Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)

This film reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built.

Director:

Roland Joffé

Writers:

Bruce Robinson (story), Bruce Robinson (screenplay),

Stars:

Paul Newman, Dwight Schultz, Bonnie Bedelia

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Gen. Leslie R. Groves
Dwight Schultz	...	J. Robert Oppenheimer
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Kitty Oppenheimer
John Cusack	...	Michael Merriman
Laura Dern	...	Kathleen Robinson
Ron Frazier	...	Peter de Silva
John C. McGinley	...	Capt. Richard Schoenfield, MD
Natasha Richardson	...	Jean Tatlock
Ron Vawter	...	Jamie Latrobe
Michael Brockman	...	William 'Deke' Parsons
Del Close	...	Dr. Kenneth Whiteside
John Considine	...	Robert Tuckson
Allan Corduner	...	Franz Goethe (as Alan Corduner)
Joe D'Angerio	...	Seth Neddermeyer (as Joseph D'Angerio)
Jon DeVries	...	Johnny Mount (as Jon De Vries)

Storyline

In real life, Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific head of the Manhattan Project, the secret wartime project in New Mexico where the first atomic bombs were designed and built. General Leslie Groves was in overall command of it. This film reenacts the project with an emphasis on their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

atomic bomb | manhattan project | robert oppenheimer | weapons research | world war two | 

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Taglines:

The story of the extraordinary people who changed our world.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Schattenmacher

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Box Office

Gross:

$3,563,162 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lightmotive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real life, Newman was a liberal and Schultz is a conservative... opposites of the roles they played in this film.

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Goofs

In the first shot of the experiment that Michael Merriman is performing, with the two hemispheres of beryllium surrounding a core of plutonium held slightly apart, he measures the gap between the hemispheres with a dial caliper - but the dial caliper was not developed until after the war.

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Quotes

Gen. Leslie R. Groves: We could give this country the biggest stick in the playground, and I intend to do that.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Fabulous Baker Boys/Breaking In/Crimes and Misdemeanors/Look Who's Talking (1989)

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Soundtracks

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
By Paul Dukas
Performed by The Vienna Symphony
Edouard Van Remoortel, Conductor
Courtesy of The Moss Music Group
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

An interesting chronicle about the historic events referred to creation the first atomic bomb

This exciting picture is a dramatization of nuclear run and follows the development of the Manhattan project in Los Alamos from first conception of the power within the atom , the 235 uranium , with the neutrons bombing into the piles of graphite which leads to nuclear reaction that produces the atomic bomb , ¨the Trinity¨ . The movie describes the power struggles and tensions between an idealist Robert Oppenheimer ( Dwight Schulz ) , the project's science leader and General Leslie Groves ( Paul Newman) , the project's military commander . It was a race for the bomb because of the Nazis with the scientist Heisenberg were also making a nuclear bomb . Besides, there appears famous scientists who contributed to the atomic success with the first bomb as Leo Szilard , Enrico Fermi and Edward Teller .

The film is overlong , a little bit dull and slow moving , though the semi-fictional accounts narrated are very interesting . Paul Newman as the military brain is excellent and Dwight Schulz ( A team ) as Oppenheimer , the head behind it , is magnificent , furthermore the distinguished rest cast as John Cusack , Laura Dern , Bonnie Bedelia , and Natasha Richardson are enjoyable . Exceptional and colorful cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond and sensible musical score by the master Ennio Morricone . The motion picture is accurately directed by Roland Joffe ( The mission ) . Other films as ¨Fat man (this way called by explosion in Hiroshima) and Little boy¨ ( so named by Nagasaki ) are the following : ¨Day one¨ , ¨Engola Day¨ , ¨Hiroshima¨ and for TV : Oppenheimer with Sam Waterson and the best is the Canadian series titled ¨ Race for the bomb¨ with Maury Chaykin and directed by Allan Eastman. Rating : Good and worthwhile seeing.