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The American Experience: Season 21, Episode 1The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer (26 Jan. 2009)Director:David GrubinWriter:David Grubin |
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Title: The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer (26 Jan 2009)
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Harold Agnew | ... |
Himself
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Jeremy Bernstein | ... |
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Robert Christy | ... |
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Michael Cumpsty | ... | |
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Freeman Dyson | ... |
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The Voice of Chairman Gray
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Roy J. Glauber | ... |
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David Goldberger | ... |
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Ellen Katz | ... |
The Stenographer
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Priscilla McMillan | ... |
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Richard Rhodes | ... |
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| Campbell Scott | ... |
Himself /
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Martin J. Sherwin | ... |
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| David Strathairn | ... | ||
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atomic bomb | nuclear physicist | cold war | manhattan project | red scare |Parents Guide:
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26 January 2009 (USA) See more »Company Credits
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J. Robert Oppenheimer is a name most folks today would not recognize--though he is one of the most important figures of the 20th century, as he was the leader of the Manhattan Project. This project was a joint US-British program to create the first atomic bomb. But Oppenheimer was NOT an easy man to understand and this episode of "The American Experience" is a biography of the man. It also has a particular emphasis on when he ran afoul of the US government following WWII. This was partly because of Oppenheimer's associations (he had several communist associates--including his wife who was at least an ex-communist) and partly because of the times--and the government was pathologically concerned with exposing communists within the government. But, as I said, this is not the only focus of the story. Actually, I found the beginning portion the most fascinating--and you really had to marvel at Oppenheimer's amazing early years as he was an incredible prodigy.
Like many "American Experience" episodes, this one consists of narration, actors re-creating scenes of Oppenheimer's life (particularly his trial), interviews and archival photos and film. All in all, it's exceptionally well done and fascinating--something that can be said of just about every film from this exceptional PBS series. Well worth seeing.