{"id":1982993,"date":"2023-07-26T11:33:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T15:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christopher-nolan-flexes-his-filmmaking-brilliance-in-oppenheimer\/"},"modified":"2023-07-26T11:38:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T15:38:10","slug":"christopher-nolan-flexes-his-filmmaking-brilliance-in-oppenheimer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christopher-nolan-flexes-his-filmmaking-brilliance-in-oppenheimer\/","title":{"rendered":"Nolan showcases brilliance in &#8216;Oppenheimer&#8217;."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristopher-nolan-flexes-his-filmmaking-brilliance-in-oppenheimer%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1982993&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<p><strong>\u201cOppenheimer\u201d is Christopher Nolan\u2019s greatest \u2063achievement as\u2062 a filmmaker.<\/strong> \u2062He\u2019s already\u200b had a long prolific career of\u200d excellent\u200c films, half of which were instant classics.\u200d But \u201cOppenheimer\u201d really\u2063 stands out in his canon. It will probably\u2064 be remembered alongside \u2063films like \u201cCitizen Kane,\u201d \u201cThe Godfather,\u201d and \u201c2001: A Space Odyssey.\u201d Nolan has\u2063 done something new\u2062 and truly unique with Oppenheimer, while\u200b still maintaining \u200dmuch of his\u200c trademark stylistic\u200c genius.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately though the film\u2019s greatest achievement isn\u2019t artistic,\u200b but rather how it manages to turn all our\u200b myths about the atomic bomb\u2062 into \u2064a coherent narrative around the life of one man. Nolan has\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christopher-nolan-flexes-his-filmmaking-brilliance-in-oppenheimer\/\" title=\"Nolan showcases brilliance in 'Oppenheimer'.\">made\u2062 epic films full<\/a> of action and spectacle. Here he \u2062turns the camera inward, on the human soul.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2106383388\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-34deb0ab01ff26c795bc5cc064c8e7f0 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-34deb0ab01ff26c795bc5cc064c8e7f0\"><\/div>\n<p>The great Conservative thinker <a href=\"https:\/\/theimaginativeconservative.org\/2013\/04\/the-awful-humanity-of-russell-kirk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Russell Kirk<\/a> had quite a few profound thoughts about the bombing of Japan at the\u200b end of WWII. But perhaps his most poignant,\u200d and most\u200b relevant to \u201cOppenheimer\u201d was this:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cAnd now a few \u200cwords concerning\u2062 power \u200camong\u2064 the nations.\u00a0It is \u2063ours already; and \u200bwe have \u2062done with it what men always have done with pure power: we\u200b have employed it abominably.\u00a0 I do not\u2064 say that the Nazis\u2063 or the Japanese militarists would have employed \u2064it to better advantage, or that the Communists would use it\u200d mercifully; on the\u200d contrary, I am \u2063certain that, to the best of their\u2064 ability, they \u200bwould have striven to accomplish still greater mischief.\u00a0 But\u200d that does not excuse \u2063us.\u00a0 The learning \u2062of\u200d physical science, \u2063and the perfection of technology, instead of \u2063being put to the improvement of \u2062Reason, have been\u200c applied by modern man\u200d to achieve mastery over\u2063 nature \u200band humanity; \u200cand that mastery has been brutal.\u00a0We Americans happened to be first in the race for\u200c the acquisition \u200bof \u200bthe tools of mass slaughter, and we used those tools as the Roman used his sword and his catapult against Carthage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This paragraph is about as close to a thematic summary \u200cof \u201cOppenheimer\u201d as possible. This film isn\u2019t really about science \u2014 it\u2019s about \u200cthe human capacity for sin. And not just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-stock-market-crash-dont-try-to-understand-it-feel-it\/\" title=\"A Stock Market Crash? Don\u2019t Try to Understand It, Feel It\">epic sin<\/a>, like snuffing out\u200b thousands of lives\u2062 in an\u200d instant,\u200b but\u2064 the\u2062 everyday sins \u200bof narcissism, ego, and \u2062pride.<\/p>\n<p>If Ron \u2064Howard, or really any lesser filmmaker\u2064 than Nolan, \u2063had tackled \u2063this subject it would probably have been \u2062about the challenge of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/evidence-of-undeclared-nuclear-activities-discovered-at-locations-in-iran-that-raise-new-concerns-report\/\" title=\"\u2018Evidence Of Undeclared Nuclear Activities\u2019 Discovered At Locations In Iran That Raise New Concerns: Report\">making nuclear weapons<\/a> possible. A nuts and bolts \u2062story \u2064where the narrative goes from a problem\u200d to a solution.\u200d But Nolan\u2064 isn\u2019t really telling \u2064a story about \u2064Nuclear\u200d weapons. <\/p>\n<p>Oppenheimer is about the human propensity for evil, and how destructive our\u200b attempts at creativity and so-called progress \u200ccan be. How knowledge and hubris are eternally linked. The creation of nuclear warfare is \u2062an act of utter horror, one that \u201cOppenheimer\u201d weighs against the evils of the Nazis and the Soviets exactly\u2064 as Kirk outlines above. It is a sort of Frankenstein story, and\u2064 we\u2019re keyed into this by the\u2063 opening words that reference the myth\u2064 of Prometheus. The film is essentially \u2064an adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning\u200c non-fiction book\u200c <em>American \u2062Prometheus<\/em> by Kai Bird.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c695cf827337028fa75ae31c3e23a524 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c695cf827337028fa75ae31c3e23a524\"><\/div>\n<p>But \u2064unlike Prometheus, \u2063whose work \u200dbenefits mankind, it\u2019s unclear how the brilliant physicist accomplished anything positive at all. This is the supreme tragedy at the heart of Nolan\u2019s version of\u2064 this story, which seems to stick mostly\u2064 to the actual history. The dark truth at the film\u2019s\u200c core is that Oppenheimer\u2019s accomplishment isn\u2019t \u200dthe defeat of \u200bthe Nazis, but rather the possible destruction of\u2062 everything else. The scientists he brings on board are \u2064all hesitant about being a part of a bomb-building project. What they\u2019re all united on is that the Nazis have to be \u200bbeaten to the creation of\u2064 the atomic bomb. But when Hitler is defeated sans nukes what are the\u2063 scientists supposed to do then? Their moral justification\u2063 is taken away, leading to moral confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u2019s \u200dexcellent handling of all this \u200cisn\u2019t just visually as a director, but in the script \u2063as both \u2062writer and adapter.\u2062 The subject matter is \u2064so \u200bcomplex, spanning decades of time, and deals with some of life\u2019s\u200b biggest questions, \u200byet there is\u2062 a constant throughline. Nolan\u2019s strength \u2063as a writer \u2062has always been to\u2062 cut \u2064away anything extraneous to the story he\u2019s trying to tell, and constantly build to a \u2064concluding crescendo that takes the audience\u2019s breath\u2063 away. This mesmerizing technique is apparent in almost all of \u200bhis films. \u2063Before\u200c \u201cOppenheimer,\u201d I would have said\u2062 \u201cThe\u200b Dark Knight\u201d was \u200cwhere he did this\u200b the best, \u2063but now it might be this film. The weight of the end is \u2062truly staggering.  <\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u2019s\u2063 opus isn\u2019t about America, WWII, or even the Cold War. It\u2019s about the nature of humanity, power, and\u200d revenge. Some of the ugliest parts of Oppenheimer\u2019s life are laid bare,\u2063 such as his \u200binfidelities. Cillian Murphy plays the\u200c lead role with incredible subtlety, never delving too deeply into the complex\u2064 emotions of this most bizarre person. \u200dHis face barely changes throughout the three \u200bhours and\u2062 quite literally \u2063hundreds of\u200c scenes. Yet somehow his performance is keyed in the\u200b entire time, giving an anchor\u2062 to the volatility. There \u200dare bizarre moments where Nolan gives us\u200c feverish nightmare glimpses into the\u200c psyche\u200d of the\u2063 great physicist, unlike anything\u200c in his previous films. <\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s most surprising is \u2064that \u2062the\u200b real framing device of the film is \u2063Robert Downey \u200cJr.\u2019s character arc. He portrays\u2064 Lewis Strauss, a little-known figure\u2064 in US history outside of his controversial connection to Oppenheimer. In the\u2064 first half \u2063of the 20th century, he had \u2063considerable influence but mostly receded into\u2063 obscurity. \u2064Strauss is essentially the villain of \u2063this story and Downey plays him with reserved bile. Even when \u2063he\u2019s being heroic, via Iron Man, Downey doesn\u2019t seem all that much\u200d like a hero so it was logical that he could play this kind of character.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a54e1bd9ba1603b4b5e707f3d0964536 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a54e1bd9ba1603b4b5e707f3d0964536\"><\/div>\n<p>But from the beginning, it doesn\u2019t really feel like Downey. Even\u200d while doing a bad British accent as Sherlock Holmes, Downey still has trademark quirks, bizarre Downeyisms that always make him memorable. \u2064Somehow in this\u200d film, he\u2019s left those things behind. It\u2019s one \u2063of his best performances, \u200bmostly because of how little he\u2019s doing overtly. His character stands in for the casual evil that elite men enter into when dealing \u2064with\u2063 power. Many scenes are littered \u200dthroughout \u2062the film depicting the narcissistic indifference of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-calls-for-peace-reminds-americans-who-voter-for-him-we-are-the-party-of-law-and-order\/\" title=\"President Trump Calls for Peace \u2013 Reminds Americans Who Voter for Him \u201cWe Are the Party of Law and Order!\u201d\">great men<\/a> to\u2063 their evil deeds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOppenheimer\u201d is\u2063 in many ways\u2064 a shadowy conspiracy film, in the tradition of Oliver\u2063 Stone\u2019s masterpiece \u201cJFK,\u201d something Nolan hasn\u2019t been shy about acknowledging. He gives what can \u2063only be seen as \u2062an overt\u200c acknowledgment to the legacy of that\u200c film in particular towards\u200b the end.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u200d has left some of his old tricks by the wayside. Most of the film is furious\u200c cutting between \u200cmen who are talking. This\u200d sounds\u2064 like a recipe for boredom, but the script is so meticulously constructed with forward motion\u200b in mind that the\u200c viewer barely\u2063 has a \u200bchance to \u2062catch their\u200c breath.\u200d It \u2063combines the dark paranoia of \u201cJFK\u201d\u2062 with the\u200b gripping \u200bentertainment of \u201cGoodfellas.\u201d Nothing like this has ever been accomplished before. Nolan is flexing every last one of \u200bhis \u200bfilmmaking muscles, reaching a \u200bnew height while still continuing in the \u2062same bold and unique \u2063style he\u2019s been pioneering for decades. It\u2019s unclear what he would have to do next in \u2062order to top this. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOppenheimer\u201d is both entertaining, educational, and artistic. It is difficult to describe what the film \u2064is like. It must be actually experienced on the big screen, something Nolan has become one \u200bof the supreme champions\u2062 of. This\u2064 is\u200b a cinematic maelstrom that grips the \u2063viewer \u2063and throws them around for three hours. Some critics have gone\u2064 after the third act as being boring, and while it \u200dis more subdued\u200c than the first two, it really pulls \u2062together \u2063all \u200bthe strands into a final dizzying view\u2064 of the\u2064 disastrous consequences\u2064 of power and knowledge. <\/p>\n<p>Like all the best stories\u2064 it is a film about a particular \u200dtime that resonates for \u200call time. By delving into the life of arguably \u2062the most consequential scientist \u200dof the last several centuries Nolan has put a mirror\u2063 up to the human soul itself and gazed into\u200c that\u2062 dark abyss.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6b8db5c21bc1b2e6561740468b7609a1 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6b8db5c21bc1b2e6561740468b7609a1\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christopher Nolan&#8217;s &#8220;Oppenheimer&#8221; surpasses his already impressive filmography, with half of his works being instant classics. It stands out among his achievements and will likely be remembered alongside iconic films such as &#8220;Citizen Kane,&#8221; &#8220;The Godfather,&#8221; and &#8220;2001: A Space Odyssey.&#8221; Nolan has once again pushed boundaries and delivered something groundbreaking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":721,"featured_media":1982994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1982993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/721"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1982993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1982993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1982994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1982993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1982993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1982993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}