To future generations J. Robert Oppenheimer will be remembered as the father of the atomic bomb. Yet the question remains: who was this man who led the effort to create the first atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project and then, after regretting that work and trying to reverse it, found himself ostracized from the very people he had worked so hard to build it for? In this documentary entitled The Day After Trinity (which is taken from a quote Oppenheimer made in the 1960's) we are presented with an intimate look at the man and a tense look at the bomb he created.
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this documentary is the amount of personal interviews with those who knew Oppenheimer during his life. These include his brother Frank, fellow physicists such as Hans Bethe and Freeman Dyson, Oppenheimer's former students including Robert Wilson and Haakon Chevalier the Berkeley professor who would play a defining role in Oppenheimer's downfall. The interviews reveal a man who was as much a student of poetry and philosophy as a scientist and help to explain how Oppenheimer went from the leader of the Manhattan Project to an arch advocate for limits on the nuclear weapons he had helped to create. The interviews also illustrate the atmosphere that led to the building of the first atomic bomb, the lead up to the Trinity test plus the various responses to the test and the effect of the bomb's use on Japan. Perhaps the most surprising interviews are from the civilians who saw the bomb's test from far away including a woman whose blind sister incredibly saw the flash of the bomb. The interviews though don't exactly complete though. This is due to the fact that the only major figure who does not seemed to have been interviews is Edward Teller, the father of the hydrogen bomb, whose role in Oppenheimer's downfall seems to have been skimmed over here. Despite the lack of Teller the interviews reveal the character of Oppenheimer plus the construction of the bomb, The other strength of the documentary is the amount of visual materials used as well. These include not only much of the stock footage of the atomic bomb but rare photographs of the life and work at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project years. There is also a wealth of photographs and footage of Oppenheimer himself of course which illustrate his life from childhood to his final years after his downfall. When combined with the aforementioned interviews, the result is a work that is visually interesting as well as intellectually interesting as well.
The only real fault of the documentary is its length. At eighty-eight minutes it does seem slightly crammed at times with trying to fit everything in. As a result numerous issues are skipped over such as Oppenheimer's long time affair with Communist Jean Tatlock and a more detailed look at the various pieces of testimony (especially that of Edward Teller) which helped to condemn him in the end. That said the documentary is mostly successful in covering Oppenheimer's life and the building of the atomic bomb.
The Day After Trinity is a fascinating look at not only perhaps the most defining invention of the twentieth century but at Oppenheimer, the man who led the effort to build it, as well. With its combination of personal interviews with those involved with Oppenheimer and a wealth of visual images this is a documentary that is as much visually intriguing but is an intimate look at the man and a tense look at the bomb he created. Above all it is the personal tale of a man who led a great effort then came to regret that very work and the tragedy of the man who would become "death, the destroyer of worlds.".
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this documentary is the amount of personal interviews with those who knew Oppenheimer during his life. These include his brother Frank, fellow physicists such as Hans Bethe and Freeman Dyson, Oppenheimer's former students including Robert Wilson and Haakon Chevalier the Berkeley professor who would play a defining role in Oppenheimer's downfall. The interviews reveal a man who was as much a student of poetry and philosophy as a scientist and help to explain how Oppenheimer went from the leader of the Manhattan Project to an arch advocate for limits on the nuclear weapons he had helped to create. The interviews also illustrate the atmosphere that led to the building of the first atomic bomb, the lead up to the Trinity test plus the various responses to the test and the effect of the bomb's use on Japan. Perhaps the most surprising interviews are from the civilians who saw the bomb's test from far away including a woman whose blind sister incredibly saw the flash of the bomb. The interviews though don't exactly complete though. This is due to the fact that the only major figure who does not seemed to have been interviews is Edward Teller, the father of the hydrogen bomb, whose role in Oppenheimer's downfall seems to have been skimmed over here. Despite the lack of Teller the interviews reveal the character of Oppenheimer plus the construction of the bomb, The other strength of the documentary is the amount of visual materials used as well. These include not only much of the stock footage of the atomic bomb but rare photographs of the life and work at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project years. There is also a wealth of photographs and footage of Oppenheimer himself of course which illustrate his life from childhood to his final years after his downfall. When combined with the aforementioned interviews, the result is a work that is visually interesting as well as intellectually interesting as well.
The only real fault of the documentary is its length. At eighty-eight minutes it does seem slightly crammed at times with trying to fit everything in. As a result numerous issues are skipped over such as Oppenheimer's long time affair with Communist Jean Tatlock and a more detailed look at the various pieces of testimony (especially that of Edward Teller) which helped to condemn him in the end. That said the documentary is mostly successful in covering Oppenheimer's life and the building of the atomic bomb.
The Day After Trinity is a fascinating look at not only perhaps the most defining invention of the twentieth century but at Oppenheimer, the man who led the effort to build it, as well. With its combination of personal interviews with those involved with Oppenheimer and a wealth of visual images this is a documentary that is as much visually intriguing but is an intimate look at the man and a tense look at the bomb he created. Above all it is the personal tale of a man who led a great effort then came to regret that very work and the tragedy of the man who would become "death, the destroyer of worlds.".