Any director other than Christopher Nolan would have done one of two things with this material: made an Oceans Eleven at Los Alamos or a cradle-to-grave biopic. That Nolan resisted these temptations to instead use the life of his subject to explore issues of historical legacy and what happens to those who steal fire from the gods makes Oppenheimer worth all its hype. Dan talks about how Nolan managed to create suspense without action; Mike looks at the challenge of dramatizing intelligence; both talk about what they call “the Nolan scene,” a way for the director to move into the quantum realm of his story just as Oppenheimer moved into the quantum realm of physics. The form of the film suits its content and reminds us that there was a time before everybody with an internet connection assumed that they knew everything.

Oppenheimer is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s American Prometheus, found here.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material.

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