Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimercontinues to sell out movie theaters across the world, as the global imagination is captured by the story ofJ. Robert Oppenheimerand his involvement in the first atomic bomb while running the Manhattan Project during World War II.The film has been met with wide critical acclaimfor its visuals, its performances, its scope and ambition and, crucially, its screenplay.
Nolan’s screenplay has been hailed by a number of stars in the film, includingMatt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.and leading manCillian Murphyasone of the best they’ve ever read, and it’s easy to understand why when you experience the film for yourself. Written in two distinct ways—all scenes where Oppenheimer is the main character, the script is written from his own point of view, in the first person, while scenes written from the perspective of Downey’sLewis Straussare in the third person. On screen, this manifests itself as the film showingthe rest of the world in black-and-white with Strauss, while Oppenheimer is in screaming colour.
The film is based onKai BirdandMartin J. Sherwin’sAmerican Prometheus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book which tells the definitive life story of Oppenheimer and his involvement in the Manhattan Project. Nolan was gifted the book byRobert Pattinsonat the conclusion of filming on thedirector’s previous project,Tenet, in which Oppenheimer’s work on the Manhattan Project and the Trinity Test—in particular, the theory that the chain reaction could result in an apocalyptic explosion that would engulf the atmosphere—is referenced midway through the film.
Remaining Faithful
In an introduction to the screenplay, written by Bird himself, the author commends Nolan’s adeptness at navigating an exceptionally intricate life narrative and skillfully transforming it into “visual art that remains true to both the historical account and the individual himself”, adding that he was ““struck by how faithful it was to the book, capturing what was always most important to Sherwin: the paradoxes at the heart of Oppenheimer’s character and the intimate details that dovetailed with enormous plate shifts of world history.”
Nolan’s complete script forOppenheimeris available to purchase now, although you may be waiting some time to actually receive your delivery. In the meantime, head down to your local multiplex, theater or IMAX to see the film for yourself and find out what all the fuss is about. You can see our interview with the director about his work on the movie down below.
