“Oppenheimer” Is Only the Latest in a Long Line of Movies on Atomic Fears
“Oppenheimer” continues to pull in audiences at the box office. Our film and theater columnist points out that the Christopher Nolan movie starring Cillian Murphy as Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atom bomb who was deeply conflicted by his role in unleashing the devastating force of destruction, is only the last in a long list of cinema hits (and some misses) that have amazed and terrorized and even at times amused audiences with tales of the nuclear age.
As the 78th anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb in Japan passes this month, those who participated in “the decision” are all but gone. But the reminders are with us, thanks to a new book by Evan Thomas, “Road to Surrender,” (“To save lives, it was necessary to take lives—possibly hundreds of thousands of them,” he writes”) and, of course, Christopher Nolan sepic portrait of the man who was never allowed to forget. We can’t hide under our desks anymore, but we can view ten other works that scared the hell out of us. Here’s our columnist’s pick of ten flicks that played off the theme over the years from the obscure to the blockbuster.
*On The Beach: As a little girl in 1959, I found my parents watching this black and white film on TV. Excited, I asked if it was the latest with Annette and Frankie Avalon. Uh, no. They allowed me to stay, and two hours later, I was shaken to the core. Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire (no dancing here) and Ava Gardner were the stars, which introduced many to the idea of radioactive climate change.
*Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Maybe the best-known of the group, this 1964 dark comedy featured Peter Sellers in a series of roles. While itmay be difficult to laugh at the idea of a person pushing the wrong button by mistake,screenwriter Terry Southern and director Stanley Kubrick made it work.----Paul Jacobs And the Nuclear Gang: This documentary, from 1979, was produced by the lateUpper West Sider Jack Willis. Jacobs was a political activist and journalist who was among thefirst to expose this country’s cover-up of the dangers of all things nuclear.
*Paul Jacobs And the Nuclear Gang: This documentary, from 1979, was produced by the lateUpper West Sider Jack Willis. Jacobs was a political activist and journalist who was among thefirst to expose this country’s cover-up of the dangers of all things nuclear.
*The China Syndrome: Never has a film so met a moment. This 1979 thriller, featuring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas, was receiving little buzz. Until Three Mile Island emerged as the country’s top story. Suddenly, the idea that this form of energy could be destructive, if used the wrong way, became a concern. Fonda’s producing partner, Bruce Gilbert, says, “The net effect of The China Syndrome and Three Mile Island: construction of new nuclear power plants essentially ceased in the United States, and have not recovered since.”
*The Day After Trinity: Apparently, many fans of Christopher Nolan’s film are rediscoveringthis one. (Primarily via the Criterion Channel) Made by Jon Else, it is a 1980 documentary aboutthe Manhattan Project. Else is still involved with the University of California at Berkeley, whichcontinues to operate the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, despite opposition through the years.
*If You Love This Planet: This was a 1982 documentary about a famous lecture given byAustralian doctor Helen Caldicott. We silently watch one woman simply stating the facts aboutthe dangers of all things nuclear. It won the Academy Award that year for Best Short Doc.
*The Day After. In 1983, this TV movie, directed by Nicholas Meyer, was viewed by 100million people. Jason Robards, John Lithgow, and Steve Guttenberg portrayed Kansas residents awaiting the outcome of a bomb blast.
*Testament: This 1983 feature, made by Lynn Littman and starring Oscar-nominated JaneAlexander, also dealt with the after-effects of the dropping of nuclear bombs. Again, byfocusing on a small town, forced to deal with a big issue.--Special Bulletin: A 1983 TV movie about nuclear war, it deals with terrorists threatening todetonate an H-bomb off the coast of South Carolina. It spooked a lot of viewers and earnedlarge ratings. Director Ed Zwick went on to a highly successful career.
*Fat Man and Little Boy: This 1989 drama is the closest in story-telling elements to the current film. Instead of Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves, it offered Paul Newman in the role of the man assigned to oversee Oppenheimer and company. While the movie did not fare well at box office or with critics, it is interesting to return to take a second look. Newman, in real life, was a major anti-nuclear crusader, including being a delegate to the U.N Special Session on Disarmament.
Godzilla: And let’s not forget this giant fictional monster, said to have originated in Japan in the post atom bomb world, who has generated countless interpretations—mostly metaphorical–related to the nuclear bombs twice dropped on his home country. All these films, and more, continue to ask what Robert Oppenheimer ultimately asked himself. “Who was the true monster here?”
“The net effect of [1979 events] The China Syndrome and Three Mile Island: construction of new nuclear power plants essentially ceased in the United States, and have not recovered since.” Bruce Gilbert, co-producer of “The China Syndrome”