From the release of Oppenheimer on July 21, it was a long awaited film to see. Oppenheimer is apart of one of the most known historical events that occurred and impacted the future of how a weapon of mass destruction could be used. J. Robert Oppenheimer is known as one of the greatest physicists to be known and especially for his work to create the atomic bomb for the "Manhattan Project" during World War II. The federal government in doing this to create this type of energy by studying matter and certain elements so they can be faster than the Axis powers to beat them for creating this and he did succeed. However, in the movie there were many specific events that were questionable. During the duration of the film, Oppenheimer showed that he had a close friendship with Albert Einstein and even asked for advice. I wondered if they actually had a relationship, in which they were real life friends. From the looks of it, they were actually not friends. They knew of eachother and were in the same circles as both being great minds of science. However, many historians claimed that they would later become friends much after the Manhattan Project not until the late 1960's. This proves otherwise that Oppenheimer and Einstein later in life, when he would go on trial for trying to clear his name, is when they would actually talk and become close in life.
Another major event shown in the movie is where he is seen having an affair. I wondered if it was real and how it had such a profound impact on a part of his life and in his work on the Manhattan Project. When first meeting at a fundraising party, he was automatically intrigued by Jean Tatlock who was a psychiatry student at Stanford Medical School. In the movie, it is seen that through the years of 1936 to 1941 they shared an affair that was not only intimate but one that they shared ideas of what his thoughts were on his work or certain affairs of the time, such as differing views in politics. This would ultimately be brought to his wife's attention, Katherine (Kitty) Oppenheimer during his security clearance from the FBI and the interview brought to it to the attention of his wife and ultimately he had to come clean to declare himself away from the communist views and if he had any involvement. None the less, it was true about the affair and how much he did love her and she was not looking for marriage, so Oppenheimer moved on to marry his wife. Ultimately, Jean committed suicide after losing her battle to depression, yet she left an impression on his life and the work he was doing more than we may realize and seeing as she was shown throughout the movie, it surprised me as how much of this turned out to be true.
As I learned and debunked the personal facts of Oppenheimer's life there were others I found interesting during the movie involving his work and the aftermath of the project. I wondered about how many people actually were deceased from the atom bomb and if there was an actual number because in the movie it was such a hard subject for Oppenheimer to discuss and think about as how he felt so much guilt over killing innocent people. After research, many still do not have definitive number on just how many deaths they had after it was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. It is between 100,000-200,000 estimated. Yet, many still believe there are unprecedented fatalities that were not entered into this number. Hence, during the movie in the wake of after the detonation which is why Oppenheimer felt so much guilt about it and it did haunt him. To even see how the first initial testing of the bomb had a powerful effect on the people living around the laboratory in New Mexico and had rapid increase of infant deaths and for many decades after people had lingering health issues from this. Showing just how much even officials and scientists were more focused on ending war without realizing the damage they were doing to the people right here and still had much to learn about the effects of the atom bomb.
Lastly, the part of where Oppenheimer is put on trial is indeed very true. As we saw throughout the movie, his feud with Lewis Strauss expanded farther even into making Oppenheimer go on trial to test his loyalty and allegiance to America and its safety. Seeing as some of his fellow colleagues alerted many to think that he too was involved or somehow delivering classified information to the enemy country of the time. Trial held by the Atomic Energy Commission to prove his loyalty and validity to the United States and if he was or not a security risk. Upon the hearing that was held on April 12,1954, and it was a a very difficult and one that went into depth to search and scrutinize his life. As well, as to prove if certain of his affiliates that were or supported the communist party or if his handling of confidential information was correct? After almost a month worth of interrogations finally ending on May 27, included even from Katherine; his wife, and resurfacing many past discretions such as his affair and associates from his college days, they determined that he was indeed true to being apart of America and discretionary with sensitive information and dealings during his time of the Manhattan project and other events. However, they did not choose to continue with his security clearance as still his activities having to deal with people known or close to communist party was alarming and made it questionable. It was concluded it was too much liablility and left doubt, that could possibly see him as a security risk and they did not reinstate his security clearance. This then led to an uproar across the scientific field as members from both the laboratories, such as the Los Alamos, trying to negate the decision and calling for a protest over the decision. Thus in the end, years later, many agree that Oppenheimer was not given a fair or logical trial and that he should have not been put through that. Through the film and through reading about his accomplishments we can all agree Robert J. Oppenheimer was truly a visionary and changed the world and helped save it as we know it with his brilliant mind, scientific work that still have impacted our lives til' this day.
Oppenheimer is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning book upon which the film is primarily based, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin,
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