and held at Berkeley in the summer of 1942. Hans Bethe quickly proved that the probability was extremely small as the mean free path between nitrogen atoms is too large to sustain a fission reaction. Oppenheimer then went to see Arthur Compton (not Einstein) to discuss this with him as he wanted Compton to be aware of the problem, and its resolution should it come up again. At that time Compton was the Director of the Met Lab at the University of Chicago and was responsible for the Project. Later, Teller brought up the same scenario with hydrogen in the atmosphere, and this time Emil Konopinski provided the calculations to prove that hydrogen in the atmosphere would not sustain a fusion reaction.
Great video and many thanks for sharing! Just curious for your (and any reader who saw the movie) take on the actual Trinity explosion sequence. I couldn't help but feel that it could've been represented better via CGI/special effects. I understand that they were never going to detonate an actual a-bomb, but what was on film was underwhelming. Especially given some of the firsthand accounts I've listened to via YT and other platforms. This film was wonderfully complex, which is fitting for such a complex central character!
I guess Nolan didn´t want the ´blast´ be overtaking all important details in the movie... Rather showing the inner struggle and lots of emotions of Oppenheimer and his fellow scientists... It shows also they didn´t realise completely the whole impact of a nucleair explosion... The silence was making more impact then 1000´s of special effects... And then the sudden loud explosion sounds....as the anger of all gods in the Prometeus saga... Genius!
Great review! You've really captured and explained so many facets of the movie. I think I need to watch it again. A lot of prior knowledge was required to really follow the plot. Having said that, it was well done with a lot of ground to cover. I did not like the score. It was very modern, overwhelmed the dialogue and unnecessarily jarring. The use of plastic annoyed me also. It wasn't a thing during the war years. Seeing the bomb ripped of black plastic when they could have used brown paper or canvas was really annoying. Oppenheimer's modern plastic coat was also annoying. This is just me being picky.
Great breakdown! I didn't initially enjoy the movie as much as I wanted to because it was so incredibly dense and complicated, and requires much rewatch and analysis to fully appreciate. I'm gradually coming to understand and love what Christopher Nolan accomplished with this film, though I still wonder if he could have done it in a more digestible and comprehensible way. I feel the story would have been easier to follow while retaining and even increasing the sense of scope and sheer gravity if it took its time in a TV format as a season of television. Of course, that was out of the question as Christopher Nolan has made it clear he will never work on a television show.
Strauss wasn't motivated to "ruin" Oppenheimer just simply based on a paranoid misperception of a conversation Oppenheimer had with Einstein, nor was he just trying to give some payback for being made fun of by Oppenheimer at an earlier hearing in history; He was trying to distance himself from Oppenheimer in the ideologically charged patriotic/anti-communist atmosphere of the early to mid 50s McCarthy era, where he knew he would be thought of as a communist co-conspirator for bringing Oppenheimer to the institute that he oversaw before WW2 to begin with, given the ties Oppenheimer had to communistic people/scientists back in Germany, and possibly to some Russian scientists as well. Strauss begins as an open minded "administrator" if you will of an institute whose goal it is to bring the brightest minds to work for the common good of, the work, mainly, over political or nationalist concerns, and willing to welcome in Oppenheimer even with his connection to the enemy so to speak, but he also alludes to his loftier future goals of wanting to someday get into the whitehouse cabinet, and as that becomes more of a reality, and as the war ends and the "brass" of the government get wind of Oppenheimer's misgivings of what he has achieved and apprehension to keep it going, putting him at odds with their bigger goals, coupled with the emergence of the McCarthy era of going after communists, Oppenheimer is just the lowest hanging fruit that Strauss can betray to try to save his own ass from being scrutinized as a communist colaborator by the "brass" that he wants to someday become himself, but luckily people come to the aid of Oppenheimer to speak for him and against Strauss at the hearings, and although Oppenheimer loses his security clearance, it could've been worse, but at least the ascendancy of Strauss' career at least in politics has reached as far as it is going to go.
Seems to me too there are more personal issues in Klaus´ behavior... Eventough the humiliation and Einstein´s neglect must have touched him first...? They might have been the underlaying seeds... While he used the possible threat of links with communism, as the more ´obvious´- let´s say ´superficially political correct´- reason to judge Oppenheimer...
My full breakdown for Oppenheimer is here. Hope you enjoy it and stay tuned for my spoiler video essay tomorrow and a biggest questions video early next week!
A kind of what I thought but I wasn't sure I thought I missed something thanks cortex
Thanks for your insight.
Who needs a breakdown? Oppenheimer went "mew mew mew" like a little plush toy, and he was kicked to the curb. J. Robert Oppenheimer knew exactly what he was doing. And after the victory, boohoo, I did a wrong thing.... Nobody cared at that point because the US was then dealing with commie spies--like his friends. What more is there? Read a flipping book, folks.
Hmm. Looks like they are still running with the lie in the movie too. Which lie? The one about the commies hating the nazis (or that in 1939 they were for all intents the same thing). That, and the fact they both invaded Poland together…
The fact that the bomb had not been realized prior to the fall of Germany is, for me, extremely anticlimactic …
It was so satisfying that Struass was just paranoid, and Oppi and Albert were literally talking about something more important. Albert ignoring strauss was just him ignoring him😂
Ikr literally narcissistic behavior from Strauss. Not everything is about you dude!
Also, i think the atomic explosion itself is a metaphor here. Just like a nuclear explosion starts on a sub-atomic level, the "explosion" of the nearly career ending hearings, started with this one brief, tiny misunderstanding. Perhaps the other small moments can be seen as a chain reaction, like the embarrassment from Oppy mocking the idea of prohibiting isotopes, part of a string of small misunderstandings that led to a metaphorical explosion if the security revocation hearings.
@@ibbisalthough I was disappointed that Truman also seems to be a narcisist in a similar way. 😢
@@squirlmyhonestly I felt that Truman had a point though. Truman made the decision to drop the bomb. He even called oppenheimer a crybaby. It's funny because in a way, Truman was right. He didn't make that decision. And in the end, they did it to beat the nazis from doing it themselves. If it wasn't oppenheimer, it could have easily been heisenburg or someone else.
@@marloncebo242finally someone else gets it. Honestly my favourite part was the president calling him a crybaby
The JFK name drop felt like the Bruce Wayne fixing the auto pilot/Robin reveal at the end of The Dark Knight Rises for me, got me hyped for some reason 😂
Good call haha
Oppenheimer gets name-dropped in Tenet and then gets a movie made about him. Does that mean Nolan’s next movie is gonna be about JFK?
@@richos07No, either Bond or something original.
@@richos07vohh. That's one good question
@@richos07probably about moon landing
I’ve seen horror movies in theaters, and been jumpscared far too many times, but I have to say, the victory speech scene was by far the most terrifying and anxiety inducing scene I’ve ever watched in theaters.
How did David hill know all that things? I don't understand
The sound was horrific
A bit overdramatic. The most terrifying and anxiety-incuding scene you've ever watched? C'mon now....
Ever see Christopher Walken in the Russian Roulette scene in The Deer Hunter? Or Alan Arkin’s leap in Wait Until Dark?
@@coltondunkle9333yep. This dude never seen gore in person or online if they're easily disturbed by sounds and a fake burnt corpse
I love how the movie starts with Louis Strauss' perspective watching Oppenheimer and Einstein talk and at the end, the movie comes back around that same scene between Oppenheimer and Einstein but this time in Oppenheimer's perspective.
Einstein looked like an alright dude
@@LuisSierra42he was a very alright dude
However, in reality, that conversation never actually took place. When that topic of conversation about the possibility of an uncontrolled chain reaction that could consume the planet came up, Oppenheimer never asked Einstein that question. He asked Arthur Compton, who was actually associated with Los Alamos.
i love how it also shows how egotistical Strauss is, with him believing that the entire conversation he was having with Einstein was about him and not something "greater"
@@Lewd-Tenant_Isan it teaches that ego can be the worst in people.
I just realized that when Oppenheimer is looking at the raindrops on the pond at the end of the movie, it looks exactly like nukes hitting the Earth’s surface when he envisions a nuclear war! Nolan is a genius!
First scene of him at college is him standing, staring at a puddle, watching how the raindrops hit it. It’s really fantastic!
I think that imagery is a reference to the chain reaction of nuclear fission.
All great points! I also took it to signify a ripple effect, the continuing and spreading results of an action.
Radioactive fallout
It’s literally so obvious. Is this how easy it is for people to think someone is a genius?
You forgot to mention... Oppie's convo with Einstein. It had NOTHING to do with Strauss. That was the point of his vendetta. It was over nothing. Einstein was just bummed out and couldnt be bothered to acknowledge a beaurocrat. But, of course, Strauss took it personal. Convinced the conversation was about him.
He might have considered that a spoiler. The whole film has themes of small moments having big consequences. Like the bomb itself.
+Mclaren231627 That speaks to Strauss's overinflated sense of importance. Strauss was at the center of his own very small universe.🤷🏾♀️
He also took it personally when oppie humiliated him in front of Congress stating something along the lines of strauss was as useful as a sandwich can't exactly remember what he said but never the less he embarrassed him in public and strauss remembered it that added to his hatred and also maybe contributed to his paranoia about the einstein-oppenheimer conversation at the end.
@@liesdamnliesandstatsweird1934Strauss' growing paranoia was subtle at first. Downey was amazing; so many Oscar-worthy performances here.
@@sharongelfand5065 Yes ma'am!!!💁🏾♀️🙌🏾
The test scene itself is legendary. A massive fire propagated in the atmosphere in absolute silence. The silence continuous and the personnel in charge inspecting that moment in silent astonishment and the silence continues and still the focus on the fire. It is like that moment when Prometheus stole in silence the secret of fire from Olympus and delivered it to humanity. And when it became within the reach of humanity came the roar of anger from the Olympian Gods. That is when the thunderous sound of the bomb hits the audience’s ears. Using myth, physics, and philosophy to portray the moment that changed the world was an epic moment of the movie.
Just like the last chord in Sgt Pepper
It serves beautifully as a symbolic reminder, that while the light of the bomb was spectacular, there was loud and unexpected aftermath, as the sound hits them.
Genius!
Breathtakingly wake up call!
You made my favorite comment so far, and I have read hundreds.
@@beachboxrealty harnessing fire was always a turning point in human history irrespective of the purpose of its use
It all makes sense… Einstein and Oppenheimer weren’t ONLY talking about the bomb’s ability to blast a chain reaction in the atmosphere, but it’s a METAPHOR for the creation of the bomb being the beginning of a chain reaction across the WORLD to build bigger and deadly bombs
Exactly the point of the movie.
Yeah...and Oppenheimer and Einstein never had that conversation. The real conversation about the atmosphere was between Oppenheimer and Arthur Compton who was head of the Met Lab at the University of Chicago. I understand why Nolan took liberties with that as he would have had to introduce and establish an entirely new character for one scene with no background on Arthur Compton while Einstein and his credibility are automatically known by the audience.
what I love about the moment with Einstein by the lake, is that for Struass, it is the kindle that starts a fire which will eventually lead to a personal war with Oppi. It's not the physics that are dangerous, it's the fact that they are in the hands of beings who make emotional decisions to destroy each other, often based on complete misunderstandings.
or what happens when people try and have a meaningful conversation over text messages...
Strong movie with powerful imagery and no conceit as to what was the 'right and wrong' about the events in it.
I dont agree, exactly. Oppy didn't have better choices, and it was ultimately Truman's decision, after all. His was a complex moral calculation, but it was still moral. Opp had to first consider that he was racing the Nazis for the bomb, and then consider Teller
might develop a more powerful "hydrogen" bomb to drop on Japan. It's not preachy, but i thought still profoundly moral. and it certainly made points of "right and wrong" about the security clearance hearing.
You can see this a dozen times and there will still be images and details you have missed. The film is that rich and profound.
Very true !!
Planning to do so
I'd call it more like 'bad edited'. Jumping timelines is just not my cup of tea, I guess.
It sucks. It’s all white folks only
Indeed, a film that deserves repeated viewings: the subject matter is that important.
The final scene is honestly one of the greatest endings I've ever seen. Experiencing that scene in the cinema is something else 😭🙌
As a history buff I'm glad to see Oppenheimer story being revisited. I always thought he got a raw deal and was thrown under the bus after the Russians got the bomb. Oppy was a complex flawed human being as most of us. I think he did was right for him at the time.
Strauss was a petty and vindictive bureaucrat who was in the position to exact revenge on Oppenheimer for embarrassing him in front of Congress on two occasions. Oppenheimer, on the other hand, made very poor life choices that came back to haunt him. Both were human beings who lived their lives through individual moments with no thoughts of future ramifications. While Oppenheimer was used as a scapegoat by Strauss, Oppenheimer was responsible for the life choices that created the information used against him.
@@buckhorncortez The "poor life choices" that Oppenheimer made were actually pretty typical for his time. For the most part, a man who "womanized" was not outted by the media as is common today (consider JFK and Marilyn. Virtually everyone in Washington knew, but fooling around was considered a man's private business). As far as his interest in communism, Kitty summed it up best: The communism our brightest and most socially responsible minds were investigating in the 20's and 30's was NOT the communism practiced under Joe Stalin. Anyone who didn't acknowledge the unfairness of capitalistic policies in the early 20th century was either profiting from those policies or just plain ignorant. One of Nolan's more subtle warnings here is that ANY event that ignites a national mass hysteria -- like McCarthyism and certain, more recent events I could name -- probably needs to be examined pretty carefully before we jump on the bandwagon.
Just saw it this afternoon…. It’s midnight now and since leaving the theater I haven’t gone more than a few minutes all day and evening without thinking about it. The story of this complicated man aside, this film is a PERFECT example of when you can be blown away and appreciate every aspect of filmmaking as an art. Chris Nolan and his brilliant writing and direction, & Emma Thomas, Van Hoytema, Göransson, the visual effects team and production designers, the editing team, sound people, period costume designers etc, the amazing cast all puttin in the work, just unbelievable. Hats off to everyone involved.
Oppenheimer was off the HOOK!!!! I will pay to see it again. Christopher Nolan,Cillian Murphy, Emily Blount, and RDJ ALL deserve Oscar Nods, and this is coming from someone who could really care less about award shows.🙌🏾🙌🏾
That build-up into Trinity explosion was very satisfying for me. Those scenes were the most favorite of mine.
Does anyone think this movie will win the Oscar? Without doubt it will be nominated in many categories.
I think it's a done deal. It's hard for me to imagine another film toppling this one.
Oscar candidate for sure..!
It's the most "oscar-baity" movie from Nolan till now.
Double digit Oscars for this masterpiece
Supporting role and best adapted screenplay
Ah, yes...review time.
There is a lot to absorb in this film. The performances, music and editing are all standouts and the narrative flows nicely, although at times, can be a bit hard to follow with all of the intercutting happening throughout the runtime.
This is a dialogue heavy film, which is propelled by the dynamic cutting and grand musical score. The topics explored are very interesting, and the manner in which Oppenheimer's inner thoughts are visualized give the experience its artistic flavor.
5...4...3...2...1
The trinity test sequence is probably the most tense piece of film I've ever experienced in a movie theater. The stakes are high, and the fears and anxieties among the group of scientists can't help but be felt by the viewer. The actual bomb looks great, but the focus is placed more on Oppenheimer's reaction to the event.
The three hour runtime is definitely felt, but that does not take away from the way in which this story is told.
This film is not for everyone, as it is more of a character study than a spectacle.
I definitely will be giving this one a second viewing.
8.5/10
The black and white isnt about objective reality. Its very much the subjective reality of Strauss. The color scenes tell the subjective story of Oppenheimer. Neither are objective reality. Both are told from the viewpoints of their protaganist.
So true
Nolan said it was objective
@immasimp6516 No, he didn't. He said that the black and white is the story from Strauss's perspective, and the color is the story from the point of view of Oppenheimer.
7:22 "Jean is a psychology student ..." Actually, she was taking the pre-requisites for medical school at Berkeley when she met Oppenheimer in 1936. She went on to Stanford medical school, graduating in 1941, and eventually completed residency training in psychIATRY.
It must've felt surreal for any human being at that time, to realize that there is a possibility that a single bomb is capable of ending mankind.
Who cares
@@theotherview1716 not you apparently
*I saw the film OPPENHEIMER two days ago. I agree that the film is a masterpiece. It has some of the most amazing images when we are inside Oppenheimers head while he is contemplating the physics.*
*If this film doesn't bring home a bunch of Oscars this year then someone has their thumb on the scale.*
It might win them all.
@@sharongelfand5065 *Yea, the film deserves too!*
Wow I just saw this movie today in IMAX 70mm and it was amazing the ending gave me chills. The build up to the trinity with the music was so intense 🤯
Best breakdown of the film I've found on UA-cam! I feel more informed about the movie when I get to see it. Thanks for your work on this!
I loved it. I did find it a bit long but it's fine...I'd miss watching good "adult drama" movies at the theatre, so seeing this on IMAX was amazing.
The bomb test scene in particular was incredible, I find it curious that some people wanted more of an spectacular explosion out of it...that wasn't the point. The point is Oppenheimer and the rest internal realization of the new, terrible world the had just created by detonating the thing.
I'm not the biggest fan of Nolan but this has become my favorite of him alongside Interestellar
A lot of people spent like $25+ for an IMAX enhanced screening, and for them I'm sure it was a let-down, as people are accustomed to pretty dazzling pyrotechnics nowadays. They definitely thought they should get MORE BANG FOR THEIR BUCK. I saw the film in a cheap theater with a small screen, and though I don't like to gloat, slightly tempted to. The explosion was far less impressive than watching a real atomic explosion on your Ipad.
@@AnonYmous-ry2jn I saw it on IMAX! It was great but honestly I might have just watched it on a regular theatre and enjoy it just the same.
But apparently the test was like that from the scientist's perspective? And Nolan showed it that way!
@@anandmahamuni5442the sound would have reached them within a few seconds. It was nothing like from their perspective, it was a cinematic decision!
It was a great character study. It isn't about the bomb or about Hiroshima. You have a good review.
He did not recruit the top physicians (medical doctors). He recruited the top physicists (scientists who study physics). Fixed that for you!
I, like most people, noticed that immediately. It's good to know that Englishmen make mistakes with English. 🙂
Success in study of success.
I wish you had told me sooner! I went to school for ten years studying the wrong thing! 😉
I understand many of those physicists were also doctors. Just PhD rather than MD.
Lots of minor errors in this review.
- He says he will examine the story chronologically, in contrast to the film's narrative structure, but he then proceeds to detail each scene in the non-linear order presented, only discussing the appeal and confirmation scenes later.
-I'm not sure what he means by calling the color scenes "subjective" and the B&W scenes "objective." Maybe he has a proper interpretation of those terms but he doesn't explain it.
- He calls the film a "biopic thriller" but it is not in any way a a thriller. It's a biopic but more accurately the genre is squarely a historical drama.
- He mentions how Oppenheimer and Kitty met in "both the US and New Mexico." I'll chalk this up to a Brit's forgivable ignorance of American geography.
- Not a mistake, per se, but he doesn't discuss the most impactful component of the scene with Gary Oldman; Truman's disdain for the "crybaby scientist" Oppenheimer stemmed from his recognition that it was he who would answer to history for the bombing: "The Japanese don't care who built the bomb. They care about who it to be dropped on them," or something to that effect. It was a brilliant scene.
- He refers to Oppenheimer's trial which, as the film repeatedly explained, it was not; it was a security clearance appeal hearing.
Thank you for making this. I needed this video. Just got out of seeing Oppenheimer and there was so much dialogue and a lot of characters and the back-and-forth through time - this clears everything up. Thank you
As a 19 year old MIT electrical engineer (genius) my father worked on the Manhattan Project. He later became an attorney. He once said: “The law is one way to look at the world.” I realized after seeing this movie that the other way to look at the world for him was: quantum mechanics.
That would make your dad ~103 years old. You look at most 40s, meaning either your dad had you at 60+, or you're full of shit.
@@kmart1303
It is possible this man shares a quote from his father...that might be ~103...
And to me he really looks rather older...in his 70´s if this is his actual profile picture...(!)
As his father was only 19 years during the Manhattan project...around 1943-1945...
Let´s suggest he got his son at 25...~1950...
Seems rather correct.
Don´t think it´s him who talks shit...😂
Let´s assume he´s only 55-60...
Still possible...if he was born later...
Why would someone lie about this....?
Just asking....
If it is to seem important...?
Then your reaction says so much more...😅
Excellent breakdown! Def helps revisit and organize the acts of the film. Will def be watching again. Absolute masterpiece and achievement by Nolan and the cast.
Feel same, need to rewatch
I think that Nolan goes back to the roots with the structure of "Oppenheimer" and it is a little bit structured like his first two films "Following" and "Memento". With the two layers "Fission" and "Fusion" jumping from one to the other layer it needs time for you to understand what is going on and connecting and rolling out the fuse for the big explosive chain-reaction. The story arc for Murphys Oppenheimer is the same symbolic arc from Prometheus making Oppenheimer the Prometheus in this story. With revisiting the citation of vishnu "Now i became death, the destroyer of worlds" at important points of the story it also seperates the 3 acts (the trinity) which i would call 1. Before Manhattan-Project 2. Manhattan-Project 3. After Manhattan-Project. And with his most initimate ending - a small talk between two of the biggest scientifics - the conclusions shatters und leaves you floored when it comes all to the fleshed out quote from Oppenheimer "Now i became death, the destroyer of worlds".
Yikes take bro. Fisson and fusion do not have a reciprocal relationship so your interpretation is null and void. Maybe try again but with Barbie?
I'm glad to read someone else made the connection between the near career-ending explosion of Oppy's own life, and the physics of nuclear explosion. The very brief, nearly insignificant moment where Strauss misinterprets what was said to Einstein, also reminded me of how a very brief sub-atomic reaction starts a huge nuke explosion.
@@briantomassoni8928yes. while not reciprocal, the hydrogen bomb that Teller wanted to build does go from fission to fusion, and just like Oppy stopped the first used bombs from being the megaton hydrogen type, he also recovered at least some of his reputation, his life wasn't completely destroyed by scandal.
Many years ago, I used to work in a building where I saw an office with Oppenheimer name on it. When I entered I saw pictures on the wall with general Eisenhower with what it looked like military photos. I used work in the buliding. I did not understand and was naive at the moment. I was around 18 years old today. I'm now 66 years old. It was an experience
Can we talk about the acting though, Cillian, RDJ, and Matt Damon were unbelievable!!!!!!
People who haven't seen Oppenheimer should watch this video first. I saw it today for the second time which was after I watched this video. It was much more comprehensive. Thank you
I'm really glad it helped. Thank you for the lovely words also!
Another great video, Cortex! I can't wait to rewatch this film. I absolutely loved the film when I got out of the theater with my friends and we stayed in the theater just to digest what we had just witnessed. It was a beautiful yet haunting experience and I totally believe that this is Nolan's best work. Thank you for explaining the details better because there were just a few things I had missed.
Glad you enjoyed it! And it was very similar for me with those I saw it with. I was in silence to begin with.
Thank you so much for simplifying it!
It helped me in understanding the movie completely!
Glad it helped! I did a biggest questions video yesterday that clears up a lot of the other things i didn't talk about here too
This is one of the greatest ensemble films I've ever seen
I enjoyed the film. I was anxious to see the difference between 'Oppenheimer and Fat Man Little boy' with Paul Newman. I saw it in an IMax theatre and I guess my eye is not that sharp because I saw no difference in the quality of the film and any other film. I'm older and it was too loud for me. The dialogue was muffled in some scenes, especially early on with Oppie and his wife and lover. At home I would certainly que up close captioning. - I wish the scene when Strauss was embarrassed by Oppie was made a little clearer. Robert Downey Jr was award nomination for sure. Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer and acting was spot on. - Oppenheimer, what a intellectually gifted man.
he spent his early life protected from the reality at the time he was very strong on obssesion he was very difficult yet super intelligent he was a very complex person this is why the masses find him hard to know not every man is always so simple to explain its not always a blessing to be the one
Having read the book by RIchard Rhodes "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", from cover to cover, I can definitely state that Nolan's film amounts to a most trustworthy rendition of the historical facts. Notwithstanding, I found the final scene to be deeply overpowering and unsettling - it sent chills all through my body.
Please accept my most sincere appreciation for this outstanding and thoroughly precise analysis.
Interesting that “burst” mentions the Rhodes book. The Making of the Atomic Bomb is the definitive history of the Manhattan Engineer District. It also covers the Russian espionage aspects of the story. Followed by Dark Sun, also by Rhodes, you get the full picture including the controversy involving Lewis Strauss.
One of the best displays of auditory and visual storytelling
What an exceptional review of the movie, Oppenheimer. Thank you.
At the point in the movie when the test bomb went off I just started sobbing. Emotionally I felt the same in 2004 standing at the empty site of the twin towers. Mass destruction of these magnitudes is so wrong.😢
Okay. Within the context of attempting to end WW II and the worldwide pandemic of death that was going on, there is only ONE ending that results in fewer deaths. The government of Japan accepts the Potsdam Declaration sent to them on July 26, 1945. If they had even bothered to respond, there would have been no need to use the atomic bombs. Every other ending to the War, results in more deaths than the use of the atomic bombs.
the treatment of Alan Turing and Oppenheimer by their respective governments is insane.
In reality, the US Government didn't treat Oppenheimer badly. It was one person within the government, Lewis Strauss, greatly aided by the FBI and Edward Teller. If you want to play the "Strauss represented the government" game it still doesn't work as this was a personal vendetta by Strauss who was in a position to manipulate the system for his revenge.
I knew Strauss was going to be a hot mess when:
1. He told the man "it's admiral" when the man called him mr.strauss.
2. He was Gung ho on introducing Opp to Einstein.
3. He emphasized to Opp how important the position at the institute was.
It was glorious when towards the end the guy told Strauss that maybe Einstein and Opp were discussing something more important than him.
Lol
Folks in the theater cracked up on that.
Good movie 🎉
J. Robert Oppenheimer was brilliant. Knowledge is our greatest power and our greatest weapon. Oppenheimer wanted to prevent knowledge from being used in the future as a weapon.
Yet, he readily and enthusiastically participated in developing the atomic bomb, while Leo Szilard was at the same time, years ahead of Oppenheimer in recognizing the dangers inherent in atomic weapons and actively attempted to find methods of controlling the proliferation of the devices. Oppenheimer is hardly the poster boy for arms control...
This was a great review an explanation of the film. Thank you.
Watch it twice and you'll say it yourself that this is a cinematic masterpiece.
Already said its a masterpiece in a seperate video lol. Just watched it a 3rd time today
It might also be worthwhile to explain, as it correctly happened, the SOUND of test takes over a minute to arrive after the light of the explosion.
My explanation: the explosion PUSHES OUT all the air creating a solid vacuum of immense size, not letting any sound medium for travel until the air comes back to refill, and let the BOOM arrive.
Your explanation is not correct. The blast wave is supersonic for a long period of time and light travels at the speed of light. This means both travel faster than sound so they arrive before the sound within a specific circumference of the explosion. The light will always arrive before the sound at any distance. The sound and blast wave will arrive at the same time when the blast wave speed and speed of sound are the same. At some distance, the blast wave will slow to less than the speed of sound at which point the sound precedes the blast wave. If you want a full explanation and can understand the mathematics involved, there are two sources of information available. The first is the book, "Blast Wave," by Hans Bethe (et al), and the second is, "The Effects of Atomic Weapons," by Los Alamos National Laboratory (Samuel Glasstone, Executive Editor). "Blast Wave" is still available, while "The Effects of Atomic Weapons" is a bit harder to find and appears intermittently through used bookstores or websites.
Thank you very much! I watched the movie on Friday and it's Monday today. I had mixed feelings when I left the theatre and it took me two days to sort my thoughts about the movie. I wasn't sure if it was an average movie that I'll remember seeing, but forget about the details, was it a good film, or was it masterpiece. I was familiar with the Manhattan project, with McCarthy era, but was overwhelmed with all the threads. You really helped me to sort it all the and put the pieces in place.
I am exactly like that for movies. Even my favorites I have to figure out what my thoughts are long after
I talked 4 older lady friends into seeing Oppenheimer instead of Barbie and they all loved it. We’ve been talking about it for days and I hope to see it again in IMAX.
Apollo's Creed 🍺 - Oh Germany i pray 🤥 - Good energy said I
Great film and very educational, hope it gets the recognition it deserves at the Oscars.
Thank you for breakdown. I have read and watched and you did an excellent recap. Some things that surprised me was the way the movie was so fluid and captivating. Also, the movie portrayed Strauss and Oppenheimer relationship much closer. I also thought the Kitty would have more scenes. I am very surprised that they didn’t end with his final years. That being said that ending with Einstein was the singular best moment of the movie, very haunting.
I was intrigued by recurring scenes of flowers being thrown in the trash by Jean Tatlock, digging further I read she was gender-conflicted at a time that was poorly understood. I also noticed that the film budget is reported as $100M which is remarkable given its scale and scope. Now reading the wiki pages of the characters featured, quite an education of Physicists Assemble, and started Bernstein's book about Julius.
And they didn't use CGI
I guess half of budget went to IMAX camera and film stocks
@@themarinect and the celebrities in the film
Some of the celebrities RDJ and Oppie's wife took pay cuts to do the film.
What the fuck is gender conflicted? And what does throwing flowers have to do with it?
Gender as a human identity will always be badly understood because it is a fundamentally incoherent concept. It's actually renaming personality/temperament into something new so that narcissists can feel they are special than others
Why does nobody talk about the realistic few seconds after blastwave delay? That was really well done!
There's even a J. Robert Oppenheimer: His Life and Times in a Coloring Book. Important lessons for all ages.
Thank you for making this video!!! It is so helpful to hear a voice that seems trustworthy, and a mind that has put passion into the truth!!
“Both in the US and in New Mexico”. 😂… great review though. Always great videos and great work!
I saw it in a digital IMAX venue and it was the most intense experience I’ve had in a cinema since “Gravity” (2013)…
A masterpiece from Nolan.
It was a fantastic movie based on a great book. As a history buff I have read books on both men’s perspective. Strauss and Oppenheimer are both heroes and villains in each others history’s . The film is a great movie it is easily the best movie I have seen this year. That being said the film did take a lot of liberties with both men and history. I do understand that it was to make the film much more entertaining.
"In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most.
Time taken in stocking energy to build an energy system, adding to it the time taken in building the system will always be longer than the entire useful lifetime of the system.
No energy store holds enough energy to extract an amount of energy equal to the total energy it stores.
No system of energy can deliver sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it.
This universal truth applies to all systems.
Energy, like time, flows from past to future" (2017).
BIG THANKS, GREAT EXPLANATION. I want to watch the movie again. I have unexplained feelings after watching this. This movie is a masterpiece. Greet From Indonesia.
In my opinion, this is the best film ever made, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT!. And as an afterthought, the dropping of the A-bombs on Japan was TOTALLY unneccessary. watch the documentary 'The Fog of War' to learn more about Japan in 1945.
Loved the movie, but there's not a single static shot more the 30 seconds long in the entire film. It's jump cut, jump cut, jump cut x 3 hours.
Typical Nolan movie...keeps your attention necessary..
Excellent explanation of the film step by step 👍
Glad it helped. And thank you!
You keep referring to "the prosecution" with regards to Oppenheimer's security clearance hearing. As was stated many times, it wasn't a court case against him. In U.S. law, there is a distinction between a hearing and a court case. No criminal charges were being brought. Regardless of the outcome, Oppenheimer was never at risk of jail time. The committee convened to determine if he deserved to keep a security clearance for the purposes of working on future projects. Perhaps the outcome was a corrupt decision, but it was basically a means to discredit him publicly. The main thrust of the story was that: it takes a theoretical physicist to make a nuclear weapon, but a politicians decision if and when to use one. As we see ever increasing distrust in politicians, especially in the aftermath of COVID, the story cautions us to take an active role in public policy to ensure the law is on the side of the people.
Great video, thanks for this upload
No problem 👍
Great video bash thanks for making it! You explained some points I missed when I saw the movie.
My only problem with this movie is that that my theater should've implemented an intermission, i was holding my pee for like 30 minutes until i finally gave up and went to the bathroom😂😂😂
I liked that it didn't. My theatre had showings in different rooms with some having an intermission and others without. The room with the best projection and sound system had no intermission though.
I liked the "Major League" callback when the oversized floral display is inbetween two charactors at odds, get slightly moved and then removed
Watched this yesterday. For me its an 8/10 and perhaps the best film of this decade so far.
There's been no 9's or 10's this decade so far?
@@Jack-iu7pw Based on the few films I have seen I wouldn't give a single film 9 or 10.
@@dandelves I really liked Aftersun and Top Gun: Maverick. Those two I would give 10/10 but from the rest of what I've seen, I agree, it's been a poor decade so far.
Edit: On second thought, Top Gun ain't a 10. It's great yes, but a 9 at max. I just remembered The Father which was incredible. Maybe a 10 for that.
You don’t have to be a marvel fan to give endgame at least a 9
8/10 lmao
I recently viewed Oppenheimer and appreciate this overview. For me, the telling words of the film which speak to our Times now are "With all due respect, we'll take it from here". That was the military at the time of Trinity, pushing the conscience of the scientists aside, oblivious to the potential of disaster in the future.
With AI on the rise, the only thing to fear are Monsters of the ID, as the cult classic "Forbidden Planet" foretold in the 50s.
Perhaps it is time for Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green and Omega Man to play in the theaters again as a Wake Up for the human race.
We are on the brink with Putin placing nukes in Belarus and mercenary armies of paid killers to do his will. I find it disturbing that no nation has voiced censure of Russia for such tactics. It's as if the world is holding its collective tongue as it considers adapting such methods across the board.
Films that evoke critical thought and self examination, such as Oppenheimer, are truly great...if difficult to truly watch.
Correct analysis...
Fearing this (r)evolution too...
The world needs a serious wake up call again!
To prevent 2nd Hiroshima-Nagasaki disaster...wich will be even more damaging nowadays.
Wish the US gouvernment didn´t silence the Manhattan project to Russia...
Understand so profoundly now the struggle Oppenheimer felt...
Thanks to director Christopher Nolan we get a new warning to the biggest threat to the whole world, to all life...
It was the military's responsibility to use the latest weapon developed for them - not engage in political debates. It was up to the politicians at that time to consider what implications the weapons might have in a future world. Let's not conflate the military's area of responsibility in WW 2 with the political responsibilities of that time.
Good point...and things were moving so fast at that time. Surely it was a damned if you do, and if you don't moment of History.@@buckhorncortez
Saw it in 70mm on 8/1/2023, before reading any spoiler reviews, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was the first Nolan film that didn't leave my guessing at the end, so I loved that. But your breakdown filled in all the little details and makes me want to see it again. Thank you for doing the main story breakdown first, then going into the hearings explanation, it really clears things up!
There was so much to unpack in this film. So much dialogue was hard to understand with the score pounding in the background. Did love the score.
It's a very unique bio done in Nolan fashion.
But am I alone when I feel I was wanting more awe from the trinity test. The characters reactions to it gave it weight but I wanted to see more of the actual bomb reaction . Still a 9 out of 10 film.
Actually, for me I thought the Trinity Test was a very powerful scene, different to what I expected, but the silence, with a focus on nervous breathing, and the faces as they witnessed the historic moment was really engaging, incredibly tense, and far more effective than I could have imagined it.
@@mrclaytron When the loud blast came after the silence, the person sitting next to me flinched so hard he kicked the back of the seat in front of him xD
@@Pazaluz haha, it made me jump too!
Yes it was definitely engaging. Before the shock wave hits, there was pin drop silence in the theater.
I think the fact that it was "quiet" made it more powerful (and unexpected). The point of the scene was showing the inner reaction/conflict of the characters while realising they created an end-of-world weapon
Just saw Oppenheimer today 😊 I'm from New Mexico so I've always been interested in him. Great movie!
I enjoyed this movie but the time skipping made it so confusing I was convinced he loved three women at the same time and Strauss's vendetta didn't make sense until the end
Thank you. You did a great job explaining the movie to someone who hadn't read the book. The movie was powerful and left me feeling sad and fearful.
Cillian Murphy claimed it took that playing the character of Oppenheimer took a toll on him. I can certainly understand why.
I saw this movie in imax really high and it blow me away
I went into seeing this movie rather cold, avoiding reviews and explanation on purpose, so I could see it on a theatre screen as a primer before watching it again on IMAX (an IMAX theatre is a 2 1/2 hour drive away). No pun intended, I was blown away. But it left me with a lot of questions that dogged me a bit, which was cleared up quite a bit from this video; like the perspectives of Oppenheimer and Strauss. The Communist Party nuances were informative too. I'd not known before that there was a sort of moderate communism, though that still scares the hell out of me. ALL parts were played to perfection, but perhaps RDJ's role is the most deserving of awards praise... but not one wasted part played in this film. Every performance was significant to the story... and Nolan... his name is synonymous with perfect storytelling to me. This was the shortest 3 hours I've experienced in some time.
At that time, the Communist Party had a following throughout the world, including the United States as it was a "new" form of government and all of its ramifications were not known. The American Communist Party held its largest meetings at Madison Square Garden in the 1930s to accommodate all of the people.
This is a very intersesting story, i hope it gets a movie in the future
In a nutshell, it captures the government treatment of their very best for the last decades, once they have served a purpose, and thrown away as their service no longer required, many years later to be given a medal/reparations, recognitions to undo a past wrong, clearly for them to look good, but not the individual whose life got ruined. I always have found the time from the atom bomb to the early 2000s as the most fascinating years of creation of new technologies and discoveries, but the unknown dirt/truths of each creation a total mess.
Excellent explanation.. thankyou !
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for your review. I watched it so I would understand the movie better when I see it. Very insightful!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. I like how Truman is 100% in on nukes.
As an American, I was disappointed to see him be so cold-blooded about it. He does not come off well in the film.
He had a sign on his desk that said “The Buck Stops Here”
Excellent summary. Thanks.
Oppenheimer was really fantastic movie and super interesting story
So good!
@@CortexVideos indeed
Thank you so much and greetings from Bosnia. I loved the channel and subbed btw.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the support 😊
@@CortexVideostnks and again amazing breakdown-I’ve seen few and this one is brilliant. Not to long but summarized perfectly.(seen few on
Diff channels edited)
Brilliant video--I watched the film in the cinema today. Compelling & extraordinary film of the emergence of weaponry which is horrifying. Oppy's achievement horrified him-Nolan's achievement remarkable.
"both in the US and in New Mexico" I think I have wonderful news for you ❤
I might be getting this wrong but once we finally heard the conversation between Oppenheimer and Einstein that took place at the beginning of the film and heard them discuss the intricate details of how the atomic bomb works (whether it would be a continuous reaction or not) and the calculations used, that means he already had all the mathematics done and figured out already before the Manhattan project even began?
Yes I was also confused about this because I thought that scene in the beginning happened before the Manhattan project, but I guess it wasn't? I wish the timelines in this movie were clearer
The conversation on igniting the atmosphere happened during the Manhattan project after the math was done that demonstrated the atmosphere might ignite
The conversation that happened when Oppenheimer says they think they started a chain reaction, by the lake, that Einstein walked away from and didn't meet Strauss eyes, took place after the Manhattan project once Oppenheimer had been hired by the AEC under Strauss
@@HESAYYOUABRADERUNNER Edward Teller brought up the idea of nitrogen in the atmosphere being caused to react in the summer of 1942 at an atomic fission symposium organized by Oppenheimer and held at Berkeley in the summer of 1942. Hans Bethe quickly proved that the probability was extremely small as the mean free path between nitrogen atoms is too large to sustain a fission reaction. Oppenheimer then went to see Arthur Compton (not Einstein) to discuss this with him as he wanted Compton to be aware of the problem, and its resolution should it come up again. At that time Compton was the Director of the Met Lab at the University of Chicago and was responsible for the Project. Later, Teller brought up the same scenario with hydrogen in the atmosphere, and this time Emil Konopinski provided the calculations to prove that hydrogen in the atmosphere would not sustain a fusion reaction.
Great video and many thanks for sharing! Just curious for your (and any reader who saw the movie) take on the actual Trinity explosion sequence. I couldn't help but feel that it could've been represented better via CGI/special effects. I understand that they were never going to detonate an actual a-bomb, but what was on film was underwhelming. Especially given some of the firsthand accounts I've listened to via YT and other platforms. This film was wonderfully complex, which is fitting for such a complex central character!
I thought it was fantastic.
I guess Nolan didn´t want the ´blast´ be overtaking all important details in the movie...
Rather showing the inner struggle and lots of emotions of Oppenheimer and his fellow scientists...
It shows also they didn´t realise completely the whole impact of a nucleair explosion...
The silence was making more impact then 1000´s of special effects...
And then the sudden loud explosion sounds....as the anger of all gods in the Prometeus saga...
Genius!
Great review! You've really captured and explained so many facets of the movie. I think I need to watch it again.
A lot of prior knowledge was required to really follow the plot. Having said that, it was well done with a lot of ground to cover.
I did not like the score. It was very modern, overwhelmed the dialogue and unnecessarily jarring. The use of plastic annoyed me also. It wasn't a thing during the war years. Seeing the bomb ripped of black plastic when they could have used brown paper or canvas was really annoying. Oppenheimer's modern plastic coat was also annoying. This is just me being picky.
what do you mean by plastic?
I think seeing this on IMAX would probably be the best viewing experience. Not sure seeing this at an AMC would do this film Justice.
Keep it upp cortex im wondering if/what you are doing with film beyond your channel
Thanks man. There's loads coming up in the next week. Got a video essay today, biggest questions video tomorrow to start with :)
Great breakdown! I didn't initially enjoy the movie as much as I wanted to because it was so incredibly dense and complicated, and requires much rewatch and analysis to fully appreciate. I'm gradually coming to understand and love what Christopher Nolan accomplished with this film, though I still wonder if he could have done it in a more digestible and comprehensible way. I feel the story would have been easier to follow while retaining and even increasing the sense of scope and sheer gravity if it took its time in a TV format as a season of television. Of course, that was out of the question as Christopher Nolan has made it clear he will never work on a television show.
Japan was NOT ON VERGE OF SURRENDERING!
"You think the Japanese care about who created the bomb? They care about who dropped it. That's me."
"Never let this crybaby back in here".
actually no one cares who dropped the bomb. They only knew America dropped the bombs killing millions of innocents. Truman is seriously full of shite.
Best president ever. They don't make men like that anymore 🎉
@@dutchmilk >300k
Strauss wasn't motivated to "ruin" Oppenheimer just simply based on a paranoid misperception of a conversation Oppenheimer had with Einstein, nor was he just trying to give some payback for being made fun of by Oppenheimer at an earlier hearing in history; He was trying to distance himself from Oppenheimer in the ideologically charged patriotic/anti-communist atmosphere of the early to mid 50s McCarthy era, where he knew he would be thought of as a communist co-conspirator for bringing Oppenheimer to the institute that he oversaw before WW2 to begin with, given the ties Oppenheimer had to communistic people/scientists back in Germany, and possibly to some Russian scientists as well. Strauss begins as an open minded "administrator" if you will of an institute whose goal it is to bring the brightest minds to work for the common good of, the work, mainly, over political or nationalist concerns, and willing to welcome in Oppenheimer even with his connection to the enemy so to speak, but he also alludes to his loftier future goals of wanting to someday get into the whitehouse cabinet, and as that becomes more of a reality, and as the war ends and the "brass" of the government get wind of Oppenheimer's misgivings of what he has achieved and apprehension to keep it going, putting him at odds with their bigger goals, coupled with the emergence of the McCarthy era of going after communists, Oppenheimer is just the lowest hanging fruit that Strauss can betray to try to save his own ass from being scrutinized as a communist colaborator by the "brass" that he wants to someday become himself, but luckily people come to the aid of Oppenheimer to speak for him and against Strauss at the hearings, and although Oppenheimer loses his security clearance, it could've been worse, but at least the ascendancy of Strauss' career at least in politics has reached as far as it is going to go.
Seems to me too there are more personal issues in Klaus´ behavior...
Eventough the humiliation and Einstein´s neglect must have touched him first...? They might have been the underlaying seeds...
While he used the possible threat of links with communism, as the more ´obvious´- let´s say ´superficially political correct´- reason to judge Oppenheimer...