The Day After Trinity

Starring:Paul Frees, J. Robert Oppenheimer
Director: Jon Else
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Description

The Day After Trinity is a haunting journey through the dawn of the nuclear age, an incisive history of humanity's most dubious achievement and the man behind it--J. Robert Oppenheimer, the principal architect of the atomic bomb. Featuring archival footage and commentary from scientists and soldiers directly involved with the Manhattan Project, this gripping film is a fascinating look at the scope and power of the Nuclear Age.

Customer Reviews:

War criminals?.......2007-06-27

Nice piece on fervor that surrounded the Manhattan Project. Interesting human interest story of how thousands of people worked for years designing the most powerful weapon ever, but didn't realize the consequences on dropping one in a city full of people, until they see it go off in the desert.

A series of talking heads, doesn't add much to the history of the atomic bomb.......2007-04-11

I got this DVD after having read Richard Rhodes's "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" and "Dark Sun". Plus, I had grown up from childhood reading a lot of other books about the making of the atomic bomb.

I had even seen that famous clip of Robert Oppenheimer before, in grade school, a long, long time ago, in an educational movie about the making of the atomic bomb, where he says:

"....We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that one way or another...."

And so I got this DVD, hoping to learn more, about that interview, about Robert J. Oppenheimer, etc.

But NOOOOO.....This DVD turns out to be mostly a series of talking head interviews of a number of the more junior (at the time) physicists involved in the Manhatten Project. Several of them, especially Robert Wilson, speak of their horror and their early opposition to further development and use of the atomic bomb. Almost all of them speak of Robert Oppenheimer, and reminisce about the many conflicts and contradictions of Oppenheimer.

But that's all there is to this DVD. It does not fully explain the contradictions in the life of Robert Oppenheimer, nor how the course of events post-WWII played out that led to Oppenheimer losing his security clearance. It doesn't even explain the setting of that famous Oppenheimer interview quote.

The DVD only has a couple of other clips of Oppenheimer in action.

All in all, this is a mediocre DVD that does not add much more information if you already know much of the history of the making atomic bomb, and Oppenheimer's role in it.

However, if you don't know ANYTHING about this history, probably you'll find this DVD to be fascinating.

[...]

Not what I expected.......2007-01-19

The period around the turn of the 20th century produced an enormous burst of discovery in physics. Often, it is the character of people involved that make this such a fascinating period of history. Still, the technical details of discovery and how it broadens our understanding of the physical world intrigues me to a somewhat larger degree. As I was predisposed to the technical, I had hoped for more technical detail in the film. However, far from disappointed, I watched the DVD twice the day I received it and found the film both compelling and entertaining. Oppenheimer's story, told by those yet alive at the time. A look into the Los Alamos community. His political "rise and fall." A rich and rewarding look into the not so distant past. Highly recommended.

Review of DVD "The Day After Trinity.......2007-01-13

This film provided me with new insights into the Trinity Project and the life of the famed Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer and his subsequent downfall after the project's conclusion. I recommend this film to any serious student and/or collector of the Bomb.

Would Give it More Than 5 Stars If I Could..........2006-12-24

This is the most engrossing documentary I've ever seen. The portrait that emerges of Oppenheimer is more complimentary than deeper research would support, but director Jon Else has done a superb job of bringing the story of the people behind the making of the atomic bomb to life.

My favorite segments are the interviews with Robert Serber, Oppenheimer's TA at Berkeley and lifelong friend. He's one of the most transparent people I've ever seen on film, and it's fascinating to watch him re-experience conflicting emotions about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

If you have just one iota of intellectual curiosity in your body, you've got to watch this one!!!

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