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Oppenheimer was no Superhero: The latest Oppenheimer movie is yet another tiresome replay of the same old liberal fairy tales of the Cold War.
American Thinker ^ | 07/22/2023 | Frank Friday

Posted on 07/22/2023 8:42:48 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Hollywood really does seem to be running out of new ideas. British big-budget director Christopher Nolan had his successes a few years ago with yet another round of Batman movies, but his expensive, visually lavish, films have otherwise not drawn large audiences.

His new release, about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who helped build the first atomic bombs, seems very much just another thin remake of a story long told.  It is based on a 17-year-old book, American Prometheus, that was itself started way back in 1980. The late Cold War era featured miniseriesmovies, documentaries, and plays all about the gang at Los Alamos., Although we have learned quite a bit more about the real Oppenheimer and the atomic spies, thanks to the opening of  Kremlin files with the fall of the Soviet Union, Hollywood and the establishment media won’t go anywhere near any of that.

Instead, they are stuck in a late 1970s redux, where the Manhattan Project is a kind of X-Men comic adventure. Oppenheimer, the wise, sensitive leader, is Professor X, of course. A man learned in advanced physics and the Bhagavad Gita, so he can say cool things like “I am become death, destroyer of worlds” when a plutonium bomb explodes. He leads a band of genius scientists, harnessing forces too powerful for ordinary men to understand, and is beset by reactionary right wingers, who would misuse his discoveries. Especially those who did not understand the atomic bomb was only meant to stop Hitler and must not lead to America becoming too powerful and doing dangerous stuff, like, insisting on democracy for Eastern Europe and Russia after the war. That’s the basic story Hollywood keeps retelling.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: History; Society; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: atomicbomb; film; hollywood; manhattanproject; movies; oppenheimer
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To: nuke_road_warrior

[Groves chose Oppenheimer because he needed a scientist to be the scientific director, because the science team wouldn’t accept an Army General, as their director. Oppenheimer was chosen because he was amenable to following Grove’s dictates as long as Germany and Hitler were the target. Groves was aware of Oppenheimer’s security problems but felt he could control his movement and actions with Army security personnel. When Germany was defeated before the bombs were ready, Oppenheimer led a group of scientists that petitioned Groves to do a demonstration test somewhere in the Pacific and invite Japanese observers to watch. Groves about lost it, no way he was going to breach security and inform the Japanese about the atomic bomb.

Oppenheimer’s star started to fade at that point, although the public regarded him as a hero for ending the war. It all came to a head when the Soviets developed their own bomb and Teller pushed for an H-bomb as a counter. Oppenheimer actively opposed the H-bomb and his fate was sealed.]


Did you read the autobiography of the guy (Sam Cohen) who got the neutron bomb operational? When Dubya dismantled the stock of neutron bombs, he changed the title of his book to F*** you, Mr President.


21 posted on 07/23/2023 1:48:18 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room)
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To: nuke_road_warrior

There is lot more to that story and it was brought out in the film


22 posted on 07/24/2023 9:23:34 AM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: SeekAndFind

There was absolutely no evidence Oppenheimer was a spy or ever worked for the Soviets, the files in the KGB pretty much proved that. The spy in the midst at Los Alamos was Klaus Fuchs the British scientist who came over to work on the project.

Now who would have been at fault there for that disaster, that would be the Security people and General Groves.


23 posted on 07/24/2023 9:27:05 AM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: SeekAndFind

I saw Oppenheimer last night and it was an outstanding movie.

Best drama I have seen in a very long time, even though it was long it moved very well. I am reading the book this film is based on, just started it and it is 1143 pages long but reads very well.

They got this film historically accurate with no revisionist history or political correctness in it.

The story of developing the A Bomb was fascinating to watch, the critical moment came when they tested the bomb and the sight of what they had created caused a number to question whether they should have even done what they did, but they were pushed by the thought that Germany would develop a bomb before they did.

A lot ethical and moral soul searching ensued including for Oppenheimer. So I would highly recommend this film to see.

This is a thinking person’s film and I hazard to guess many in the audience probably could not really understand what they were watching and taking in the deep concerns and problems that many of the scientists had during that era.

While Oppenheimer was a brilliant man and scientist he was also somewhat naive about a number of things and clung to an Idealism that was not very realistic.

Basically many in his circle of friends and fellow scientists tended to be Leftists and were not cognizant of the realties of Communism and the Soviet Union or the horrors that Stalin inflicted upon his own people.

But I could empathize with Oppenheimer and these scientists in trying to reconcile what they had created. Seeing something like they saw would give anyone a great deal of pause for thought to what had been unleashed.


24 posted on 07/24/2023 9:29:21 AM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: SeekAndFind

ping


25 posted on 07/24/2023 9:39:39 AM PDT by gattaca (Either you will control your government, or government will control you. Ronald Reagan)
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To: Captain Peter Blood; All

I think Sam Waterson in the 1990s TV series did a better job portraying Oppenheimer. I found the long cinematic pauses for Oppenheimer introspection annoying. Mat Damon did an excellent job portraying Groves. The other movies on Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project also have strong and weak points. Fatman and Little Boy is the only one who showed how dangerous the work was with its composite portrayal of the “Tickling the Dragon’s Tail” incident.
That movie was more about the project then Oppenheimer as was Day One.

My overall assessment of Oppenheimer was good but for me the psychological angst parts over and over was irritating. However that’s my tastes in movies others may see it differently.


26 posted on 07/24/2023 9:47:35 AM PDT by Reily (!!)
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To: Reily

I am early in the book American Prometheus, the story of Oppenheimer. So far the movie follow the book fairly well. Oppenheimer was a flawed character of somewhat a lot of that probably due to his early life and the atmosphere in school that he was exposed to. He came from a very wealthy Jewish family and went to a rather progressive school in New York, which probably led to his interest in many leftist causes. Most of these academics and theoretical physicist lived in a fairly insular world of academia. None of these people were ever truly exposed to the horrors and realities of what they thought they believed in.


27 posted on 07/24/2023 3:24:13 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: Captain Peter Blood

I need to read that book!


28 posted on 07/24/2023 3:36:13 PM PDT by Reily (!!)
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To: Zathras

It should be nominated for best picture.
Technically and historically very accurate.
Only a couple flaws.
Biggest was they ignored the 15 people who were actively spying.
Still an amazing film.
As I suspected, Jean was portrayed as a crazy woman and NOT the spy she clearly was.

Nudity was totally unnecessary.
If you can, see it in 70mm iMax.


29 posted on 07/26/2023 6:32:11 PM PDT by Zathras
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To: Captain Peter Blood

I really liked the part where Lawerence warns Oppy NOT to be political.
If he had just took that advice, history would have been different.


30 posted on 07/26/2023 6:35:56 PM PDT by Zathras
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To: ifinnegan

They show it in the movie. I just watched it. Thought it was incredible.

It’s going to win a ton of awards.


31 posted on 07/27/2023 7:48:12 PM PDT by SomeCallMeTim
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To: SeekAndFind

One tidbit that the movie mentioned was Oppenheimer’s paper on Black holes. The original idea dates all the way back to when the speed of light was determined. Germany invaded Poland at the time the paper came out so this paper was essentially forgotten.


32 posted on 07/28/2023 3:04:10 PM PDT by Nateman (If Mohammad was not the Anti Christ Mad Moe definitely comes in as a Strong second..)
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To: All

Op Ed by Barton Bernstein, a Professor of History at Stanford

Opinion: Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ marred by 5 historical inaccuracies

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/07/29/opinion-nolans-oppenheimer-marred-by-5-historical-inaccuracies/amp/


33 posted on 08/06/2023 9:29:49 PM PDT by Texan4Life
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To: All

The first 15 minutes with Edward Teller are revealing...

Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: Better a Shield than a Sword, 1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erHZBDn0v2M


34 posted on 08/06/2023 11:58:01 PM PDT by Texan4Life
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