Christopher Nolan Breaks Silence On The Missing Visuals Of Atomic Bombing Of Hiroshima & Nagasaki In Oppenheimer, Says “It Was As Much About What I Don’t Show As What I Show”
Christopher Nolan has finally opened up about not showing Hiroshima and Nagasaki devastation due to atomic bombings in Japan in Oppenheimer. Read on!
Christopher Nolan On Why Oppenheimer Did Not Show Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima & Nagasaki: “I Wanted To Show Somebody Who Is Gaining Clearer Picture Of The Unintended Consequences Of His Action” ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
Advertisement
Christopher Nolan’s cinematic brilliance has always been known to the world, but the magic he delivered with his latest film, Oppenheimer, remains unparalleled. Arguably one of the biggest films of the year, Oppenheimer featured Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Demon, Emily Blunt, and Florence Pugh in pivotal roles. The biographical thriller film chronicled the life events of J. Robert Oppenheimer, prominently known as the father of the atomic bomb, from his direction of the Manhattan Project during World War II to his contentious security clearance and association with the Communist Party to his crippling remorse over nuclear proliferation.
With a $950 million gross box office collection globally, leading to its commercial success and rave reviews from critics, Oppenheimer has many accolades to its credit. However, Nolan’s film also drew wide criticism for leaving out the destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused by atomic bombs during World War II.
Advertising
Advertising
In a new interview with Variety, Christopher Nolan has opened up about the box office success of Oppenheimer, criticism of the movie, and more. Scroll down ahead.
Speaking about the box office numbers of the film, the filmmaker said that the timing was ‘just right,’ but he could never have predicted the monumental success.
Advertisement
He told Variety, “With certain films, your timing is just right in ways that you never could have predicted. When you start making a film, you’re two or three years out from when it’s going to be released, so you’re trying to hit a moving target as far as the interest of the audience. But sometimes you catch a wave, and the story you’re telling is one people are waiting for.”
Advertisement
While Nolan’s historical drama depicts the Trinity test, the first detonation of a nuclear weapon, it does not show the devastation caused by the atomic bombings in Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which left more than forty percent of these cities destroyed. Talking about the same, the filmmaker said it was a conscious choice on his part, as Oppenheimer was half a world away from Japan and only got to know about the tragic incident on the radio.
“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 filmmaker said.
Advertisement
Christopher Nolan further added that the film is an honest attempt to express his feelings about it.
