The scene of the bomb explosion in Oppenheimer de Christopher Nolan divided the spectators, and yet, it is a huge slap in the face of cinema.
Before becoming the huge hit we know ($975 million collected at the worldwide box office), Oppenheimer has worked hard to attract audiences to the theaters. Comparison with the end ofInception, resemblance to the trilogy Dark Knightthe promise of a horror film… everything is there to hope to win over the spectators. And with a film recounting the design of the nuclear bomb, Universal has above all decided to capitalize on the reconstruction of the explosion to sell a major fireworks show at the cinema.
Thus, the promotion largely highlighted Christopher Nolan's choice to recreate the effect of an atomic bomb without using any CGI in the excellent Oppenheimer. And Christopher Nolan did not set off a real A-bomb in the New Mexico desert, its precise development remains a closely guarded secret (for the moment, however). One thing is certain, the sequence largely lives up to the promises. A look back at this great moment in cinema. Attention spoilers !
NB: this article was originally published when the film was released in cinemas and is updated for its arrival on Netflix in France
nuclear bomb
Far from being a simple film about the process of creating the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer is above all a long dive into the mind of its creator, Robert Oppenheimer, and an exploration of the impact of this weapon throughout time. Because yes, the film's findings are quite clear and terrifying: the atomic bomb was created to defeat the Nazis, made it possible to get rid of the Japanese, but above all became one of the greatest threats to the survival of humanity .
The first test of the nuclear bomb, having taken place on July 16, 1945, therefore marked a turning point in History, an impossible return to the past, the future sword of Damocles hanging over our heads for eternity. And obviously, Christopher Nolan couldn't just detonate a simple bomb. The filmmaker therefore found the perfect way to stage this historical tipping point, by fixing it outside of time. Preceded by a terribly breathtaking sequence, carried by the song Trinity by Ludwig Göransson, the explosion scene completely defies expectations.
Indeed, when the countdown shows zero, the feature film plunges the spectators into absolute silence, letting the powerful light caused by the bomb dazzle the characters. In a succession of fixed shots, where we only hear the breathing of the characters, the fire of the explosion then invades the atmosphere. Far from the thunderous fantasized sequence, it is therefore a hypnotizing and silent spectacle (or almost, we hear the discreet music of Göransson) that Christopher Nolan offers us.
At least, before darkness replaces light and the immense detonation of the blast (and the blast) finally reaches the characters. A dizzying noise that brings the characters of the film back to reality: behind the fascinating beauty of the explosion, their bomb is above all a terrifying creation who seems to have awakened hell.
In two minutes, with this simple visual and sound game, Christopher Nolan deploys the power of cinema, admirably combining these two elements (sound and image) and recalling the importance of their tempo thanks to this evocative (also scientific) shift.
this is cinema !
An aesthetic and sound choice that could largely divide as Nolan takes the opposite view from current Hollywood action blockbusters (often deafening). However, it is indeed a great moment in cinema, where we can also see a mise en abyme even of our cinema experience.
After all, the characters of Oppenheimer are all preparing to discover the bomb as if they were in a movie theater. Whether they sit in their seats like at the cinema, are in their car like at a drive-in or wear glasses like for a 3D session, cinema is everywhere. Robert Oppenheimer himself discovers the effect of his own creation inside a small cabin and through a small window, as a projectionist in the heart of a cinema (or a filmmaker observing a corner room) might experience. of the eye).
Brief, the characters watch the explosion without a word, captivated by the event they are watching. That is more or less what spectators are supposed to experience at the cinema and what a certain number of them will experience when faced with the reconstruction of this explosion in Oppenheimer.
A sublime sequence which further proves the great artistic sincerity of Christopher Nolan. Not only is he always determined to (and anxious to) offer us a great moment of cinema – no wonder it took him years to conceive this explosion scene. But even more, he seems impatient to discover our amazed faces at the spectacle he has offered us. Hats off to the artist.
