The Latest vs. the Greatest: ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023) vs. ‘The Beginning or the End’ (1947)

American atomic physicist Dr. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967). (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Commentary

Shortly after the new “Barbie” movie made its sensational box office debut, I began seeing memes comparing the smiling blonde “doll” to a black-and-white photograph of a grim man in a dark suit. I eventually realized this was from another new release, “Oppenheimer,” which has received much less media attention.

This was my introduction to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, an internet trend resulting from the two blockbuster films’ debuting on the same day. “Barbenheimer” even has its own Wikipedia page, but Warner Bros. had to issue an apology for trivializing serious topics in “Oppenheimer” after it jumped on the “Barbenheimer” bandwagon on Twitter (now called X). Apparently, the Warner Bros. office in Japan thinks making jokes about World War II’s atomic bomb is inappropriate, which is the basic concept of Barbenheimer. Since this movie is centered around events during World War II, it’s far more appropriate to compare “Oppenheimer” with any number of classic war films.

Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) and J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) in the 2023 film "Oppenheimer." (Universal Pictures)

The Latest

“Oppenheimer” was released on July 21, 2023. Christopher Nolan of “Batman” fame directed it, wrote the screenplay, and co-produced it with Emma Thomas and Charles Roven. The story was based on “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” a biography from 2005 by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwood. Irish actor Cillian Murphy plays the title character, with Emily Blunt as his wife and Matt Damon in a supporting role.

This movie follows the life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer. It starts when he is a 22-year-old doctoral student at Cambridge. His career path changes when visiting scientist Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh) suggests he switch from experimental physics to theoretical physics. After completing his Ph.D. in Germany, Oppenheimer returns to the United States, where he begins teaching. During World War II, the U.S. Army recruits him for the Manhattan Project, an initiative to create an atomic bomb. The government is initially concerned that some of his personal connections could make him a Communist sympathizer, but as a Jew, he is passionate about mastering nuclear weapons before the Nazis.

This movie was rated R, making it the first Christopher Nolan film in twenty years to receive this rating. The Classification and Rating Administration gave it this rating for “for some sexuality, nudity and language.” This rating isn’t surprising for a film of this kind, which deals with intense themes, such as war, infidelity, and the aftermath of atomic bombs. I’m sure many would argue it’s impossible to tell the story of the atomic bomb’s creation without veering into gory, lurid, disgusting, and disturbing territory. However, classic war films, many of which were made during or shortly after World War II, prove this isn’t true. For instance, in 1947, a Hollywood feature film about the development of the automatic bomb, “The Beginning or the End,” was made without any of the content that earned “Oppenheimer” its R-rating.

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Physicists Albert Einstein (L) and Oppenheimer conferring, circa 1950. Image courtesy of US Govt. Defense Threat Reduction Agency. (Public Domain)

The Greatest

“The Beginning or the End” is described as a docudrama. Historically, Hollywood has been known to heavily alter the facts in movies based on true stories. This film’s makers, however, were serious about making a movie which was a genuine depiction of the Manhattan Project. MGM was one of three studios that wanted to make a picture about the atomic bomb, and after it won out, producer Hal B. Wallis of Paramount merged his preliminary work on the project with MGM’s, a rare studio collaboration for those days.

Since the information discussed in this film was highly classified, the filmmakers collaborated extensively with the government to make it, receiving help and approval from the Army and the War Department as well as federal agencies, universities, and laboratories. Every living person depicted in the film had to approve his inclusion in the film, as well as his scripting, the general treatment, and the actor depicting him. Some fictional characters and subsequent love themes were added to make the film more entertaining, but most of the other historical inaccuracies were purposely added to maintain state secrets of atomic technology or preserve America’s image abroad.

Ultimately, it was an order from President Truman which approved the film and inspired its title: “Gentlemen, make a motion picture. Tell the people of this nation that for them it is the beginning or the end.”

“The Beginning or the End” opens with a fictional newsreel of a time capsule being buried with a copy of this film, to be opened in five hundred years; the only clue that this newsreel isn’t genuine is well-known actors are introduced in the narration as historic figures. I haven’t been able to confirm whether or not such a time capsule exists, but most likely it was just a good opening for the film. The film then follows real scientists like Mr. Oppenheimer (Hume Cronyn) and Albert Einstein (Ludwig Stössel) working alongside fictional scientists like Matt Cochran (Tom Drake) as they split the atom. President Roosevelt (Godfrey Tearle) authorizes funding for the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb, which involves military personnel including Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Nixon (Robert Walker) and General Leslie Groves (Brian Donlevy). All the men involved deal with doubt, guilt, and grave responsibility.

Oppenheimer (L) and Leslie Groves in September 1945 at the remains of the Trinity test in New Mexico. The white canvas overshoes prevented fallout from sticking to the soles of their shoes. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Public Domain)

“The Beginning or the End” is an obvious comparison to “Oppenheimer.” After the mock newsreel and the opening credits, Mr. Oppenheimer opens the film by speaking directly to the audience (the viewers from the 25th century) about the development of the atomic bomb, and it is Oppenheimer who is the central figure in the recent film. Real historical figures including General Leslie Groves, Mr. Einstein, and President Truman are important characters in both films. The Manhattan Project is the focal point of both films, with the bombing of Hiroshima being each film’s main event. However, the 1947 film starts with the study of atomic energy in the early 1940s and ends after the atomic bomb is dropped, while the 2023 film starts in 1926 and ends in 1963. Both films deal with the moral dilemma faced by everyone involved with the Manhattan Project about making such a deadly weapon. Matt Cochran of the earlier film plays a similar role as Oppenheimer in the later film, that of the main scientist at the center of the project and story.

An Explosive Topic

A Life Magazine article written right after the release of “The Beginning or the End” was very hard on the film, criticizing its theatrics, inaccuracies, and “Hollywood hokum.” However, this film was made with the permission, consultation, and assistance of most of the people who were actually involved within a year or two of the real events. No matter how much research is done, no film made 80 years after the events it depicts can be as realistic and powerful.

It hasn’t been 500 years yet, but I encourage the people of the 21st century to open the time capsule and watch “The Beginning or the End” to discover how Americans felt about the monster unleashed with the development of atomic energy. Following the 1940s’ decency standards, it’s a history lesson the whole family can enjoy.