The life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist dubbed the ‘Father of the Atomic Bomb’, is the focus of the Christopher Nolan directorial Oppenheimer. During World War II, he was renowned for developing the first atomic bomb and subsequent nuclear weapons.The movie shows how one man's brilliance and ambition fundamentally changed how wars work, leading to the mass extinction of millions of people and the subsequent public frenzy. We observe Oppenheimer's response and his struggle to come to terms with the fact that his invention had the ability to wipe out humanity in a matter of minutes.
Christopher Nolan responded, when asked about the effects made for Oppenheimer and filming with Hoytema, by saying, "Hoytema and I used IMAX technology for vast landscapes and action sequences. In the case of Oppenheimer, we knew that for the trinity test, the level of immersion to really bring in the audience to that first experience of atomic fission, I am actually very important to that."
The director further noted, "Hoytema was excited about the intimacy, using these cameras more intimately and trying to get inside Oppenheimer’s head. I had written the script in the first person, given it to Cillian, and told him to open himself to the audience. We must see things from Oppenheimer’s point of view. IMAX and the large screen turn out to be very important in bringing the audience in and having the screen disappear and being immersive in not just the excitement of the view but also his viewpoint, his thought process."
Christopher Nolan, when asked about the role of film to bring almost forgotten stories like these, that discuss the influence of people like Oppenheimer and how it continues to influence our world, the director said, "Cinema doesn’t have the responsibility, but I’d say it has the opportunity. Oppenheimer’s story is the most dramatic I have come across, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for a filmmaker to take it on and for audiences to experience something perhaps that they don’t know anything about and yet be engaged with an extraordinary piece of history that’s as dramatic, as paradoxical, and tense & exciting as anything that I could invent as a version of fiction. That’s what history has to offer filmmakers."
He said in conclusion, "I view it as more of an opportunity than a responsibility, but certainly, looking at the past and seeing how we can engage audiences with it and see its relevance to our current moment. That’s an exciting thing!"