Christopher Nolan is riding high on the success of his latest directorial Oppenheimer. The director did not want to shoot the movie on studio sets. Instead, his aim was to fully engross the viewers in the protagonist’s world. To do so, he shot the film in New Mexico, close to the site where the actually bomb was developed. However, some criticized the director for omitting a crucial scene in the film.
The film was also shot in Princeton and Berkeley, where Oppenheimer spent most of his academic life. The production even took place at historic sites, including Oppenheimer’s actual Los Alamos residence, where he lived with his family during the Manhattan Project.
Fans Fully Support Christopher Nolan For Skipping The Scene
Oppenheimer depicts the Trinity test, the first explosion of the bomb in New Mexico. The scene has been shown in extreme detail; however, the film doesn’t show the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a decision that Spike Lee wasn’t impressed with. But the director received a lot of support from his fans.
Spike Lee told The Washington Post:
“People got vaporized. Many years later, people are radioactive. It’s not like he didn’t have power. He tells studios what to do. I would have loved to have the end of the film maybe show what it did, dropping those two nuclear bombs on Japan.”
Definitely one of the best movies this year.
Glad he decided not to show it and stick with oppenheimers experience and not to take away from that.
— Gnik Sivart (@GnikJSivart) November 8, 2023
It turned out to be a great decision, ngl.
— Walter Shelby ♠️ (@waltershelby_) November 8, 2023
Since the movie was from Oppenheimer’s perspective, it makes sense to not show
— Screen Wizard 🧙♂️ (@screenwizardz) November 9, 2023
still blows my mind how people don’t get this.
this isn’t a ww2 documentary, it’s about oppenheimers experience developing the bomb and the aftermath of such creation from his POV.
— carl meow (@carlmeowner) November 8, 2023
He made the right choice and that scene in the pic was my favorite in the whole film.
— Alex Walason (@AlexWalason) November 8, 2023
Christopher Nolan said that the scene was skipped deliberately, as Oppenheimer was far from the detonation sites when the bombs were dropped in Japan. He came to know about the bombings through the radio.
Nolan told Variety:
“The film presents Oppenheimer’s experience subjectively. It was always my intention to rigidly stick to that. Oppenheimer heard about the bombing at the same time that the rest of the world did. I wanted to show somebody who is starting to gain a clearer picture of the unintended consequences of his actions. It was as much about what I don’t show as what I show.”
The director asserted that he wanted to spark conversations with his film and not offer clear answers to the audience.
Universal Has Submitted The Film For 14 Oscar Categories
Oppenheimer was both a commercial and critical success, raking in over $940 million worldwide. Now, the biggest question is whether Christopher Nolan’s movie achieves the same success during the awards season. As per The Hollywood Handle, Universal Pictures has submitted the film in 14 Oscar categories.
The categories include: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects.
If the film does manage to get all 14 nominations, the Christopher Nolan-directed film has the potential to snatch an Oscar in most of the categories.
