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In `Oppenheimer,´ Christopher Nolan builds a thrilling, serious blockbuster for adults

Published: 14:36 BST, 13 July 2023 | Updated: 18:57 BST, 13 July 2023

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NEW YORK (AP) - Christopher Nolan has never been one to take the 平易な or straightforward 大勝する while making a movie.

He shoots on large-判型 film with large, cumbersome cameras to get the best possible cinematic image. He prefers practical 影響s over computer-生成するd ones and real 場所s over soundstages - even when that means recreating an 原子の爆発 in the 厳しい勝利，勝つd of the New Mexico 砂漠 in the middle of the night for "Oppenheimer," out July 21.

Though, にもかかわらず internet 噂するs, they did not 爆発させる an actual 核の武器.

And as for the biography that 奮起させるd his newest film, Kai Bird and ツバメ J. Sherwin´s riveting, linear narrative "American Prometheus" was 簡単に the starting point from which Nolan （手先の）技術d a beguiling 迷宮／迷路 of suspense and 演劇.

It´s why, in his two １０年間s working in Hollywood, Nolan has become a franchise unto himself - the rare auteur writer-director who makes films that are both intellectually 刺激するing and 商業の, accounting for more than $5 billion in box office 領収書s. That combination is part of the 推論する／理由 why he´s able to attract Oscar 勝利者s and movie 星／主役にするs not just to headline his films, but also to turn out for just a scene or two.

"We´ve all been so intoxicated by his films," said Emily Blunt, who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer´s wife , Kitty. "That 探検 of 抱擁する主題s in an entertaining way doesn´t happen. It just doesn´t happen. That depth, the depth of the 構成要素, and yet on this 大規模な epic 規模."

This image 解放（する）d by 全世界の／万国共通の Pictures shows Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, left, and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (Melinda 告訴する Gordon/全世界の／万国共通の Pictures 経由で AP)

In the 広大な and コンビナート／複合体 story of the brilliant theoretical physicist who oversaw the Manhattan 事業／計画（する） and the 開発 of the 原子の爆弾 during World War II, Nolan saw exciting 可能性s to play with genre and form. There was the race to develop it before the Germans did, スパイ, romance, 国内の騒動, a courtroom 演劇, bruised egos, political machinations, 共産主義者 panic, and the 重荷（を負わせる） of having created something that could destroy the world.

And then there was the man himself, beloved by most but hated by enough, who, after 達成するing icon status in American society, saw his 評判 and sense of self 絶滅するd by the very 会・原則s that built him.

"It´s such an ambitious story to tell," said Matt Damon, who plays Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. "Reading the script, I had the same feeling I had when I read `Interstellar,´ which was: `This is 広大な／多数の／重要な. How the hell is he going to do this?´"

It's not so disconnected from Nolan's other films, either. As critic Tom Shone 公式文書，認めるd in his 調書をとる／予約する about the director, "Looked at one way, Nolan´s films are all allegories of men who first find their 救済 in structure only to find themselves betrayed or （海，煙などが）飲み込むd by it."

Nolan turned to Cillian Murphy to take on the gargantuan 仕事 of portraying Oppenheimer. Murphy had already 行為／法令／行動するd in five Nolan films, 含むing the Batman trilogy, "Dunkirk" and "Inception," but this would be his first time as a lead - something he had 内密に pined for.

"You feel a 責任／義務, but then a 広大な／多数の／重要な hunger and excitement to try and do it, to see where you can get," said Murphy, who prepped extensively for six months before filming, working closely with Nolan throughout. "It was an awful lot of work, but I loved it. There is this 肉親，親類d of frisson, this energy when you´re on a Chris Nolan 始める，決める about the 可能性のある fo r what you´re going to 達成する."

It would be an all-消費するing 役割 that would 要求する some physical 変形 to approximate that famously thin silhouette. A コンビナート／複合体, contradictory 人物／姿／数字, Oppenheimer 現れるd from a somewhat ぎこちない青年 to become a renaissance man who seemed to carry equal passion for the Bhagavad Gita, Proust, physics, languages, New Mexico, philosophical questions about 軍備縮小 and the perfectly mixed martini. But Murphy knew he was in 安全な手渡すs with Nolan.

"He´s the most natural director I´ve ever worked with. And the 公式文書，認めるs that he gives to an actor, are やめる remarkable. How he can gently bring you to a different place with your 業績／成果 is やめる素晴らしい in such a subtle, low-重要な, understated way," Murphy said. "It can have a 深遠な影響 on the way you look at a scene from one take to another take."

Nolan wrote the main timeline of the film in the first person, to 代表する Oppenheimer´s subjective experience.

"We want to see everything through Oppenheimer´s point of 見解（をとる）," Nolan said. "That´s a 抱擁する challenge for an actor to take on because they´re having to worry about the 業績／成果, the truth of the 業績／成果, but also make sure that that´s always open to the audience."

The other timeline, filmed in 黒人／ボイコット and white, is more 客観的な and 焦点（を合わせる）d on 吊りくさび Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), a 設立するing member of the 原子の Energy （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 and a 支持者 of the 開発 of the more destructive hydrogen 爆弾.

"Oppenheimer" is Nolan´s first R-率d film since 2002's "Insomnia," which after years of working 排他的に in PG-13, he´s comfortable with. It fits the gravity of the 構成要素.

"We´re 取引，協定ing with the most serious and adult story you could imagine - very important, 劇の events that changed the world and defined th e world we live in today," Nolan said. "You don´t want to 妥協 in any way."

Much of the filming took place in New Mexico, 含むing at the real Los Alamos 研究室／実験室 where thousands of scientists, 専門家技術者s and their families lived and worked for two years in the 成果／努力 to develop the 爆弾. Nolan enlisted many of his たびたび（訪れる） behind-the-scenes 協力者s, 含むing his wife and 生産者 Emma Thomas, cinematographer Hoyte 先頭 Hoytema, 作曲家 Ludwig G?ransson and special 影響s 監督者s Scott Fisher and Andrew Jackson, 同様に as some newcomers like 生産／産物 designer Ruth de Jong and 衣装 designer Ellen Mirojnick to help bring this world to life.

"It was a very 焦点（を合わせる）d 始める，決める - fun 始める，決める同様に, not too serious. But the work was serious, the sweating of the 詳細（に述べる）s was serious," Blunt said. "Everyone needs to 肉親，親類d of match Chris´ excellence, or want to."

When it （機の）カム to recreating the Trinity 実験（する）, Oppenheimer´s chosen 指名する for the first 核の detonation, art and life blended in a visceral way.

"We 手配中の，お尋ね者 to put the audience there in that （船に）燃料を積み込む／（軍）地下えんぺい壕," Nolan said. "That meant really trying to make these things as beautiful and 脅すing and awe 奮起させるing as they would have been to the people at the time."

Though no real 核兵器s were used, they did 行う／開催する／段階 a lot of real 爆発s to approximate the blindingly 有望な原子の解雇する／砲火／射撃 and mushroom cloud.

"To do those 安全に in a real 環境 out in the nighttime 砂漠, there´s a degree of discipline and 焦点（を合わせる） and adrenaline and just 遂行する／発効させるing that for the film that echoes and mirrors what these guys went through on the grandest 規模 in a really 利益／興味ing way," Nolan said. "I felt everybody had that very, very tight sense of 緊張 and 焦点（を合わせる） around all those 狙撃 nights."

The 天候 also "did what it needed to do, as per history," Murphy said, as the 勝利，勝つd 選ぶd up and whipped around the 始める，決める.

"I´m 噂するd to be very lucky with the 天候 and it´s not the 事例／患者. It´s just that we decide to shoot whatever the 天候," Nolan said. "In the 事例／患者 of the Trinity 実験（する）, it was 必須の, central to the story that this big 嵐／襲撃する rolls in with tremendous 演劇. And it did. That really made the sequence come to life."

He 追加するd: "The extremity of it put me very much in the mindset of what it must have been like for these guys. It really felt like we were out in it."

Then, of course, there is the experience of watching "Oppenheimer."

"When you´re making a movie, I feel like you´re on the inside looking out," Blunt said. "It´s really 圧倒的な to see it 反映するd b ack at you, 特に one of this magnitude. ... I just felt like my breastplate was going to 粉々にする, it was so 激しい."

The hope is that when "Oppenheimer" is 抑えるのをやめるd on the world, audiences will be as 投資するd and will 捜し出す it out on the biggest 審査する they can find. The film has a run in IMAX theaters around the country, not something often afforded serious-minded, R-率d movies in the middle of the busy summer season. But this is also the 必須の Nolan impossibility. As more and more auteurs have had to 妥協 - to either go smaller or team with streamers to get the 肉親，親類d of 予算 they might once have had at studios, like even Ridley Scott and ツバメ Scorsese have had to do this year - Nolan continues to make his movies on the grandest 規模.

"Each of his films has been 革命の in their own way," Murphy said. "It´s an event every time he 解放（する）s a film, and rightly so."

This image 解放（する）d by 全世界の／万国共通の Pictures shows Cillian Murphy in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (全世界の／万国共通の Pictures 経由で AP)

This image 解放（する）d by 全世界の／万国共通の Pictures shows Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves, left, and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (全世界の／万国共通の Pictures 経由で AP)

This image 解放（する）d by 全世界の／万国共通の Pictures shows Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, left, and Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (全世界の／万国共通の Pictures 経由で AP)

This image 解放（する）d by 全世界の／万国共通の Pictures shows Cillian Murphy in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (全世界の／万国共通の Pictures 経由で AP)

This image 解放（する）d by 全世界の／万国共通の Pictures shows Cillian Murphy, 中心, in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (Melinda 告訴する Gordon/全世界の／万国共通の Pictures 経由で AP)

FILE - Gen. John Leslie R. Groves, 権利, appears with Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, 検査／視察する the base of a tower at the 場所／位置 of an 原子の爆弾実験（する） was 爆発するd in Alamogordo, N.M., on Sept. 9, 1945. (AP Photo, とじ込み／提出する)

Director Christopher Nolan, left, and Cillian Murphy 提起する／ポーズをとる for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Matt Damon 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Emily Blunt 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Director Christopher Nolan, 生産者 Emma Thom as, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon 提起する／ポーズをとる for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Robert Downey Jr. 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Florence Pugh 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Director Christopher Nolan, left, and 生産者 Emma Thomas 提起する／ポーズをとる for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Cillian Murphy 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Emily Blunt, left, and Cillian Murphy 提起する／ポーズをとる for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Emily Blunt 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 of the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Matt Damon 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Emily Blunt 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Florence Pugh 提起する／ポーズをとるs for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 of the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Kenneth Branagh, from left, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Tom Conti, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, director Christopher Nolan and 生産者 Emma Thomas 提起する／ポーズをとる for photographers upon arrival at the 首相 for the film 'Oppenheimer' on Thursday, July 13, 2023 in London. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)