Film Reviews:

APRIL 2024:

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Screenplay by Christopher Nolan, Based on "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird, and Martin J. Sherwin, Produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan, Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, with Cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema, and Edited by Jennifer Lame, with Music by Ludwig Göransson, Production companies: Syncopy Inc., and Atlas Entertainment, Distributed by Universal Pictures (2023)
Oppenheimer (2023)

**American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin**

Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin‘s American Prometheus stands as a towering achievement in the realm of biographical literature, offering readers a nuanced and comprehensive portrait of one of the 20th century‘s most complex and enigmatic figures: J. Robert Oppenheimer. Published in 2005, this magisterial biography delves deep into the life and legacy of the brilliant theoretical physicist who spearheaded the Manhattan Project during World War II, laying bare the moral dilemmas, personal struggles, and political controversies that defined Oppenheimer’s tumultuous journey from scientific prodigy to tragic figure.

Kai Bird attends as Universal Pictures presents an OPPENHEIMER Trinity Anniversary Special Screening at the Whitby Hotel on July 15, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images For Universal Pictures
Martin Jay Sherwin (July 2, 1937 – October 6, 2021) was an American historian. His scholarship mostly concerned the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. He served on the faculty at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California, Berkeley, and as the Walter S. Dickson Professor of English and American History at Tufts University, where he founded the Nuclear Age History and Humanities Center. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
The book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is seen on display March 5, 2024 at a bookstore in Los Angeles. Kai Bird has just returned from the Jaipur literature festival, where he signed countless copies of his two-decade-old book for hundreds of young Indians who all watched the film "Oppenheimer." "American Prometheus," Bird's Pulitzer-winning biography of the father of the atomic bomb, was the basis for the $1 billion-grossing global smash hit movie that is tipped to dominate the Oscars on March 10. Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
J. Robert Oppenheimer (born Julius Robert Oppenheimer; /ˈɒpənhaɪmər/ OP-ən-hy-mər; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. He was director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II and is often called the "father of the atomic bomb". Born in New York City, Oppenheimer earned a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Harvard University in 1925 and a doctorate in physics from the University of Göttingen in Germany in 1927, where he studied under Max Born. After research at other institutions, he joined the physics department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he became a full professor in 1936. He made significant contributions to theoretical physics, including achievements in quantum mechanics and nuclear physics such as the Born–Oppenheimer approximation for molecular wave functions, work on the theory of electrons and positrons, the Oppenheimer–Phillips process in nuclear fusion, and early work on quantum tunneling. With his students, he also made contributions to the theory of neutron stars and black holes, quantum field theory, and the interactions of cosmic rays. In 1942, Oppenheimer was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, and in 1943 he was appointed director of the project's Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, tasked with developing the first nuclear weapons. His leadership and scientific expertise were instrumental in the project's success. On July 16, 1945, he was present at the first test of the atomic bomb, Trinity. In August 1945, the weapons were used against Japan in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. In 1947, Oppenheimer became the director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and chaired the influential General Advisory Committee of the newly created U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. He lobbied for international control of nuclear power to avert nuclear proliferation and a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. He opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb during a 1949–1950 governmental debate on the question and subsequently took positions on defense-related issues that provoked the ire of some U.S. government and military factions. During the second Red Scare, Oppenheimer's stances, together with his past associations with the Communist Party USA, led to the revocation of his security clearance, following a 1954 security hearing. This effectively ended his access to the government's atomic secrets and his career as a nuclear physicist. Although stripped of his direct political influence, Oppenheimer nevertheless continued to lecture, write, and work in physics. In 1963, as a gesture of political rehabilitation, he was given the Enrico Fermi Award. He died four years later, of throat cancer. In 2022, the federal government vacated the 1954 revocation of his security clearance. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
J. Robert Oppenheimer in his office at the Institute for Advanced Study. Photo Credit: Google Images
General Leslie Groves (left) and J. Robert Oppenheimer, key figures in the development of the first atomic bomb, 1945. Photo Credit: Marie Hansen/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
German planes fly over Poland, Sept. 1939. Photo Credit: Defense.gov
J. Robert Oppenheimer (born Julius Robert Oppenheimer; /ˈɒpənhaɪmər/ OP-ən-hy-mər; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. He was director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II and is often called the "father of the atomic bomb". Photo Credit: Associated Press
Jean Frances Tatlock (February 21, 1914 – January 4, 1944) was an American psychiatrist. She was a member of the Communist Party USA and was a reporter and writer for the party's publication Western Worker. She is also known for her romantic relationship with J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. The daughter of John Strong Perry Tatlock, a prominent Old English philologist and an expert on Geoffrey Chaucer, Tatlock was a graduate of Vassar College and the Stanford Medical School, where she studied to become a psychiatrist. Tatlock began seeing Oppenheimer in 1936, when she was a graduate student at Stanford and Oppenheimer was a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. As a result of their relationship and her membership of the Communist Party, she was placed under surveillance by the FBI and her phone was tapped. Tatlock experienced clinical depression, and died by suicide on January 4, 1944. Photo Credit: Google Images
Katherine Oppenheimer, wife of famed physicist who holds a degree in mycology, tending some rare plants in their greenhouse as husband Robert & kids Peter & Toni look on, at home. Photo Credit: LIFE
Learn how fear of Communism led to unreasoning paranoia and ruined innocent people's lives in this clip from The Bomb. Robert Oppenheimer, who masterminded the creation of the bomb, had been hailed as a genius and American hero whose work helped end the war and save thousands of lives. But Oppenheimer was haunted by the terrible legacy of the bomb, and hoped to eliminate nuclear weapons. By opposing a crash program to build a hydrogen bomb, he had made powerful enemies. As the fear of Communism spread, his enemies set out to punish Robert Oppenheimer and they won. Watch how the "The Father of the Atomic Bomb," was stripped of his positions relating to atomic energy and policy. Photo Credit: PBS
J. Robert Oppenheimer, testifying at his 1954 Security Hearing. Photo Credit: Associated Press

At its heart, American Prometheus is a study in contradictions, painting a portrait of a man whose intellect was matched only by his capacity for self-doubt and moral introspection. From Oppenheimer’s formative years as a precocious child growing up in New York City to his meteoric rise to prominence as the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, Bird and Sherwin leave no stone unturned in their quest to unravel the complexities of Oppenheimer’s character. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, personal correspondence, and interviews with friends and colleagues, the authors weave a rich tapestry of narrative that illuminates the inner workings of Oppenheimer’s mind with remarkable clarity and insight.

The book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is seen on display March 5, 2024 at a bookstore in Los Angeles. Kai Bird has just returned from the Jaipur literature festival, where he signed countless copies of his two-decade-old book for hundreds of young Indians who all watched the film "Oppenheimer." "American Prometheus," Bird's Pulitzer-winning biography of the father of the atomic bomb, was the basis for the $1 billion-grossing global smash hit movie that is tipped to dominate the Oscars on March 10. Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer Holding Glasses Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its meticulous attention to detail, as Bird and Sherwin painstakingly reconstruct the intellectual ferment of the early 20th century in which Oppenheimer came of age. From his days as a young prodigy at Harvard and Cambridge to his groundbreaking work in quantum mechanics and theoretical physics, the authors offer readers a front-row seat to the intellectual ferment that shaped Oppenheimer’s worldview and set the stage for his later achievements.

Left: Oppenheimer’s 1925 Harvard University graduation photo. Right: Standing Hall, the Freshman dormitories at Harvard where Robert lived for a period. Photo Credit: Google Images
(© AIP Visual Archives) Photograph taken in front of the physics laboratory during Dirac's visit to Leiden in July 1927. I am indebted to Alexei Kojevnikov for the identification of Lev Solomonovich Polak, and to Jos Engelen & Louk Lapikás for correcting me on Woltjer (Jan, not his brother Herman). Three other persons remain unidentified. Does anyone know who they are? Update (October 2023): Further detective work by Engelen and Lapikás, aided by the Casimir and Kramers families, has identified the three unknowns: one student of Ehrenfest (Roelf Krans), one student of Kramers (Henk Govers), and a student from Amsterdam (Josephus Spier). Govers recalls the visit of Oppenheimer in a 2001 interview.

But American Prometheus is far more than a mere chronicle of scientific discovery; it is also a deeply human story of ambition, hubris, and moral reckoning. As Oppenheimer grapples with the ethical implications of his work on the atomic bomb and confronts the consequences of his Faustian bargain, Bird and Sherwin delve into the depths of his psyche with unparalleled empathy and insight. Through their vivid prose and penetrating analysis, readers come to understand the inner turmoil and existential anguish that plagued Oppenheimer throughout his life, from his early struggles with depression and self-doubt to his later battles with political persecution and personal demons.

"American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the book on which Christopher Nolan's film "Oppenheimer" is based, is displayed for sale at the Cinemateca Uruguaya cinematheque box office in Montevideo, on August 3, 2023. "We have bombshell news!": this is how Cinemateca Uruguaya announced the premiere of "Oppenheimer" in 35mm, an event in film-loving Uruguay, one of only four countries in Latin America where it can be seen in this format. Cinemateca Uruguaya, a private institution that assiduously shows its film collection, has the means to exhibit the film in 35mm, a medium that respects the original work much more than digital. Photo by Ignacio Sanchez Mello/AFP via Getty Images
J. Robert Oppenheimer (left) and Gen. Leslie R. Groves examining the remains of a steel tower at the Trinity test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico, September 1945. Photo Credit: Britannica
Oppenheimer (left), Groves (center) and the then-president of UCB Robert G. Sproul at a ceremony presenting the Los Alamos Laboratory with the Army-Navy “E” Award in October 1945. Photo Credit: Google Images
Left: Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and Oppenheimer in 1950. Photo: Life Magazine. Right: Oppenheimer with John von Neumann (1903–1957) standing in front of the IAS computer mainframe Photo: Alan Richards
Oppenheimer’s decision to participate in the creation of a genocidal weapon was a Faustian bargain if there ever was one [...] And of course we’re still living with it [...]. And like Faust, Robert Oppenheimer tried to renegotiate the bargain — and was cut down for doing so. He had led the effort to unleash the power of the atom, but when he sought to warn his countrymen of its dangers, to constrain America’s reliance on nuclear weapons, the government questioned his loyalty and put him on trial. — Freeman Dyson in The Day After Trinity: J. Robert Oppenheimer & the atomic bomb by Jon Else (1980) Tragically, Oppenheimer’s associate Edward Teller chose to testify on behalf of the government at the hearing, to the dismay of most of their mutual colleagues in the scientific community: In a great number of cases, I have seen Dr. Oppenheimer act, I understand that Dr. Oppenheimer acted, in a way which was for me was exceedingly hard to understand. I thoroughly disagreed with him in numerous issues and his actions frankly appeared to me confused and complicated. To this extent I feel that I would like to see the vital interests of this country in hands which I understand better, and therefore trust more. In this very limited sense I would like to express a feeling that I would feel personally more secure if public matters would rest in other hands. — Edward Teller, testimony
J. Robert Oppenheimer (born Julius Robert Oppenheimer; /ˈɒpənhaɪmər/ OP-ən-hy-mər; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. He was director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II and is often called the "father of the atomic bomb". Born in New York City, Oppenheimer earned a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Harvard University in 1925 and a doctorate in physics from the University of Göttingen in Germany in 1927, where he studied under Max Born. After research at other institutions, he joined the physics department at the University of California, Berkeley, where he became a full professor in 1936. He made significant contributions to theoretical physics, including achievements in quantum mechanics and nuclear physics such as the Born–Oppenheimer approximation for molecular wave functions, work on the theory of electrons and positrons, the Oppenheimer–Phillips process in nuclear fusion, and early work on quantum tunneling. With his students, he also made contributions to the theory of neutron stars and black holes, quantum field theory, and the interactions of cosmic rays. In 1942, Oppenheimer was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, and in 1943 he was appointed director of the project's Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, tasked with developing the first nuclear weapons. His leadership and scientific expertise were instrumental in the project's success. On July 16, 1945, he was present at the first test of the atomic bomb, Trinity. In August 1945, the weapons were used against Japan in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. In 1947, Oppenheimer became the director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and chaired the influential General Advisory Committee of the newly created U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. He lobbied for international control of nuclear power to avert nuclear proliferation and a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. He opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb during a 1949–1950 governmental debate on the question and subsequently took positions on defense-related issues that provoked the ire of some U.S. government and military factions. During the second Red Scare, Oppenheimer's stances, together with his past associations with the Communist Party USA, led to the revocation of his security clearance, following a 1954 security hearing. This effectively ended his access to the government's atomic secrets and his career as a nuclear physicist. Although stripped of his direct political influence, Oppenheimer nevertheless continued to lecture, write, and work in physics. In 1963, as a gesture of political rehabilitation, he was given the Enrico Fermi Award. He died four years later, of throat cancer. In 2022, the federal government vacated the 1954 revocation of his security clearance. Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Indeed, it is in their portrayal of Oppenheimer’s fall from grace during the McCarthy era that Bird and Sherwin’s narrative truly shines. As Oppenheimer finds himself ensnared in the web of Cold War paranoia and McCarthyite hysteria, the authors offer a searing indictment of the political forces that sought to destroy him. Through their meticulous reconstruction of Oppenheimer’s infamous security hearing in 1954, Bird and Sherwin lay bare the hypocrisy and injustice of a nation gripped by fear and intolerance, reminding readers of the dangers of sacrificing civil liberties in the name of national security.

J. Robert Oppenheimer, testifying at his 1954 Security Hearing. Photo Credit: Associated Press
/ Attorney H. Maass, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, talks to reporters on April 13, 1954, prior to the hearings: "I hope and think he will be cleared." Photo Credit: Associated Press

In the end, American Prometheus is a triumph of biographical scholarship, a tour de force of narrative storytelling that brings to life the complex and contradictory figure of J. Robert Oppenheimer with unparalleled depth and nuance. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin have crafted a work of enduring significance, one that sheds new light on the moral complexities of the atomic age and challenges readers to confront the ethical dilemmas that continue to shape our world today.

The book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is seen on display March 5, 2024 at a bookstore in Los Angeles. Kai Bird has just returned from the Jaipur literature festival, where he signed countless copies of his two-decade-old book for hundreds of young Indians who all watched the film "Oppenheimer." "American Prometheus," Bird's Pulitzer-winning biography of the father of the atomic bomb, was the basis for the $1 billion-grossing global smash hit movie that is tipped to dominate the Oscars on March 10. Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

American Prometheus is a masterpiece of biographical literature, a must-read for anyone interested in the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin have done justice to their subject with a work that is both comprehensive in scope and intimate in detail, offering readers a gripping portrait of a man whose brilliance illuminated the darkest corners of the human soul. As we reflect on Oppenheimer’s journey from scientific prodigy to tragic figure, we are reminded of the enduring power of the human spirit to triumph over adversity and to wrestle with the moral complexities of our age. American Prometheus is more than a biography; it is a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the mysteries of the human condition and to inspire readers to grapple with the timeless questions that define our shared humanity.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Screenplay by Christopher Nolan, Based on "American Prometheus" by Kai Bird, and Martin J. Sherwin, Produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan, Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, with Cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema, and Edited by Jennifer Lame, with Music by Ludwig Göransson, Production companies: Syncopy Inc., and Atlas Entertainment, Distributed by Universal Pictures (2023)

Oppenheimer is available now on Peacock…

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