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	...	General Leslie R. Groves
Dwight Schultz	...	J. Robert Oppenheimer
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Kitty Oppenheimer
John Cusack	...	Michael Merriman
Laura Dern	...	Kathleen Robinson
Ron Frazier	...	Peer de Silva
John C. McGinley	...	Richard Schoenfield
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:

new mexico desert | top secret | u.s. military | detonation | manhattan project | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The musical interlude just before detonation is based on an actual event. The countdown was broadcast over the radio, but due to interference from a nearby radio station the control bunker never heard this and instead heard "Serenade for Strings" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie, when General Groves is slicing the Pentagon cake, there are no flags on it. But in the next scene when his aide is walking with him down the hallway, there is an obvious miniature flag on the piece the aide is carrying.

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Quotes

Richard Schoenfield: Hey Oppenheimer! Oppenheimer! You oughta stop playing God, 'cause you're no good at it, and the position's taken!

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Connections

Referenced in Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Fat Boy and Little Man (1991)

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Soundtracks

Dance of the Reed Flutes
By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (as P. Tchaikovsky)
Courtesy of TRF Production Music Libraries
By Arrangement with Kaleidosound

User Reviews

An interesting chronicle about the historical events concerning 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 . In real life , Newman was a liberal progressist and Schultz is a Republican conservative , poles opposites to the attractive roles they performed in this film . Furthermore , a distinguished rest cast , such as : John Cusack , Laura Dern , Bonnie Bedelia , John G. McGinley , Allan Corduner , Clark Gregg , James Eckhouse , Todd Field and Natasha Richardson , all of them are enjoyable . Director Roland Joffé cast some real-life scientific people in short background characters , as future Nobel Prize winner David Politzer, among others . It contains exceptional as well as colorful cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond and sensitive musical score by the master Ennio Morricone in his usual style . The motion picture was professionally directed by Roland Joffe (The mission , Killing fields ) .

Other films as ¨Fat man (this way called by bombing in Hiroshima) and Little boy¨ (so named by bombing in Nagasaki) are the following ones : ¨Day one¨ , ¨Engola Day¨ , ¨Hiroshima¨ and for TV : ¨Oppenheimer¨ with Sam Waterson and one of the best resulted to be the Canadian series titled ¨Race for the bomb¨ with Maury Chaykin as General Groves and directed by Allan Eastman . Rating : Good and worthwhile seeing.

Details

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fat Man and Little Boy

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,476,994, 22 October 1989

Gross USA:

$3,563,162

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,563,162

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lightmotive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1