Originally broadcast in the U.S. on PBS's American Playhouse in 1982, the BBC/WGBH co-production Oppenheimer remains the finest dramatized screen biography of the renowned and controversial nuclear physicist best known to history as the father of the atomic bomb. With Sam Waterston perfectly cast in the title role, this exceptional six-part miniseries begins in the 1930s, as J. Robert Oppenheimer—an emerging leader in the study of particle physics—establishes key academic connections that will become critical to his pivotal role in the history of nuclear weapons, while also flirting with Communist affiliations (several friends and associates were active party members). Written by esteemed British playwright/screenwriter Peter Prince, Oppenheimer takes viewers through the early theoretical development of the atomic bomb, after which Oppenheimer is appointed as the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos, NM facility, where he led a team of the world's brightest physicists and theorists (including Hans Bethe, Edward Teller and others) who built the first nuclear devices. Later, after witnessing the first successful test detonation, Oppenheimer would be reminded of a quote from Shiva, the Hindu god of death, “Now, I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” Oppenheimer's deep sense of guilt would lead him to passionately lobby for the control and ultimate elimination of nuclear weaponry, putting him at odds with his closest collaborators. For the latter half of his professional life, Oppenheimer was under constant surveillance by the FBI—excessive, unwarranted scrutiny that would eventually turn “Oppy” into a martyr of the Cold War. Directed by Barry Davis, Oppenheimer offers a richly textured and complex portrait of one of the most fascinating yet flawed figures of 20th-century science. Highly recommended. (J. Shannon)
Oppenheimer
BBC, 3 discs, 420 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 April 27, 2009
Oppenheimer
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