Christopher Nolan’s 12th film, Oppenheimer, which tells the story of the father of the atomic bomb, J Robert Oppenheimer, is set to hit the theatres on July 21. The biopic is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning book called American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin.
The story of the movie follows the incredible journey of the renowned physicist who spearheaded the operation of the Manhattan Project during World War II.
In the film, Cillian Murphy plays the titular role, and Hollywood A-listers like Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr are also a part of the project. With the launch of trailers and interviews, several details of the film have come out so far, which have intrigued the fans.
Here are 10 rare facts about the film, Oppenheimer that you probably didn’t know.
1. Oppenheimer will be Chirstopher Nolan’s longest running film.
Oppenheimer/YouTubeOppenheimer has an epic runtime of over 3 hours beating Interstellar's 2 hours and 49 minutes duration. In an interview with Total Film magazine, Nolan said that the film was slightly longer than the longest he’s ever done.
2. Lead actor, Cillian Murphy found the role “immense and terrifying.”
oppenheimer11/YouTubeIn 2022, Cillian Murphy spoke with Esquire where he revealed that the role felt “immense and terrifying” when it was first presented to him.
“But, if I felt it was easy, I wouldn't be interested. I do get nervous, anxious and insecure, but then you go, 'F— it. I have been doing it for 25 years and I have done it before. So just keep going,” he said in the interview.
3. Oppenheimer was shot using some of the highest-resolution film cameras.
oppenheimer10/YouTubeLike Nolan’s previous films, Dunkirk and Tenet, Oppenheimer was filmed completely on large format film stock, which is a combination of IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm cameras, which are some of the highest resolution cameras in the world.
“The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled,” Nolan said in an interview with the Associated Press.
4. Oppenheimer has been shot in colour and in black and white for a specific reason.
Oppenheimer8/YouTubeWhile some of Oppenheimer is shown in colour, a part of the film is in black and white for a very specific story reason. This was done to feature two different timelines and perspectives.
“One is in colour, and that’s Oppenheimer’s subjective experience. That’s the bulk of the film. Then the other is a black-and-white timeline. It’s a more objective view of his story from a different character’s point of view,” Nolan said in the AP interview.
5. The film features the first-ever black and white IMAX film stock.
Oppenheimer9/YouTubeSince the director wanted the black and white portions to be of equal image quality, it led to the development of the first-ever black and white IMAX film stock made by Kodak and developed by Fotokem.
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6. The best seats to watch the film
Oppenheimer5/YouTubeNolan also revealed his personal preference for seats to watch the film in the AP interview. He said that in a normal Cinemascope ratio, he likes to be right near the front, middle of the third row to sit. For a stadium set up in IMAX, he likes to be behind the centre line, right up in the middle.
7. Oppenheimer’s Trinity Nuclear Test scene was created without CGI
Oppenheimer-im/YouTubeNolan has revealed in an interview with Total Film, that he used minimal CGI to produce even the most challenging scenes in the film. He even created the look of a nuclear explosion without using CGI.
“I think recreating the Trinity test without the use of computer graphics was a huge challenge to take on,” he told the outlet.
Nolan said that he got his visual effects supervisor on board early and he was looking to represent the visual elements of quantum dynamics and quantum physics to the Trinity test. He also said that the team shot in New Mexico in extraordinary weather, which was needed for the film.
8. The cast of the film lived together in New Mexico
Emily Blunt told People magazine that it was like a “summer camp” as the film’s ensemble cast lived together in New Mexico during production.
9. The film’s lead actor Cillian Murphy sat out of the group activities during the shoot
Oppenheimer cillian/YouTubeThe leading man Cillian Murphy sat out most group activities as he had too much on his plate, revealed his fellow cast members in an interview with People Magazine.
“Of course, he didn’t want to come and have dinner with us, he couldn’t. His brain was just too full,” Matt Damon told People magazine.
10. Oppenheimer will be the first Nolan film since Momento (2000) to not be distributed by Warner Brothers
Oppenheimer will be the first Nolan film distributed by another production house other than the Warner Brothers, since the year 2000.
Following his falling out with Warner Bros, Universal was chosen as the film's distributor in September 2021.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Jul 8, 2023 2:50 PM IST
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