36:20 He didn't just strip the audio to show off the visuals. No one heard the bomb go off at the moment of detonation. Everyone watched a silent bomb for the trinity test. What he showed was accurate.
Mmhhmm, that was something I liked and pointed out to people that watched it with me; how in real life, when bombs go off you see the flash well before the sound gets to you, followed by the shock wave, unlike in the movies where it usually all happens at once. It is both accurate and a good tension building moment.
Yeah I don’t know where @heavyspoilers pulled that one from. The fact is Light travels faster than sound. An example would be how lightning is seen seconds before the thunder is heard.
I watched it with my 15 year old son, totally expecting him to be bored but he was engaged with the movie during the 3 hour runtime, and when the credits rolled he was so deep in tought, he asked for just to sit there for a bit to think. This movie touched him very deeply showing how great director Nolan really is (as if we needed more proof).
I’m 18 and loved the film. I also like to watch old black and white movies. I hate that some of my generation don’t watch movies like these and appreciate it them.
The symbolism of the apple is incredible. Bohr says 'you can lift the stone without being ready for the snake that's revealed' while holding an apple (the stone) with poison hidden inside (the snake). But the apple is also the discovery of nuclear weapons, and the snake that's revealed is the destruction of humankind.
I especially like how in the final scene his hat is wet. Movies _never_ show that, but that's a huge reason people wore hats: They kept a light rain off your head.
A neat little detail I found after seeing this movie in IMAX with 70mm film, during the Trinity test and all the sound dies out, all you hear is the projector rolling through the film and it sounded like a Geiger counter
Fun fact: Truman called him a crybaby because “he didn’t fire the bomb, I did” (the exact quote being “never bring that fucking cretin in here again, he didn’t drop the bomb. I did”)
This is what's amazing about Nolan's films. They always have a cultural impact, where it sparks debates, discussions, and web content for years to come. Interstellar re-screen's still sell out.
So I noticed, at the Christmas party, Feynman playing the bongos, terribly. Then, when they're celebrating the Trinity test, three years later, it shows him expertly playing them.
Wow I didn't even notice Feynman in the movie at all, I think my mind was just swirling with all the "modern" giants of physics that I couldn't take them all in.
I love movies like Oppenheimer or Blackhawk Down where the cast is such a full house that you can watch it years later and go "holy crap I forgot that person was in this movie".
Correction: at 34:29, Stimson doesn't stop Kyoto from being a target "purely due to it being his and his wife's honeymoon". He mentions their honeymoon only after saying that it's a culturally significant place for the Japanese people.
When I saw Oppenheimer, I had thought of it as almost like a Shakespearean tragedy with Oppenheimer himself. Makes even more sense considering Kenneth Branagh worked on many Shakespeare adaptations
Oppenheimer had me sweating. It was more than I could have dreamt of. I remember in the 3rd act thinking… “if I only had the score I’d still understand the entire story”. Ludwig just keeps inspiring.
I love how this movie is about how people's actions affect other people, sometimes in enormous ways...kind of like the ripple effect produced by brain rain drops.
Yeh showed how people’s actions affected everyone.. except the people MOST affected by them. You know, like the hundreds of thousands of people vaporised and mutilated by the bombs. Think they did a real disservice to this crime against humanity by not at least showing the real photos of the aftermath at the end
Exactly, not just in the political world or thru atomic weapons but even through personal relationships. Oppenheimer’s actions have ripple effects in his personal life too- his affair with Jean, his lying about Chavalier, or having his affair with his colleagues wife - his actions effected ppl in his immediate circle that it caused him to lose respect if not support
The poisonimg apple is so beautiful on so many level. The hate against arrogance of the established, the boldness of youth, from the destruction of Eden to saving humanity and just the emotional shift to science that leaves all these worries behind and gives Oppie direction, instantly discarding this moment of chance that could have destroyed his academic life to leading him down the path of sacrifice of his character for a greater good that spans not a generation but ultimately again humanity, whole accepting his role in the turmoil that is progress and the futility of sacrificing his soul for a none deserving world.
Although I appreciate what actors do to prepare and get ready to be in a movie, Cillian eating ONE almond a day to look gaunt like Oppenheimer is a good way to do damage to your heart etc. he so deserves every award he gets for his performance. Well done. Love all these documentaries and interviews about the movie and Oppenheimer
Also, a point to mention with the stomping. There is cheering and screaming in applause but the screaming turns more chilling. I subtle feeling that the screaming is one of horror and terror. Especially after Oppenheimer leaves the building. He did see a woman's face melt off too, so it's pretty obvious I guess 😅
When Oppenheimer was in the interview with the two generals that was secretly recorded they could of thought Jean was the secret informant and we know he would go to extreme methods to get rid of these informants such as killing her and making it look like suicide. That could explain the gloved hand and the fact that it’s just a theory in real life and nobody knows if she killed herslef or if it was a coverup would explain why they didn’t explain the scene with the gloved hand pushing her in
It’s a nod to the belief that a US operative killed her because she was a member of the communist party and a potential conduit through which information related to the Manhattan Project could flow. Jean’s brother purported this conspiracy publicly.
The Mr Sunday Movies reference was so fantastic. My brain cramped for a second when I heard the beginning of the joke because it couldn’t reconcile that I was hearing something that I hear elsewhere 😂 hilarious
The ripples in water also represent the quantum model of atoms - instead of electrons being being discrete particles orbiting the nucleus, they are instead probability waves. I think the probability waves also tie into the probability aspect of the atmosphere catching on fire during the test, and the probability aspect of if the world will end in the future due to Hydrogen bombs
I grew up in Whittier, California which is where many of the scientists that worked on Project Manhattan settled after the war. I met one of these scientists. Like Oppenheimer, they all felt an obligation toward humanity after the project wrapped. But, before the first detonation at Trinity, they honestly didn’t even know if this theory would even work. This scientist swore that the entire team was so enthralled about IF it was possible that none of them ever even considered the implications of what if they were correct. He talked to me about how the night after the test, and remember that the actual detonation was hundreds of times bigger than they had even projected it would be, so it was utterly shocking to everyone on the team what they had actually unleashed. It went beyond their imagination. That several of the scientists committed suicide that night. The horror of what they unleashed was simply overwhelming to them. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but, I hope this was at least mentioned in the movie. It was certainly a powerful moment for this scientist as he recounted the events from that night.
One disagreement. Strauss isn’t a symbol for Russia, but for McCarthyism. Interestingly, this ground was covered some years ago in “Good Night and Good Luck,” a biopic about Edward R. Murrow and his conflict with McCarthy himself, which was also filmed in b/w, since this was the time of b/w TV.
@@saoirsedeltufo7436 Thanks. And if you ever get the chance to track down “Good Night …,” please do. It’s AMAZING. And quite relevant considering our current times.
There are two fascinating things about the movie that often go unnoticed. Leo Szilard got it right when he said not to use the bomb. If the world didn’t know, they wouldn’t waste money chasing an unachievable weapon. Also, the Trinity bomb had holes covered with masking tape, but it wasn’t, the covering was Tampax. I think this should be mentioned.
What an amazing movie, I don't even know what to say really but it there is an awe to it, the ending is perfect as well just "I believe we did" as the last line so perfect couple that with the score, lost for words beyond that, movies like this don't come around often but I am incredibly glad they do.
Agreed. My biggest worry was how to fit the story to a public that has no idea what to expect and still be given a hero that ultimately touches you and you root for even though his surivial against the wheels politics is a cynical reality check.
Happy to say I caught on the first viewing how Oppenheimer’s starting with one student and then rapidly expanding with no signs of stopping reflected the nature of a nuclear reaction. And I was like “yay I’m a smart moviegoer”
17:13 you say Oppie can speak other languages, the subtitles say ''Oppenheimer can speak fluent German". He was lecturing in Dutch at that point in the movie. And even funnier it was complete gibberish. Nolan talked about omitting various technical words that would've been too hard to memorise and Cillian Murphy phonetically spoke the rest, which just resulted in absolute nonsense words. But I guess for anyone that doesn't know Dutch it sounded 'foreign enough'. 😆
Do you happen to know how much "nonsense" it actually was? Was it the equivalent of someone "speaking Spanish" and then saying "Amigo gracias enchillada torta blanco"??
there were no discernible words. If you've ever seen that video of 'What English sounds to non-native speakers'. It was like that, similar to Simlish.@@Mike__B
I've still only seen this movie once--in IMAX--but even having seen it ~ 5 months ago, im convinced this is one of the best movies ever made (even if it's not my favorite of the decade to date or even this year).
Thank you for adding Green Trivia to the video 😉 it’s like I’m watching the multiverse of RUclipsrs or something when you guys reference each other. You should’ve tossed in the guy screaming from Swamp Thing too. Or a coconut with googly eyes for my guy Charl
39:46 I wouldn’t call the decision murder. As it was argued in the film, and through rough estimates, dropping the bombs saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
I appreciate your analysis, but your understanding of Strauss is not accurate. When he corrected Oppenheimer's pronunciation of his name, he was not denying his Jewish heritage. He said that "Strawz" was the southern pronunciation ( he was born in West Virginia). He was a devout Jew. He introduces himself to Oppenheimer as the president of a synagogue in Manhattan. Oppenheimer is the one who was not devout. And Strauss was a self-made millionaire, an investment banker, who was a financial benefactor to many scientists. Also, there is a crucial scene that everyone seems to be missing. Oppenheimer gives a speech to members of the Rand Corporation, at which he states his belief that the US government should publicly reveal the contents of its nuclear arsenal. He thinks that the Soviets will voluntarily limit their own nuclear arsenal to coincide with the number of weapons in the US arsenal. He assumed that both countries would prioritize peace over war and profits ( which was naive). The audience for that speech included Strauss (as head of the AEC, which Oppenheimer was speaking on behalf of), along with members of the military and government. Look up the Rand Corporation if you are unfamiliar with it. It was the wrong crowd for Oppenheimer to have suggested this to, and it put Strauss in a position of having to do damage control for the AEC. This was Oppenheimer's fatal mistake, and it was Strauss' main motivation for having his security clearance revoked permanently.
So glad they re-released it for IMAX a few weeks ago because i missed it the first time around. To 100% appreciate the film i needed to experience it in theaters.
In many ways the Avengers could be seen as a reflection of the Manhattan Project. Groves being Fury and the fissile materials being the Infinity Stones.
Someone you missed is the fact that at the 1 hour mark, the movie transitions to his time at Los Alamos, and then at the 2 hour mark, the movie moves to his time after Los Alamos. The movie slipts into three parts perfectly. Each one, in my opinion, having its own three act structure.
12:57 love the video but this I gotta correct, since it probably is the inverse of what was actually the case. Strauss was an observant Jew, and active in the Jewish community, being President of the largest Reform synagogue in New York, sat on the board of the American Jewish Committee, and worked in several organisations that supported Jewish settlers in Palestine prior to the Holocaust. He was also proudly a (Southern) American, which is why he insisted on his name being pronounced like ‘Straws’ instead of the German pronunciation Oppenheimer defaults to. It was Oppenheimer who was a thoroughly secular Jew, having been raised by affluent, assimilationist, non-observant parents who were ethical humanists. If anything it was Strauss who might have cause to resent Oppenheimer for being insufficiently Jewish despite his heritage, rather than the other way around
You do such amazing work with these videos! I know you must have to do a ton of research to make them! Is there any way you could do one on "The Good Shepard"!? It's an amazing spy movie and I think it would great if you explained it!
26:23 Edward Teller is father of the much more powerful fusion Hydrogen Bomb, unleashing a force that is 1,000 times greater than the fission predecessor.
I found it boring to start with as I found it hard to follow at times and the heavy use of music throughout a bit jarring. But I appreciated it a lot more on my second watch as I understood it in more depth second time around. Your breakdown has revealed a lot more depth to it that I missed so I look forward to watching it again. Good work.
I'm glad Christopher Nolan finally got his due award-wise. He's been one of the most significant directors of our time and his movies are constantly being analyzed and are subject of much debate. Not sure his awarding of best director and picture were all due to this one film, or something like "Return of the King" getting all kinds of awards, where it was really cumulative for the entire LOTR trilogy. Christopher Nolan obviously saw great things in Cillian Murphy that he kept putting him in his films until he was cast in the right part to truly encapsulate his talent as an actor.
LMAO as soon as I started to hear Star Wars all I could think about was "blue harvest", so I started chuckled due to Mr Sunday Movies, and then full on laughed out loud when you called him out!
23:50 Fun fact. Nazi Germany and Russia were actually allies early on. Together they invaded Poland, and later Finland. However, only because Hitler back-stabbed the Soviets, lifted their peace terms by surprise invading the Soviets, did the Soviets made an about-face from the pact and teamed up with the Allied Forces to fight Germany.
11:49 Picasso's works was featured for several reasons: His distorted paintings like the Guernica foreshadowed the ensuing death & destruction of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima & Nagasaki. The Spanish artist's fame coincided with scientists gathering at Los Alamos as the Spanish communist/socialists were fighting fascist entities backed by Nazi Germany, in what was known as the Spanish Civil War. This was why many pro-Communist Americans at that time, disillusioned in the aftermath of the Great Depression of 1929, were supporting the plight of the Spanish communists/socialist workers in the 30's in face of fascist ruling party. One of Picasso's most famous works (Guernica) depicted the violence of war, as the Northern Spanish town of Guernica was actually bombed by Nazi Germany in 1937. In the commissioned propaganda art piece, "a gored horse, a bull, screaming women, a dead baby, a dismembered soldier, and flames" all symbolized the horrors of weapons unleashed onto innocent civilians and their towns Furthermore, Oppenheimer's move to Germany from the UK marked his watershed revelatory moment where he found his stride in quantum mechanics. In theoretical quantum physics, reality was viewed from a fresh and distorted perspective, like Picasso's artwork.
Oppenheimer was not that great of a guy when you look deeper into his history. He had one thing going for him though. He was very socially intellegent and knew what buttons to push to manipulate those around him. A truly facinating individual but not one I would personally want to be involved with.
I wouldn't say he's evil, I'd actually say he's more kindhearted, but he is very ambitious and conflicted individual. I mean imagine if the goal of developing nuclear bombs were left on your hands, the sheer stress and time would fuck you up sooner or later, and then realizing "oh shit, I've created a tool to destroy our planet..."
@@Ligmaballin Never said he was Evil. He was our Monster, which makes him Good. And point of interest you might not know, Oppenheimer knew about the project before joining and actively wanted to be apart of it. I'm just pointing out that he was messed up before managing a team that developed Nukes. I understand the Movie paints him in a relatable light, but that actual history tells a different story. The man was extreemly selfish and lacked Empathy. But potato, potato.
@@TheVallin "the man was extremely selfish and lacked empathy" now this is a thing I'm kinda mixed about. I mentioned he's ambitious, which is a good thing, but he usually puts that ambition as the main priority even if he has to be an asshole, i don't think he was an asshole on a regular day though. He's like one of those mad scientists who tried to make a cure and then ended up dooming everyone, he's more focused on the work than the people around him, but i still wouldn't necessarily think of him as a bad person.
It wasn’t the Police, the song is called Russians by Sting from his album The Dream of the Blue Turtles released on 1985; The song it’s not about Oppenheimer, it’s about the Cold War and the MAD doctrine. Sting during the song rejects eastern and western leaders points of view. He wonders and hope that the Russians love their children too so the world is not set on fire by Oppenheimer’s deadly toy.
33:50 In American Prometheus, the biography heavily implied the decisions to drop the atomic bombs leaned more post-war diplomacy against the Soviets, rather than solely to end the war. A quick unconditional surrender by Japan to the US, prevented the Soviets from laying claim to the spoils. Imagine Putin today having a say in regards to Japan's defense, or being able to station their troops in Okinawa alongside the US military base? Also, 80% of Los Alamos scientists voted to demonstrate the bomb in an uninhabited area in lieu of dropping them on civilians in order to fearfully coerce a surrender. Their votes were stored in a jar, locked in the drawer of General Groves' desk. Only to be opened to reveal the voting results after the bombings.
The point of the apple scene is that Openheimer could not predict the future although he could undo the potential damage of the apple, he could not do the same with the bomb. The wormhole is time and the future.
@@heavyspoilers The biography which Nolan used to base this movie on, "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. Page 46 recounts the incident in detail. In fact, it claims he was almost expelled over the incident. His father had to intervene, and after that the only consequences he had, fortunately, was starting sessions with a therapist to prevent another similar incident from happening. Francis Fergusson, one of Oppie's friends, was the one who admitted to him confessing this incident. He had a constant flow of correspondence with Oppie, and were very close. There's an article from Cambridge University which talks into length about this possible incident. Still It is still heavily discussed if it was true or not. Nolan obviously decided to use it to both honour the main source for the movie's recount Oppenheimer's life and because it's genuinely a good metaphor and cinematographic resource.
Use my code HEAVYSPOILERS in partner.ekster.com/HeavySpoilers to get up to 55% off Ekster’s wallets
We share a birthday! I knew something seemed familiar about you. Cheers
@@nyceflix😅😅
36:20 He didn't just strip the audio to show off the visuals. No one heard the bomb go off at the moment of detonation. Everyone watched a silent bomb for the trinity test. What he showed was accurate.
Thank you
Yeah everyone was super far away
Mmhhmm, that was something I liked and pointed out to people that watched it with me; how in real life, when bombs go off you see the flash well before the sound gets to you, followed by the shock wave, unlike in the movies where it usually all happens at once. It is both accurate and a good tension building moment.
People in Hiroshima didn't recall hearing a bomb.
Yeah I don’t know where @heavyspoilers pulled that one from.
The fact is Light travels faster than sound.
An example would be how lightning is seen seconds before the thunder is heard.
I watched it with my 15 year old son, totally expecting him to be bored but he was engaged with the movie during the 3 hour runtime, and when the credits rolled he was so deep in tought, he asked for just to sit there for a bit to think. This movie touched him very deeply showing how great director Nolan really is (as if we needed more proof).
I love this !
You have a bright young man. That’s awesome.
I’m 18 and loved the film. I also like to watch old black and white movies. I hate that some of my generation don’t watch movies like these and appreciate it them.
Really appreciate all the historical photos - I'm staggered by how accurate in looks the actors were to their counterparts
thank you
In final fantasy, you can stagger enemies if they are hit by enough force. So how's about that you stooping American pr!ck
I also loved the historical photos. There are quote a few in the Oppenheimer bio, American Prometheus. I find it so fascinating.
The symbolism of the apple is incredible. Bohr says 'you can lift the stone without being ready for the snake that's revealed' while holding an apple (the stone) with poison hidden inside (the snake). But the apple is also the discovery of nuclear weapons, and the snake that's revealed is the destruction of humankind.
I especially like how in the final scene his hat is wet. Movies _never_ show that, but that's a huge reason people wore hats: They kept a light rain off your head.
Gary Oldman has now played Truman, Stalin, and Churchill.
that was Gary Oldman?? didn't even recognize him
@mischr34 yea it blew my mind
Now he just needs to play FDR
@@catsfan6984 Chairman Mao!
Never sent an actor play Harry Truman so petty.
A neat little detail I found after seeing this movie in IMAX with 70mm film, during the Trinity test and all the sound dies out, all you hear is the projector rolling through the film and it sounded like a Geiger counter
Fun fact: Truman called him a crybaby because “he didn’t fire the bomb, I did” (the exact quote being “never bring that fucking cretin in here again, he didn’t drop the bomb. I did”)
Yeah I winced when I heard that line in the movie. Dude was ice cold.
This is what's amazing about Nolan's films. They always have a cultural impact, where it sparks debates, discussions, and web content for years to come. Interstellar re-screen's still sell out.
So I noticed, at the Christmas party, Feynman playing the bongos, terribly. Then, when they're celebrating the Trinity test, three years later, it shows him expertly playing them.
Wow I didn't even notice Feynman in the movie at all, I think my mind was just swirling with all the "modern" giants of physics that I couldn't take them all in.
@@Mike__B yeah, he's played by Jack Quaid, Huey, if you watch 'The Boys'.
Great catch
I love movies like Oppenheimer or Blackhawk Down where the cast is such a full house that you can watch it years later and go "holy crap I forgot that person was in this movie".
Correction: at 34:29, Stimson doesn't stop Kyoto from being a target "purely due to it being his and his wife's honeymoon". He mentions their honeymoon only after saying that it's a culturally significant place for the Japanese people.
When I saw Oppenheimer, I had thought of it as almost like a Shakespearean tragedy with Oppenheimer himself. Makes even more sense considering Kenneth Branagh worked on many Shakespeare adaptations
These videos always give me a stronger appreciation for these movies - great breakdown of my favorite movie this year!
The Blue Harvest reference to Mr. Sunday Movies was like an early phase MCU easter egg 😂👏🏽
Oppenheimer had me sweating. It was more than I could have dreamt of. I remember in the 3rd act thinking… “if I only had the score I’d still understand the entire story”. Ludwig just keeps inspiring.
I love how this movie is about how people's actions affect other people, sometimes in enormous ways...kind of like the ripple effect produced by brain rain drops.
love that analysis of it
@@heavyspoilers thanks dude, feel free to use it if you like.
Butterfly effect in its full glory 🦋🌊🌏
Yeh showed how people’s actions affected everyone.. except the people MOST affected by them. You know, like the hundreds of thousands of people vaporised and mutilated by the bombs. Think they did a real disservice to this crime against humanity by not at least showing the real photos of the aftermath at the end
Exactly, not just in the political world or thru atomic weapons but even through personal relationships. Oppenheimer’s actions have ripple effects in his personal life too- his affair with Jean, his lying about Chavalier, or having his affair with his colleagues wife - his actions effected ppl in his immediate circle that it caused him to lose respect if not support
And then barbie gave oppie a hug and said "You are Kenough."
No, says Oppenheimer, that's not how you pronounce Kenneth Branagh
You missed the post credit scene where he said "its oppin time" and proceeded to blow up the planet
Are you from the future? the video was uploaded an hour ago for me
I wish. Might have made Oppenheimer a better movie. It was so full of stuff it didn’t need.
@@Argeaux2Oppenheimer is an amazing story/ movie what are you talking about
The poisonimg apple is so beautiful on so many level. The hate against arrogance of the established, the boldness of youth, from the destruction of Eden to saving humanity and just the emotional shift to science that leaves all these worries behind and gives Oppie direction, instantly discarding this moment of chance that could have destroyed his academic life to leading him down the path of sacrifice of his character for a greater good that spans not a generation but ultimately again humanity, whole accepting his role in the turmoil that is progress and the futility of sacrificing his soul for a none deserving world.
27:23
I was fully expecting a mention for these little mushroom cloud like window stickers.
Although I appreciate what actors do to prepare and get ready to be in a movie, Cillian eating ONE almond a day to look gaunt like Oppenheimer is a good way to do damage to your heart etc. he so deserves every award he gets for his performance. Well done. Love all these documentaries and interviews about the movie and Oppenheimer
Also, a point to mention with the stomping. There is cheering and screaming in applause but the screaming turns more chilling. I subtle feeling that the screaming is one of horror and terror. Especially after Oppenheimer leaves the building. He did see a woman's face melt off too, so it's pretty obvious I guess 😅
I never considered Strauss’s relationship with Oppenheimer to be a mirror of the East and West’s conflict over the same thing. Great observation!
It's not like that at All tho
@@mrbrex95 Oppie was naive to think Russia is not our fiend but our friend.
When Oppenheimer was in the interview with the two generals that was secretly recorded they could of thought Jean was the secret informant and we know he would go to extreme methods to get rid of these informants such as killing her and making it look like suicide. That could explain the gloved hand and the fact that it’s just a theory in real life and nobody knows if she killed herslef or if it was a coverup would explain why they didn’t explain the scene with the gloved hand pushing her in
was the gloved hand not the investigators that found her?
@@iampfaff idk from my memory it was in the scene when she was still drowning but it could of been after
It’s a nod to the belief that a US operative killed her because she was a member of the communist party and a potential conduit through which information related to the Manhattan Project could flow. Jean’s brother purported this conspiracy publicly.
Great detailing!! So much research. Can only happen when you are REALLY passionate about cinema
Don't apologize for reaching. With a movie like this, reach all you want. Just makes it that much richer.
That much _reacher,_ you mean?
I'll see myself out.
Yes! There’s so much to dissect with this film!
The Mr Sunday Movies reference was so fantastic. My brain cramped for a second when I heard the beginning of the joke because it couldn’t reconcile that I was hearing something that I hear elsewhere 😂 hilarious
The ripples in water also represent the quantum model of atoms - instead of electrons being being discrete particles orbiting the nucleus, they are instead probability waves.
I think the probability waves also tie into the probability aspect of the atmosphere catching on fire during the test, and the probability aspect of if the world will end in the future due to Hydrogen bombs
I grew up in Whittier, California which is where many of the scientists that worked on Project Manhattan settled after the war. I met one of these scientists. Like Oppenheimer, they all felt an obligation toward humanity after the project wrapped. But, before the first detonation at Trinity, they honestly didn’t even know if this theory would even work. This scientist swore that the entire team was so enthralled about IF it was possible that none of them ever even considered the implications of what if they were correct. He talked to me about how the night after the test, and remember that the actual detonation was hundreds of times bigger than they had even projected it would be, so it was utterly shocking to everyone on the team what they had actually unleashed. It went beyond their imagination. That several of the scientists committed suicide that night. The horror of what they unleashed was simply overwhelming to them. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but, I hope this was at least mentioned in the movie. It was certainly a powerful moment for this scientist as he recounted the events from that night.
Is there any link you can share that talks about the scientists who committed suicide?
No it wasn’t mentioned but you definitely felt the despair
One disagreement. Strauss isn’t a symbol for Russia, but for McCarthyism. Interestingly, this ground was covered some years ago in “Good Night and Good Luck,” a biopic about Edward R. Murrow and his conflict with McCarthy himself, which was also filmed in b/w, since this was the time of b/w TV.
Spot on. Thought that was a weird reading, especially when they get most of the analysis right
@@saoirsedeltufo7436 Thanks. And if you ever get the chance to track down “Good Night …,” please do. It’s AMAZING. And quite relevant considering our current times.
I thought the man being sick was not a metaphor but rather a scientist shocked and disgusted by the use of the bomb. Anyway, amazing video!
Could be and probably is both
Or a continuation with the previous close-ups, especially the woman’s skin melting.
I also thought of radiation sickness, vomiting. But it works both ways.
There are two fascinating things about the movie that often go unnoticed. Leo Szilard got it right when he said not to use the bomb. If the world didn’t know, they wouldn’t waste money chasing an unachievable weapon. Also, the Trinity bomb had holes covered with masking tape, but it wasn’t, the covering was Tampax. I think this should be mentioned.
What an amazing movie, I don't even know what to say really but it there is an awe to it, the ending is perfect as well just "I believe we did" as the last line so perfect couple that with the score, lost for words beyond that, movies like this don't come around often but I am incredibly glad they do.
Agreed. My biggest worry was how to fit the story to a public that has no idea what to expect and still be given a hero that ultimately touches you and you root for even though his surivial against the wheels politics is a cynical reality check.
Happy to say I caught on the first viewing how Oppenheimer’s starting with one student and then rapidly expanding with no signs of stopping reflected the nature of a nuclear reaction. And I was like “yay I’m a smart moviegoer”
28:42 a Mr Sunday Movies reference always get me to chuckle lol. Nice one
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN !!!!!!!! Cheers and thank you for making this !!!!
17:13 you say Oppie can speak other languages, the subtitles say ''Oppenheimer can speak fluent German". He was lecturing in Dutch at that point in the movie. And even funnier it was complete gibberish. Nolan talked about omitting various technical words that would've been too hard to memorise and Cillian Murphy phonetically spoke the rest, which just resulted in absolute nonsense words. But I guess for anyone that doesn't know Dutch it sounded 'foreign enough'. 😆
Do you happen to know how much "nonsense" it actually was? Was it the equivalent of someone "speaking Spanish" and then saying "Amigo gracias enchillada torta blanco"??
there were no discernible words. If you've ever seen that video of 'What English sounds to non-native speakers'. It was like that, similar to Simlish.@@Mike__B
I speak fluent German and understand spoken Dutch, but I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say when I watched the scene in the theater.
I've still only seen this movie once--in IMAX--but even having seen it ~ 5 months ago, im convinced this is one of the best movies ever made (even if it's not my favorite of the decade to date or even this year).
Thank you for adding Green Trivia to the video 😉 it’s like I’m watching the multiverse of RUclipsrs or something when you guys reference each other. You should’ve tossed in the guy screaming from Swamp Thing too. Or a coconut with googly eyes for my guy Charl
39:46 I wouldn’t call the decision murder. As it was argued in the film, and through rough estimates, dropping the bombs saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
I appreciate your analysis, but your understanding of Strauss is not accurate. When he corrected Oppenheimer's pronunciation of his name, he was not denying his Jewish heritage. He said that "Strawz" was the southern pronunciation ( he was born in West Virginia). He was a devout Jew. He introduces himself to Oppenheimer as the president of a synagogue in Manhattan. Oppenheimer is the one who was not devout. And Strauss was a self-made millionaire, an investment banker, who was a financial benefactor to many scientists.
Also, there is a crucial scene that everyone seems to be missing. Oppenheimer gives a speech to members of the Rand Corporation, at which he states his belief that the US government should publicly reveal the contents of its nuclear arsenal. He thinks that the Soviets will voluntarily limit their own nuclear arsenal to coincide with the number of weapons in the US arsenal. He assumed that both countries would prioritize peace over war and profits ( which was naive). The audience for that speech included Strauss (as head of the AEC, which Oppenheimer was speaking on behalf of), along with members of the military and government. Look up the Rand Corporation if you are unfamiliar with it. It was the wrong crowd for Oppenheimer to have suggested this to, and it put Strauss in a position of having to do damage control for the AEC. This was Oppenheimer's fatal mistake, and it was Strauss' main motivation for having his security clearance revoked permanently.
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
― Albert Einstein
Marvelous video! I get so much more out of the movie. Thanks to you.
Phenomenal breakdown paul!
The Blue Harvest joke was tops, mate
So glad they re-released it for IMAX a few weeks ago because i missed it the first time around. To 100% appreciate the film i needed to experience it in theaters.
The "chain reaction" discussion at the end was the best.
Look at Mr dapper Paul, suit and tie. Looking slick.
In many ways the Avengers could be seen as a reflection of the Manhattan Project. Groves being Fury and the fissile materials being the Infinity Stones.
Someone you missed is the fact that at the 1 hour mark, the movie transitions to his time at Los Alamos, and then at the 2 hour mark, the movie moves to his time after Los Alamos. The movie slipts into three parts perfectly. Each one, in my opinion, having its own three act structure.
“A man from hereditary runs off to do it” I spat my drink out lol they really did bring an all star cast in every role
14:43 as a Brazilian, I laugh so much at the use of one of our first memes, the Confused/ Calculating Nazaré 😂
Great overview! Now I have to spend another 3 hours rewatching the movie. I liked it but wasn’t completely sold. Now I realize I missed so much.
Love the Mr Sunday movies reference!
Thank you Paul.
12:57 love the video but this I gotta correct, since it probably is the inverse of what was actually the case. Strauss was an observant Jew, and active in the Jewish community, being President of the largest Reform synagogue in New York, sat on the board of the American Jewish Committee, and worked in several organisations that supported Jewish settlers in Palestine prior to the Holocaust. He was also proudly a (Southern) American, which is why he insisted on his name being pronounced like ‘Straws’ instead of the German pronunciation Oppenheimer defaults to.
It was Oppenheimer who was a thoroughly secular Jew, having been raised by affluent, assimilationist, non-observant parents who were ethical humanists.
If anything it was Strauss who might have cause to resent Oppenheimer for being insufficiently Jewish despite his heritage, rather than the other way around
awesome breakdown, just re-watched the movie and wow it's so good
Now I can finally watch this!!! Just saw the film a few days ago!!! THANKS for this!!!!
Outstanding, Intelligent Analysis! 👍
Thank you
You do such amazing work with these videos! I know you must have to do a ton of research to make them!
Is there any way you could do one on "The Good Shepard"!? It's an amazing spy movie and I think it would great if you explained it!
26:23 Edward Teller is father of the much more powerful fusion Hydrogen Bomb, unleashing a force that is 1,000 times greater than the fission predecessor.
Great video man! I grabbed a wallet too with your code!
Ey thank you so much
I found it boring to start with as I found it hard to follow at times and the heavy use of music throughout a bit jarring. But I appreciated it a lot more on my second watch as I understood it in more depth second time around. Your breakdown has revealed a lot more depth to it that I missed so I look forward to watching it again. Good work.
ah-ah, the Mr.Sunday Movies send off was hilarious!! XDDD
The look of the Actors are on on point, they really nailed the look of the original participants from back then.
Great breakdown 💪🏽
Oppenheimer is about a boomb. It's crazy you just made this, cuz I finally decided to watch it just before seeing this
38:45 I always interpreted the guy throwing up as someone who wasn’t buying the war propaganda and saw it for what it was, the killing of thousands.
this was excellent. can’t wait to watch again after seeing this
God damn! You've posted this video a day after I went 5th time to the theatre for this film.
I love good coincidence
Big shouts out to mr Sunday movies. One of the best channels on RUclips
Finally got to watch this last night, what a breakdown 👏
I'm glad Christopher Nolan finally got his due award-wise. He's been one of the most significant directors of our time and his movies are constantly being analyzed and are subject of much debate. Not sure his awarding of best director and picture were all due to this one film, or something like "Return of the King" getting all kinds of awards, where it was really cumulative for the entire LOTR trilogy. Christopher Nolan obviously saw great things in Cillian Murphy that he kept putting him in his films until he was cast in the right part to truly encapsulate his talent as an actor.
Hell yes! I have been waiting for this!
Hey man great video! Love these breakdowns! Just one note, you need to bring back Definition! It’s the holidays you guys need to bury the hatchet!
Loooool I respect the commitment to this bit
I love the reply but I don’t know what you are talking about.
@@heavyspoilers
LMAO as soon as I started to hear Star Wars all I could think about was "blue harvest", so I started chuckled due to Mr Sunday Movies, and then full on laughed out loud when you called him out!
The best line:
"They were probably discussing something....more important."
Thanks for this!
23:50 Fun fact. Nazi Germany and Russia were actually allies early on. Together they invaded Poland, and later Finland. However, only because Hitler back-stabbed the Soviets, lifted their peace terms by surprise invading the Soviets, did the Soviets made an about-face from the pact and teamed up with the Allied Forces to fight Germany.
In my head cannon it’s the prequel to Godzilla
Good stuff, mate.
11:49 Picasso's works was featured for several reasons: His distorted paintings like the Guernica foreshadowed the ensuing death & destruction of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
The Spanish artist's fame coincided with scientists gathering at Los Alamos as the Spanish communist/socialists were fighting fascist entities backed by Nazi Germany, in what was known as the Spanish Civil War.
This was why many pro-Communist Americans at that time, disillusioned in the aftermath of the Great Depression of 1929, were supporting the plight of the Spanish communists/socialist workers in the 30's in face of fascist ruling party.
One of Picasso's most famous works (Guernica) depicted the violence of war, as the Northern Spanish town of Guernica was actually bombed by Nazi Germany in 1937. In the commissioned propaganda art piece, "a gored horse, a bull, screaming women, a dead baby, a dismembered soldier, and flames" all symbolized the horrors of weapons unleashed onto innocent civilians and their towns
Furthermore, Oppenheimer's move to Germany from the UK marked his watershed revelatory moment where he found his stride in quantum mechanics. In theoretical quantum physics, reality was viewed from a fresh and distorted perspective, like Picasso's artwork.
was Picasso a communist? I know he was friends with Frida and Diego, and they were both communists.
Not many know that the character Dr. Strangelove was inspired by Edward Teller. So it becomes the perfect sequel to Oppenheimer ^
Can you add time stamps to skip the sponsor part of the videos?
This is how I found out Oppenheimer was out on digital. Know my plans for this weekend then!
“Slips it in” I wonder if that description was in the original script
tu, i had to stop, subscribe, and search comments for someone else haha
Oppenheimer was not that great of a guy when you look deeper into his history. He had one thing going for him though. He was very socially intellegent and knew what buttons to push to manipulate those around him. A truly facinating individual but not one I would personally want to be involved with.
He was a crap human who got played by the US government, a "schmuck", to quote Vox.
I wouldn't say he's evil, I'd actually say he's more kindhearted, but he is very ambitious and conflicted individual. I mean imagine if the goal of developing nuclear bombs were left on your hands, the sheer stress and time would fuck you up sooner or later, and then realizing "oh shit, I've created a tool to destroy our planet..."
@@Ligmaballin Never said he was Evil. He was our Monster, which makes him Good. And point of interest you might not know, Oppenheimer knew about the project before joining and actively wanted to be apart of it. I'm just pointing out that he was messed up before managing a team that developed Nukes. I understand the Movie paints him in a relatable light, but that actual history tells a different story. The man was extreemly selfish and lacked Empathy. But potato, potato.
@@TheVallin "the man was extremely selfish and lacked empathy" now this is a thing I'm kinda mixed about. I mentioned he's ambitious, which is a good thing, but he usually puts that ambition as the main priority even if he has to be an asshole, i don't think he was an asshole on a regular day though. He's like one of those mad scientists who tried to make a cure and then ended up dooming everyone, he's more focused on the work than the people around him, but i still wouldn't necessarily think of him as a bad person.
Ah haha I never knew The Police did a song about Oppie
It wasn’t the Police, the song is called Russians by Sting from his album The Dream of the Blue Turtles released on 1985; The song it’s not about Oppenheimer, it’s about the Cold War and the MAD doctrine. Sting during the song rejects eastern and western leaders points of view. He wonders and hope that the Russians love their children too so the world is not set on fire by Oppenheimer’s deadly toy.
33:50 In American Prometheus, the biography heavily implied the decisions to drop the atomic bombs leaned more post-war diplomacy against the Soviets, rather than solely to end the war. A quick unconditional surrender by Japan to the US, prevented the Soviets from laying claim to the spoils.
Imagine Putin today having a say in regards to Japan's defense, or being able to station their troops in Okinawa alongside the US military base?
Also, 80% of Los Alamos scientists voted to demonstrate the bomb in an uninhabited area in lieu of dropping them on civilians in order to fearfully coerce a surrender. Their votes were stored in a jar, locked in the drawer of General Groves' desk. Only to be opened to reveal the voting results after the bombings.
Had no idea MatPat cameoed in Oppenheimer! @23:30
The point of the apple scene is that Openheimer could not predict the future although he could undo the potential damage of the apple, he could not do the same with the bomb. The wormhole is time and the future.
One of your best... THE best...
Great analysis
Thank you and huge thank you for being a member too, really means a lot
I like your Jurassic park catch
What they did at Los Alamos was incredible. And you can't spare five seconds to confirm the correct pronunciation of "Feyman"
43:21 As a fellow Hungarian like Teller, I can say...we can hold a grudge for a lifetime...lol. Over the smallest slight at that.
Oppenheimer almost poisoning his tutor was something he literally confessed to.
Where’s your source for this?
@@heavyspoilers
The biography which Nolan used to base this movie on, "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. Page 46 recounts the incident in detail. In fact, it claims he was almost expelled over the incident. His father had to intervene, and after that the only consequences he had, fortunately, was starting sessions with a therapist to prevent another similar incident from happening.
Francis Fergusson, one of Oppie's friends, was the one who admitted to him confessing this incident. He had a constant flow of correspondence with Oppie, and were very close. There's an article from Cambridge University which talks into length about this possible incident.
Still
It is still heavily discussed if it was true or not.
Nolan obviously decided to use it to both honour the main source for the movie's recount Oppenheimer's life and because it's genuinely a good metaphor and cinematographic resource.
awesome!!
Happy belated birthday!