“What it means to be a patriot”: Historian Who Co-authored Inspiration Behind ‘Oppenheimer’ Calls Christopher Nolan Movie a “Stunning artistic achievement”
Christopher Nolan has set the bar high with his latest film, Oppenheimer, which arrives this summer. In April this year, some glimpses of the film were shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and since then, it has raised the viewers’ expectations. One of the most prominent personalities to praise the upcoming film was Kai Bird, the co-author of the 2005 book from which Oppenheimer draws inspiration. The film is focused on theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who helped bring about the atomic bomb.
Also, read- Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ Becomes His First R-rated Movie in 20 Years Since Al Pacino’s ‘Insomnia.’
Everything To Know About Christopher Nolan’s Ambitious Biopic
Christopher Nolan‘s highly anticipated film, Oppenheimer, is based on the Pulitzer-winning American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, written by the late Martin J. Sherwin and co-authored by Kai Bird. The film’s screenplay is adapted from the same book, which serves as a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist who led the Manhattan Project in creating the atomic bomb.
The film has actor Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer in the lead role, and the other cast members are Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh. Oppenheimer is slated to make its theatrical debut on July 21 from Universal Pictures. Starring Cillian Murphy as its titular protagonist, Oppenheimer is Nolan’s first movie since parting ways with Warner Bros. The film’s release will cut short Tom Cruise starrer Dead Reckoning Part One‘s IMAX run, and the actor was utterly irritated with the news.
Christopher Nolan said that the film is both a dream and a nightmare. With respect to atomic bomb creator, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan said at CinemaCon, “Like it or not, J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived,” “He made the world we live in, for better or for worse.” Christopher Nolan’s other significant works are The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet.
What Does Oppenheimer Biographer Have To Say About The Upcoming Movie?
Christopher Nolan’s eagerly awaited biopic, Oppenheimer, is one of the most ambitious projects of the year, and the excitement has grown manifold times after the trailer launch. Nolan’s Oppenheimer is inspired by a 2005 book co-authored by Kai Bird, who recently happens to share his thoughts about the upcoming film.
Historian Kai Bird revealed during a recent conversation with David Nirenberg at Leon Levy Center for Biography in New York that he has high hopes from the movie. Bird said,
“I am, at the moment, stunned and emotionally recovering from having seen it,”
He added,
“I think it is going to be a stunning artistic achievement, and I have hopes it will actually stimulate a national, even global conversation about the issues that Oppenheimer was desperate to speak out about — about how to live in the atomic age, how to live with the bomb and about McCarthyism — what it means to be a patriot, and what is the role for a scientist in a society drenched with technology and science, to speak out about public issues.”
Source: Variety
