#Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer

[denimbex1986]

'The hype is building for Christopher Nolan’s "Oppenheimer," which premieres on July 21st. The film boasts an A-list cast and comes from the director responsible for "The Dark Knight," "Inception" and "Memento."

Based on the novel, "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," the film follows the story of Julius Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) a theoretical physicist and director of the laboratory responsible for the development of the atomic bomb.

But for those unfamiliar with atomic history (or maybe those more familiar with the characters in the upcoming "Barbie" movie, instead), here’s what to know about the man on which the film is based, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb.”

Where was Oppenheimer born?

Oppenheimer was born in New York, in 1904 to German immigrant and wealthy textile importer, Julius Oppenheimer and painter Ella Friedman Oppenheimer, according to the National Parks Service, which described him as a quiet child, studying mineralogy and writing poetry.

Where did Oppenheimer go to college?

Oppenheimer was admitted to Harvard University but postponed his enrollment due to illness, according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

After enrolling in 1922, he studied physics, chemistry, Latin, Greek and eastern philosophy at Harvard before traveling to the University of Cambridge where he studied two terms, per the school. He then transferred to the University of Göttingen where he earned a doctorate in physics, according to the nuclear museum.

He then returned to the United States to teach physics at the University of California at Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. There he conducted research on black holes and neutron stars. He worked alongside experimental physicist and Noble Prize winner Ernest Lawrence, played by Josh Hartnett in the film.

Oppenheimer's wife, children

He married Katherine “Kitty” Puening (played by Emily Blunt in the upcoming movie) in 1940 and had two children, Peter and Toni, according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

What role did Oppenheimer serve in the Manhattan Project? What was Los Alamos?

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico, a key location in the "Oppenheimer" movie, was a lab responsible for the top-secret design and production of atomic bombs. Part of the Manhattan Project, Los Alamos (or Project Y as it was known at the time) was greenlit in 1942, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It was then that General Leslie Groves, director of the Manhattan Project (played by Matt Damon), selected Oppenheimer to lead the project, and the pair began planning.

They selected a remote location surrounded by mountains to build a secret town where scientists and their families could live, according to the National Parks Service. There, hundreds of scientists and engineers developed the Gadget (the world’s first nuclear test device), Little Boy (the uranium-fueled atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan), and Fat Man (the plutonium-fueled atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan).

The Oppenheimer hearing

In 1954, during the era of McCarthyism, the Atomic Energy Commission called Oppenheimer to testify on his past involvement with communist organizations, due to fears that he was a Soviet spy.

It is unclear if Oppenheimer was ever a part of the Communist Party, but he was sympathetic to communist goals, according to the Atomic Heritage Foundation's nuclear museum. He became acquainted with leftist politics through his turbulent love affair with communist and medical student Jean Tatlock (played by Florence Pugh in the film) and was fueled by anger toward the oppression his Jewish relatives were suffering in Nazi Germany. Oppenheimer’s brother, Frank Oppenheimer, joined the Communist Party in 1937.

Oppenheimer’s communist ties were scrutinized when he was selected to partake in the Manhattan Project, but he was approved with the support of General Groves, the museum notes.

Oppenheimer testified for 27 hours in 1954 to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. In the end, his security clearance was revoked.

Sixty years after his hearing, the U.S. Department of Energy released the full, declassified transcript of the hearing.

Oppenheimer: Hydrogen bombs vs. atomic bombs

After the Soviet Union successfully tested nuclear weaponry in 1949 and U.S. turned attention to advancing its nuclear arms, Oppenheimer resisted the development of fusion weapons (like the hydrogen bomb) instead of fission weapons (like the atomic bomb) for concerns that the weapons would only be used on human populations, according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

J. Robert Oppenheimer death

In 1967, Oppenheimer died in Princeton, New Jersey, of throat cancer, according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History.

What to know about other 'Oppenheimer' characters in real life

Leslie Groves Jr.: Played by Matt Damon in the film, Groves was appointed to head the Manhattan Project in 1942 and worked alongside Oppenheimer. He was reportedly known for his stubbornness, egotism, intelligence, and abrasive nature, according to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. He fiercely defended Oppenheimer during the AEC hearing.

Jean Tatlock: Played by Florence Pugh in the film, Jean Tatlock (1914-1944) was an American psychologist and Communist Party member. For several years, she maintained a relationship with Oppenheimer, who she met while studying at the Stanford University Medical School. Oppenheimer proposed to Tatlock twice, although she declined both times, according to the nuclear museum.

Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer: Played by Emily Blunt, “Kitty” Oppenheimer married J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1939. She was a trained botanist forced to put her career on hold when moving to Los Alamos with her husband. She served as an important confidant for Oppenheimer, per the museum.

Lewis Strauss: Played by Robert Downey Jr in the film, Lewis Strauss was appointed chairman of the AEC by President Truman. He led the push for the development of thermonuclear weapons after the Soviets tested their first atomic bomb. He was a vocal opponent of Oppenheimer, as the two disagreed starkly on nuclear weapons and Strauss viewed Oppenheimer as a threat to American security, the museum notes.'

[darkles--sparkles]

When Kitty Oppenheimer said:

"You don't get to commit a sin, and then ask all of us to feel sorry for you when there are consequences."

[editfandom]

Katherine Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer, 2023

[cinemedios]

¿Quién es quién en 'Oppenheimer'?

🍿 ¡Dale un vistazo a esta guía de personajes y datos curiosos que preparamos para que sepas quién es quién en 'Oppenheimer'! "Cillian Murphy interpretando a Oppenheimer era la pieza central de la película. Pero sabía que iba a necesitar a su alrededor un ensamble extraordinario, grandes actores que pudieran desafiarlo e impulsarlo". - Christopher Nolan. 🎬

[weirdworldofwinnie]

Oasis in a Desperate Land of Dark Desire - Part One: Arrival

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer x Female Wife Reader, NSFW 18+ only

Summary: You are married to the man in charge of the Manhattan Project himself, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, and it's your first day (and night) at Los Alamos where tension and unspoken worry is getting high, but he finds time to show you how love can be an oasis in what seems like a rather barren land.

Word Count: ~7, 213

Warnings: Age gap (reader is mid-20s and he is almost 40, and they have been married for a couple years), period stereotypical gender roles (maybe sexism?), unprotected + oral sex, mention of miscarriage, and strong hints at infidelity

Disclaimer: Obviously NOT completely historically or scientifically accurate to real life and is inspired by the film with Cillian Murphy's portrayal of Oppenheimer. There are definitely mentions of Katherine and Jean Tatlock as lovers in this, but he does not have any children with Kitty and is not physically with either of them presently. I also want to clarify that this (while researched) is still just my interpretation with AU elements added in, and it isn't supposed to be in total support and reflection of the real man's life/personality. Scroll away and DNI if you are uncomfortable or take issue with this story; it is primarily for entertainment purposes only and it is just fantasy/fiction!

April 1943

The ride en route to the secluded destination christened as "Los Alamos" was long, hot, and bumpy through the New Mexico desert on a single primitive dirt road with the sun beating down on the windshield, glaring into your eyes and reflecting off the expensive dainty golden watch wrapped around your wrist that had been last year's anniversary present, and the jostling motion of the car made your breasts jiggle up and down slightly, reminding you that you'd been in such a hurry to leave with Robert this morning you'd regrettably forgone putting on a bra. He glanced over to you now, his porkpie hat shadowing the serious and contemplative expression that he had been wearing as a regular look for weeks now... Finally this plan was coming to fruition, but at what cost? It was the government's money and the scientists who were on the line. Robert let you know more details than most out of his non-physics inner circle because he trusted you to keep your lips sealed, but he never gave specifics about what exactly the coined Manhattan Project, or Project Y, was for in terms of a mission yet because it was national security level secret, however it didn't take a genius to figure out it was incredibly important and the development of something dangerous... Too dangerous to keep in a campus laboratory at Berkeley.

As the car approached the main gate and passed by the checkpoint, you realized just now fairly remote this barbed-wire location was and it made a small sinkhole crater in your stomach. But Robert knew this land from his youth and you partly did too, for he owned ranchland here and you both had spent many hours in the last couple years roaming on horseback and on foot into the twilight hours of the day, feeling the chill of the evening breeze and the rustle of shrubbery as the sun dipped down below the horizon and plum light bathed the landscape, bouncing off the backdrop of mountains and reaching deep into the canyons. You recalled fondly one time in particular during the early stages of being courted by him... It was technically only the second date and he had mistakenly trusted you with a horse, even though you were hardly an experienced rider, and of course it had gone ballistic and attempted to buck you off as you held on for dear life to the stiff dark brown leather saddle.

"Woah... Woah! Easy, easy," Robert had called out, grabbing a hold of the bridle and patting the stallion on the neck as you gasped and he kicked his hooves, thrashing the dirt and missing Robert's cowboy boots by inches.

"This one can be a bit rowdy, sometimes the wild never quite gets bred out, and he's not used to you," he explained simply over your panicked cries as he kept patting and verbally calming the animal down.

"But what did I do wrong? I swear, he dislikes me tremendously!" you exclaimed in shock and Robert only shook his head.

"Then he has very poor taste in women if he rejects you," he had joked and you went sliding off the horse's back to where Robert caught you, easing you to the ground gently.

"Are you alright?" he asked, eyes alight with a mischievous concern, but you merely brushed your pants off and smoothed your blouse, shaking the experience off.

"Of course I am. Now are we riding or not?"

He smiled at your confidence, but had hoisted you up onto his horse instead, straddling you from behind so you were facing front and clutching onto the reins. His arms loped around your waist and the horse began to trot, bouncing both you and him in a steady up and down motion, and you flicked the reins, causing the horse to take off into the expansive landscape and Robert let out a joyous whoop as the pace transitioned into a gregarious cantering gallop and the wind whipped your hair around like a battered Old Glory flag in a storm.

"This is too fast!" you had yelled out, but he only laughed, tightening his hold into a squeeze around you and spoke into your ear with a low murmur which instinctively made the goosebumps flare up on your neck.

"I wouldn't let you go even if that horse went mad and flew us off the ground over into a ravine to our deaths."

A little more than six months later after that frivolous adventure, he had dropped to his knee in that very desert and proposed to you, a diamond engagement ring encased in a black box in his palms and you were startled, taken aback at the promptness and faintly aware he was actively seeing at least one other woman at the time, but he had claimed he called it off with her a week ago.

You had cautiously accepted, knowing he was far from a wholesome man, but he was certainly one in a billion and you had unapologetically been with him ever since, even though some friends and extended relatives had openly judged, thinking you were only climbing up a social status ladder by doing so, and a couple of your more left-leaning girlfriends thought you were foolish to already settle for a man at your young age, but you truly loved him. Romance was rather odd; so rushed it could be and yet you felt comfortable around him as if you had known each other for life; soulmates, perhaps, if there ever was such a notion.

The wedding ceremony had been lavish enough to make you feel special, but it had been a more low-key event with only a small group of the closest friends and family in attendance, for he did not want much pomp and circumstance and you had spent the honeymoon at his secluded New Mexico ranch property, bizarrely a sort of prelude to where you both were ending up now. The phone hadn't stopped ringing for the past few weeks and since this work was taking up presidency, it was truth to be told that you hadn't really had time for each other and had been distant these past couple months as he diverted all his focus and intellect to the government and you hoped that after all this preparation, everything would settle somewhat now that he was at the ground level site. You felt trepidation but also excitement because this venture felt relevant and Robert was in his element with the company of like minded individuals all working towards a common goal. His vocation in teaching what he already knew of upper level physics had been boring him lately and he had told you multiple times he was haunted by the pressing need to be essential to the war effort outside of the confines of a classroom; he and his students had to make a real impact and change to the world, to this damned war. And if Robert wasn't the most ambitious, motivated, self-driven intelligent human being you'd ever met, then you'd be stumped to know who was right for the job; he could be dangerously dogged and was as loyal to this country as roots were to their corresponding corn stalks.

And now, starting today, he was the one man scientific director, a ruler really, of this militarized oasis in the middle of, well, nowhere.

Fractions of the place were still in progress, as evident by the trucks and the hammering with the occasional man lumbering past hauling construction boards on his shoulders. The Oppenheimers were still early in arrival, but everyone else on the project was supposed to be settled in by the end of the week. The house you and your husband were to live at was much better off than the cookie-cutter houses hastily put up suburban style along the man-made streets and it was tucked furthest away from the epicenter of town; a large spacious log and stone cabin (that had been formerly a boys' school) ranch style home surrounded by pine trees and shrubs along with a decent yard with that seemed ripe for cultivating a garden, and yet the home was modest and not overly luxurious; this was no vacation.

"The kitchen isn't finished?" you asked in surprise at once upon entry inside and Robert sighed, knowing you how much you had a penchant for cooking and he also knew that hosting gatherings here was going to be essential.

"I'll make sure they get it complete by the end of the week," he assured, resting a hand on the small of your back as you dropped down the luggage on the floor.

"Well, it is rather nice otherwise," you admitted, turning to him and smiling, but he couldn't quite return the gesture.

"Robert, what's the matter?" You reached to cup his cheek and he leaned into your touch before lifting up his own hand and placing it atop the one plastered to his face.

"I'm frankly worried how this is all going to work, how soon we can accomplish what we need to do. The death toll in Germany grows by the day, it may already be too late and..."

You placed a hand to his lips, shushing him with sadness.

"Please, shh, I'll have none of that talk when we just arrived in our new house. We are here now and that is the most important first step that matters towards any kind of accomplishment to your saving the world from this hellish war."

"I need to go do some oversight on the operations in town and at the laboratory," he announced abruptly, stepping back from your touch and picking up his briefcase as you nodded, moving with him to the front door.

"I'll see you tonight then. I think I'll make deviled chicken with a creamy coleslaw."

"I'm sure it will be delicious." He gave a tight smile and it was a somewhat ironic statement coming from the man who ate less than a thousand calories a day. That was one frustrating aspect about him that you had discovered when you had moved in with him back in California and realized he never had regular meals, and lately drinks and cigarettes were his main fuel. You hoped one of these days your passion for food would finally rub off on his aversion, but it probably wouldn't happen here with the increased supply rationing.

He disappeared out the door with his hat and you stood for awhile, taking in this new environment inside the main part of the house with its interesting architecture of high beamed ceilings and picture windows that allowed ample amounts of natural light at almost all hours. You spent most of the day unpacking and organizing, briefly going out to greet and visit with the other wives of top scientists, some you already knew, but others you had not met until today and you noticed that one of those you weren't familiar with was visibly pregnant... She was even younger than you and seeing her led you to wonder how quickly this little manufactured desert town was going to see a population boom in the next few years. Robert had brought up the concept of having children with you on more than one occasion, since you had already gone through one miscarriage (only in your first trimester and you never knew the sex of it, the doctor told you it could have been worse if you had carried to full term and lost the infant at birth, but it was still a gutting loss... Although you knew Robert was privately relieved, especially now since his work would likely leave no room in his heart to father an innocent, demanding child and all the burden would go to you alone) and there was the fact of possible infertility. The hardship of procreation probably ran in the family... Your mother had also miscarried, then had your premature brother who caught polio at two years old and perished weeks later, and then she herself had died during your own childbirth, leaving your father devastated and alone to care for you. You had a complicated, strained relationship early on with him and you wondered perhaps Freud was loosely right about the Oedipus complex since you always had such strong attractions to older men... but at least your father always tried to give you the best possible life he had with his wealth, which led you to moving out from your childhood home in New York across the country to pursue attending college in California in the field of psychology and medicine. You had been in the process of getting a degree in nursing, at least until Robert altered your life by his own ambitions and you had been forced to drop your studies temporarily to move out here with him, but you planned to be studying some by correspondence if the government allowed and also to be able to help out in the small hospital on site for an occupation.

To trim the excess fat off a long story short, it had been a bizarre fluke that you met and promptly fell in love with Robert... you were introduced on campus by friends who also knew Jean Tatlock, a budding psychiatrist and proudly Communist, and he had happened to take a bright shine to you. You considered him unattainable at first, a very well respected brilliant physics teacher with more life experience than you could have dreamed of... He was otherworldly at times, yet found grounding earth in your presence, but it would mystify you what exactly he found so desirable in you. You were as lovely as any other woman your age and smart, but you never thought of yourself as outstandingly intelligent when compared to the people he taught in academia, and not absolutely drop dead gorgeous in terms of prize worthy beauty. Perhaps the attraction, like Robert's scientific passion, was on a molecular scale and only bonded by invisible atoms making the illusion of being a solid relationship. Maybe it was as basic as the fact that you two were mutually compatible with each other and respectable of any differences, unlike his other fiery messy relationships with Jean and Katherine. Would you having a baby split that all apart? Personally, you weren't sure you were ready for any offspring yet and to be thrown into motherhood when you were still navigating having a successful marriage and you highly doubted "The Hill" (as the residents here were calling it) would be a healthy environment for children to thrive in, despite the efforts for a school and daycare, seeing that there were armed uniforms milling about all hours of the day and silent stress was already pervasive in every look, cough, and casual conversation you noticed through passing by. And it was only day one of, as Robert predicated, two to three years of hard work swathed in isolated secrecy.

As daylight began to fade fast and inevitably hand itself over to the darkness, you went back to the house to fry up the chicken. The stove was effective, although one burner seemed a little on the fritz, but half of the cabinetry was unfinished and the counter space was minimal.

Laying out the cream-colored napkins and the finest china you had brought packed securely in a box, you delicately set the table. Despite not having a birth mother to guide you through womanhood, you took to home keeping fairly well and religiously read the magazines, believing being married to an upper class man meant all these details and roles. But privately you also felt the crushing pressure and caught yourself wondering if you were immature to be in this mold. Robert never told you otherwise though and he would theoretically be the last man to stamp out a woman's sense of inner individuality, but you couldn't ignore the fact you, while willingly, still had to sideline your educational and career priorities to come support and live here with your husband. But it didn't matter too much, for you knew in your heart you could follow this man to the ends of the earth if you so desired.

For good ambient measure, you lit two pillar candles in the center of the tablecloth and just as you laid the food on a plate, you heard the front door crack open and the soft clomping of shoes.

Robert would never be the 'Honey, I'm home!' type of husband, yet he always managed to make an entrance regardless, especially now. His slender frame leaned into the doorway, hands crumpling his hat in front of his crotch and the candlelight flashed harrowing ghoulish shadows across his sharp cheekbones and dull pinkish lips.

"Well, what do you think?" you proposed, gesturing to the table spread when he didn't speak. He only gazed at your feminine features, his eyes full of desire that wasn't for the dinner you made, and when his mouth finally parted, he spoke in a husky voice, slowly coming closer and abandoning his hat to a chair, closing in on you.

"I'm sure it is very palatable, but I fear my hunger cannot be fulfilled by only earthly consumption," he confessed, ducking to kiss your cheek and moving his hands up to your neck, caressing your nape and moving his mouth to your lips, but you gently pushed him away, pressing into the fabric of his gray suit jacket.

"We should wait until after dinner," you told him earnestly, knowing what he wanted instead.

"Dessert, then?" he murmured, coming close again despite your light physical resistance and thumbing your bottom lip. You smiled and his arm snaked under your skirt and between your thighs, hand crawling upward to your panties and you breathed in, changing your mind.

"Maybe I can wait to eat after all."

His breath caught, a single finger inches from hitting your covered vaginal area, before he removed his teasing hand and pulled back, gripping your shoulders with conviction.

"Eat. You deserve it and you worked hard on preparing it, I can observe."

He bent down, gentlemanly drawing out a chair for you to sit down in, which you did, letting his hands linger at the neckline of your blouse before he walked around to the other side of the small round table and took a seat, rummaging out a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket and striking it up with his lighter, the smoke wafting in wispy trails around his head. You took a careful first bite, relishing in the flavor and spices (paprika in particular) as he sat there across from you, relaxing back in his chair and taking a drag on the cigarette, puffing out a sigh. You smirked, swallowing a forkful as he kept his gaze steady on you.

"You're making me self conscious, just sitting there surveying my appetite," you told him and he grinned, fiddling with the cigarette.

"I enjoy watching you eat. You are the very essence of life I see lacking in so much of this world."

You blushed in the warm glow of the candlelight, remaining humble.

"That is quite a compliment I don't know if I'm quite worthy of."

"You are, no jury would contradict me." He nodded sincerely as he smoked and you ate in silence for a few minutes before he then finally gave his cigarette a rest and poked at his food, politely taking a few bites of hot chicken and chewing at a snail's pace.

"How did today go?" you tentatively asked, finishing off your own chicken and moving to the rich, crunchy coleslaw.

"We will be making progress. Although I will always say, that General Groves is the most obstinate man with the exact deposition one would expect from a bulldog," he answered with a touch of bitter amusement.

"Should you be saying that? They're... not listening, are they?" you asked in a hushed paranoid voice, glancing around the room and knowing that the phone lines were tapped for sure, but you weren't certain they would go as far to place bugging devices hidden in the house.

"Relax, I could say much worse," Robert admitted nonchalantly with a harmless shrug and you allowed yourself a chuckle, mentally picturing a bulldog in a General's uniform. You took a bite of cabbage, changing the conversation to your side of social contacts in this limited town.

"I met with our neighbors and the other ladies today. They seem cordial and we have already exchanged pleasantries and plans for a party next weekend. I also offered to babysit one mother's two rambunctious little boys and spoke to the doctor at the medical facility about assistance there."

Robert nodded, gesturing with his empty fork.

"Keeping busy I see, but I'll have to arrange to let you in the office sometime instead of spending your days cooped up here and at the neighbors. I missed you and your insight already today."

"But you know I am not privy to everything you and your scientists are doing here..." you started to protest before he cut you off.

"I'm well aware, but I doubt a visit to my own office will cause a security uproar. You are my wife, Y/N. The reason most of the scientists came to Los Alamos in the first place was not solely the work, but because they could bring their wives, their families. We do our best work with moral and... sexual support." He raised his eyebrows and you felt a tingle run through you, a yearning for exactly what he was suggesting, but you had to finish the meal first.

Once you cleared most of your plate, he surprised you by taking the dishes and quickly rinsing the plates in the sink before making and pouring out his signature martinis. You knew Robert must be silently stressed however, for he only took one sip of his drink before he moved outside under the roof awning with his tobacco pipe, settling down on a folding chair and gazing out at the landscape and listening to the low mumble of military personnel mingling about on patrol as though this were a prison (which it was).

You joined him with a cigarette a few minutes later (you had never smoked a single cigarette until you married Robert and unconsciously adopted the habit, but you weren't much of a smoker when it made you cough, yet you kind of enjoyed the nicotine having that convenient effect of temporarily soothing your nerves) and positioned yourself down next to him, letting the cigarette dangle from your lips while folding your hands neatly on your knees.

His eyelids were appearing heavy and his head drooped, chin tucking down. You gave him a bumping nudge and he looked over at you, teeth clamped down on his pipe.

"Tired?" you wondered and he gave a noncommittal grunt, fixing his eyes back straight ahead. You noticed how still he was - calm - and it was a welcome change from the past few weeks where he had been wound up, constantly on the phone at one point or another and gone for many hours in meetings. But now that nearly everyone was all here, it was almost too tranquil... giving the illusion of calm before potential chaos.

"Oppie!" a young man's voice suddenly called out and he came jogging into view on the rock slabbed pathway, halting slightly when he saw you.

"Oh, good evening Ma'am," he greeted courteously with a squinted smile. You smiled in turn, nodding, and he focused to Robert, who gave a tilt of his pipe in acknowledgement and stood up stiffly.

"Any news I should know about, Feynman?"

The man paused, glancing to you warily.

"Is it about the nature of our work?" Robert asked sharply and Feynman shook his head.

"No, sir, it is not pertaining to that."

"Well, whatever it is you can say in front of my wife and I then."

"It's just a communicative matter. There was a phone call from a young woman asking for you earlier that was flagged in the office for personal matters concerning security. Groves is in a fit and I was to inform you tomorrow, but I thought I'd give fair warning and-"

"Then I will address it tomorrow," Robert interrupted and without further word, took your arm and marched you back inside the house. You shook off his touch and shut the door hard, spinning to address him.

"What the hell was that about?"

He closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his forehead while exhaling.

"There are intimate ghosts that continue to haunt me," he answered cryptically, taking refuge in the lounge and sipping his martini, but you had a hunch however who was the "ghost" because you knew her and you pointed a finger sternly at him.

"This is about Jean, isn't it? How does she even know to contact this location? And I thought you were all done with her, as you are with that Katherine!"

"I am, I swear to it. But she is different than any other woman I have been with before you, though. She can be... unstable and she may need to hear from me."

"She just wants your sex, that's all!"

"It's more complicated than that."

"You had nights with her while you were having nights with me during courting, I heard about it from our friends. It was still the sex that was the driving factor that she desired from you."

He looked down, unable to deny that entirely and you backed away, shaking your head.

"I can't believe this, the first day here and you can't shake those Communist ties trailing us."

"May I remind you that you considered fully joining once upon a time in the not so distant past? We met at such a social function, remember?"

You bit your lip and refused to meet his wide eyes staring a hole into you, for this was very well true.

"I did, but I overcame it. It's ridiculous to devote one's energy to an ideology and not to concrete, practical solutions. I was never devoted and absolutely do not consider myself a member. I never was."

This made Robert scowl, setting his glass down with a clink.

"It is my opinion that you should be free to choose your dogmas, if you want any at all that is. Belief is voluntary, but it shouldn't be a crime; we all deserve our wiggle room."

"Is that what she told you too?"

He licked his lips, stepping close so you were involuntarily arrested by his blue eyes boring into yours and his hand slid up your arm, finding your shoulder and the bra strap peeking out from the neckline of the blouse.

"I see you put one on," he muttered and you blinked, almost forgetting about that little detail and refusing to be seduced by his perceptivity.

"Yes, I did. My breasts are still sore from that uncomfortable car ride."

"It's a shame they are so contained now," he whispered, beginning to undo the buttons on the blouse and push his fingers into the crevice between your breasts, but you weren't quite having it after the unresolved discussion and the way he had been moments before.

"We are going to do this now? After what I just accused? And besides, I thought you were too preoccupied and planning to sit out there half the night smoking away by your lonesome while I go to bed."

"You make nights worth bearing awake, especially tonight." He shifted, groping at your breasts and you stumbled back into the wall, breathing in shallow gasps. He put a finger to his lips conspiratorially and hugged your body with his own, speaking discreetly.

"We should be quiet to not disturb any nearby neighbors."

"They can't hear us and besides, I'm sick of piping down," you whined, remembering the date nights out in the desert where he'd lay out a picnic blanket and fuck you right then and there with the horses grazing several feet away and the canopy of stars winking overhead. You'd make as much noise as merited, probably confusing the yipping coyotes far off in the distance.

"I think we can try to control our auditory impulses for one night," Robert whispered, hands going to your waist and tugging at your skirt.

"The bedroom," you gasped, rushing away from him and down the narrow hallway, twisting around as he chased you with a huff.

"Where is it?" you asked anxiously, opening a couple doors and unfamiliar to this section of the house in the minimal lighting, when he suddenly pushed you from behind into an empty room with a single large king bed.

"Only the best for us," he told you and you fell forwards onto it, kicking your heels off and quickly flipping around to your back as he loosened his tie, casting it off to the floor and unbuttoning his white shirt as you sat up, reaching needily for his belt buckle and he leaned over onto you now shirtless and when he met your lips in a frantic kiss, you then noticed the prudent stench of sweat on his skin that was disrupting his usual familiar smoky flavor mixed with cologne and aftershave.

"Wait," you ordered, pressing a hand up on his collarbone.

"What is it?" he implored worriedly, searching your expression for the solution.

"Bath, you should bathe. It's been a few days and this heat isn't helping. Hasn't anyone told you that you reek like a dog?"

He groaned mournfully, leaning back and unfastening the belt, tossing it to the floor with a clunk of metal.

"You won't let me have you until I do?" he asked sadly, but you had an idea.

"What if I join you?"

His eyes sparked at this notion and you moved off the bed, finding the bathroom across the hall. This house was one of only a few equipped with tubs instead of showers; they didn't call this street "Bathtub Row" for nothing.

Robert finished undressing in front of you, tugging down his trousers and boxers, springing forth an already ready penis.

"You're going to make me work for it tonight, aren't you?" he asked as he stepped into the large basin, turning on the faucet and letting out a gasp when a strong stream of water blasted onto his bare feet.

"J-Jesus Christ, it's freezing!" he exclaimed loudly with a sputter and frantically slamming a hand on the knob as you laughed from your spot by the sink, taking out your earrings and slipping off your small wristwatch.

"Get in, I was warned about the water supply around here possibly being fickle, even for us," he commanded as you finagled your skirt and blouse off with your bra and panties discarded to the bathroom floor before taking a leg over the tub and stepping in to sit down across from him, letting the tub fill up one third of the way as a sitz bath before awkwardly reaching around him to grab the bar of ivory soap from the dish and began to rub into his back with it.

"I should've put in a request for an even larger bath," he complained as you scrunched up your legs against his and scrubbed dutifully into the folds of his skin.

"It'll do fine, darling."

He took the soap and you both took turns lathering each other up, making frothy circles with the creamy soap and rinsing, the water streaming down into the tub again, flooding both yours and his soapy complexion, washing it all off down the drain before having it fill up again, this time three quarters of the way. The water now pleasantly lukewarm, Robert contorted his body to submerge his head under the waterline and he came up with a loud splash, his wiry dark hair flattening to a wet mess on his forehead as your own dampened and you watched the droplets of water collect on his somewhat pallid skin. He scooted closer, entangling legs, and couldn't resist a quick dart of a finger down to your vagina and you whimpered as he touched your clitoris, inserting into you and making you arch your back and buck your hips when he inserted another finger, exploring around your wet velvety walls.

"God, Robert..." you moaned, digging your nails into the grooves of his skin and up to his head, feeling the cropped soaked scalp and neck. He suddenly lightly shoved you against the side of the tub, pressing his mouth to yours and naturally winding his tongue in, kissing you passionately until the water temperature grew too cold and you shivered, glued to his body and burying your face into his wet shoulder.

"That was merely the first act, sweetheart," he whispered and you smiled, leaning back a few inches so he could get up and step out onto the bath mat, taking your hand as he did so to pull you up and guide you out. Robert grabbed a large towel from the rack and wound it around the both of you, letting his genitals press up against yours and you both stood there for a while, listening to the steady drip-drop-drip-drop-drip-drop of falling water to the flooring.

"I'm surprised you've held off this long," you murmured, feeling his rising erection in between your thighs.

"I truly can't wait any longer," he admitted urgently and the towel dropped with a flump to the floor, and with bodies still slick with water, you and him exited the bathroom to fumble to the bedroom and the blue light from the window illuminated the sheets, the ideal love making spot. He let you collapse on your back and easily came down on top, gripping the back of your neck and already plunging in to align, but you squirmed in dissatisfaction.

"So soon?" you whined, wanting to play with and taste him first, but he was antsy to get to the pinnacle.

"Your virtuous patience should be framed and put on the walls of this house, along with your divine beauty," he whispered, head moving down to your breasts and you dug your fingers into his bare back, running along the bones of his more pronounced spine.

"C'mon, Oppie, let's do this the fun way... Give it to me," you begged and he cringed slightly, but rolled over onto his side and you immediately found his stiff penis with your hands, clenching around it firmly and stroking. He moaned softly and it flexed in your grasp... He could be a decent size when engaged, which was impressive for his underweight body.

"But don't you dare let me go without seeding you inside," he warned as though you had all the control.

"That's the plan."

Wordlessly, you positioned yourself down to the head of his cock and licked off his pre-cum, the recognizable taste milky on your tongue and you sucked, bringing it halfway in and fondling his balls lovingly in the meantime. He was breathing heavily and you didn't linger long at his member however because you could tell he was getting very close and neither you nor him wanted him to release anywhere other than the intended internal target. Pulling out and licking your lips, you repositioned your body on top of his and sank down flat to his chest, and he thrusted his hips up to meet you, heaving in with a grunt. You winced at the initial entry; you were always so sensitive down there (especially since the miscarriage), and he steadily kept at it, probing in further without being too rough.

"Fuck..." you breathed with a cry and he came forward to smooch your cheek as you mounted your hands on his shoulders and he pumped in and out, shaking the entire bed.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, my love," he breathed, keeping an intense gaze trained on you.

"Robert..." you groaned, letting him push as far as he could go until the pleasure was overloading and you felt his hot wet spurt of cum hit, eliciting a long moan from him, his slender frame shuddering beneath you. He closed his eyes and you kept a firm clench around his shaft, not ready to have him pull out yet. Gasping, you began rocking back and forth with ecstasy, your insides stretched to their limit and he seemed to know you were struggling to hold him.

"I'm coming out," he muttered and gently pulled back wetly so he wasn't balls deep in you anymore and then you repositioned to lightly ride him, which was your favorite position, and you bounced up and down on his upright full cock, orgasming a few more times as he watched your euphoria in rapture, so proud he alone could make you like this over and over until you were out of air and exhausted, collapsing to the side of the bed and feeling the sheets very damp with bodily juices.

Robert spooned you from behind, arms draped over to dangle his fingers on your swollen nipples and you matched his breathing in rhythm. Every time was somehow better than the last... Sex with him was as natural as breathing and you appreciated the consistent chemistry that you worried would have faded after a couple years of marriage due to what you'd heard about stress and boredom destroying a couple's sex drive, but Robert was not a boring person in the least sense of the term.

"We should do this every night," you offered hopefully and he chuckled.

"And make me the most lucky, tired man in this whole community? I'd be up for that, although it'll be a wonder if I get any work done at all when I've got this memory lingering with me tomorrow," he replied and you heard the smile in his tone, but with it came the bitter resurgence of the likely phone call from another woman that was bile in the back of your throat and even though he supposedly broke it off with her before you got married, you knew he had stayed in contact and you couldn't help but wonder how he fucked her and if it was comparable to what you and him had with each other, since she seemed to want him so badly. That wasn't to mention "Kitty" who he had insisted on still being "friends" with. A bit depressed and irritated, you pushed away his hands off your breasts and turned back over to face him in the dimness that made even those prominent blue colored eyes of his too muddled to see into.

"How did you become the most desired physicist to women in the whole country?" you asked softly.

"Good genes?" he guessed in amusement and you shook your head, not requiring a punchline.

"You're known to be a womanizer, neurotic, eccentric, a tad arrogant, and yet everybody seems to want you, including me as your own wife. Tell me, why did the universe give you such magnetized gifts?"

He gave a subtle lift of his shoulders with a small lazy smile as you laid your head on the pillow, fending off fatigue.

"Why was Aphrodite the one chosen to be blessed with such beauty and fertility? Why are we the way that we are? There are some matters of the human being to be unfounded in the definitive and everything is relative." He sat up with his back against the headboard and proceeded to light another cigarette and you sleepily watched the hazy smoke drift off above the bed towards the ceiling. He sighed, setting it to rest in the ashtray on the nightstand and wrap his lean arm around your body, drawing you close into his side.

"You are my goddess, Y/N. You are the only woman I want to return home too, always. Don't you know that?" he murmured into your hair and you vaguely nodded.

"I do, but I also know you're not always the most faithful man."

He lifted his hand and touched his ring finger to yours, matching the simple gold bands you both shared as two united.

"I married you out of good faith and the vows we pledged might have well been written in stone in the language of the gods along on the pulmonary arteries flowing as though a river into my heart," he told you with no trace of doubt, but you knew the whole story that didn't need flourishing.

"Only because the two other women fell through on commitment - although tonight I suspect they both presumably still want you - and one was already hitched, so she was having an affair by being with you and wouldn't divorce unless you happened to get her pregnant. I just happened to be the most available, the convenient bride with no attached strings, even though everyone said it was abnormally soon and I am too young," you recounted bitterly and he frowned, tilting your chin upward.

"Is that how you see it? I have never fallen for someone as fast and as hard as I did for you. I still feel the way I did when I laid a glimpse on you at Mary Ellen Washburn's party."

You smiled despite yourself and he bent to kiss the top of your head as you snuggled into his chest, absentmindedly fondling his moist cock with your fingers.

"I do love you beyond comprehension, Y/N," he whispered and you glanced up, meeting his look.

"I do too and I want to believe I always will, until the end of our existence. I am not those other women and I do not want to become so."

A solemn seriousness grew over him and he closed his eyes as you felt tears suddenly spike and an unexplainable terrible sense of dread came over you.

"Promise me one thing, Robert." You paused, taking a deep breath.

"Promise me that whatever happens to us in this world, in this setting, that you will always find a way home and whatever we face, we face together."

He gave a single nod, but you sensed reluctance in the way a muscle in his jaw made a minor spasm.

"I will always do my best."

"Alright," you resigned and he sighed, relaxing back and settling down into the sheets, further roping his arms around you and you burrowed your face into his chest, feeling his light hair follicles tickle your forehead. Tomorrow - and the future for that matter - was uncertain, but at least tonight was building up to a promise of solid sureness, a safeness, bonding those atoms of love again.

Love, or the feeling of it, was a lot like quantum mechanics; essentially invisible to the naked eye and complicated, but the one difference was that it was unmeasurable. No amount of numbers or equations could add up the real affection you felt for your husband, even when the waters became too choppy to be comfortable and it was far from perfect. You just had to cement the fact that you were Mrs. Oppenheimer and that wasn't going to change anytime soon, any disruptive external factors be absolutely damned to hell.

Thanks for reading, expect a little drama for chapter 2... And I do not have a full outline to every part of this fic, so please be patient as I find spare time to work on it and upload. I always appreciate any likes, reblogs, and feedback ❤️

*If anyone would be interested in being tagged, drop a comment and I'll make a tag list for the next part!*

[queenshelby]

Chemical Reactions (P. 17)

Pairing: Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer x Student Reader

Warning: Age-Gap, Infidelity, Smut

Words: 1,566

Note: The fic is spoiler free and my own fantasy and imagination. It is not historically and scientifically accurate.

As you left the doctor's office, the walls seemed to close in around you. The secrets you carried were becoming heavier by the second, threatening to suffocate your very existence.

With a deep breath, you made your way to Robert’s office again, determined to confront Robert about the situation. He had to know what lay ahead, hearing it from you rather than the doctor and this, itself made you worry.

Arriving at the outside of the small building, the secrecy that had shrouded your affair began to dissipate with every step closer to the door and since Robert saw you walking towards the building which once used to be a school, a gleam of curiosity became visible to you in his eyes.

“What did the doctor say?” was the first thing he asked after his office door closed behind you, and you mustered the strength to meet his gaze.

You gestured for him to sit, and with a heavy heart, you sat opposite him, fumbling with your trembling hands.

"The doctor suspects I might be pregnant, Robert," you told him as shock rippled across his face, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Pregnant? But...how is that possible?” he asked, causing you to laugh and cry simultaneously.

“Are you really asking me that?” you asked with tears welling in your eyes, and Robert leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I never expected... I mean, I always knew the possibility was there, but..." he stammered before asking you about your plans for the future. "What do you want to do?" he asked, and, of course, this was a fair question for him to ask.

You sighed, your heart heavy with the weight of the decision. "Robert, as much as I love you, I can't jeopardise my dreams for this child. I can't have a baby. Not now, not like this. Not here and not while you are married to another woman," you told him, and his eyes searched yours, filled with a mix of pain and understanding.

“I can leave Katherine,” he told you, and tears cascaded down your cheeks as you spoke the words you never thought you would utter.

“And then I become just like her?” you gasped. “Married to you because you took pity on me, and it was the right thing to do because you knocked me up?” you asked, and, at that moment, you saw the flicker of devastation in his eyes, a pang of guilt striking your heart. But you couldn't let it deter you. This was your choice, your life, and you had to be true to yourself.

“It would not be like that, Y/N. I already told you that I love you,” Robert said before telling you again that his feelings for you were much more potent than those he had ever harboured for his wife.

“I want to have a career, Robert,” you told him, crying.

“And you can have a career. We will make it work. Despite this, abortion is illegal. It is a dangerous procedure so I won’t allow it,” Robert then said, snapping at you, his voice laced with pain.

“It’s not your choice to make, Robert. It’s mine. It’s my body,” you told him, and he reflected on the time Kitty told him that she was pregnant, not wanting an abortion at her age after he had suggested it.

“No, it’s my choice too. You are carrying my child, which, by this point in time, may already have a heartbeat,” Robert told you, and, with that, the room fell into silence, broken only by the heavy weight of the decision that hung between you. The once-bright future of your affair seemed to dim, swallowed by the harsh reality of the choices you had to make.

The room span as his words sank in, the anguish of the decision tearing at your heart. Should you sacrifice your career and the child's chance at a stable family?

"Robert, it's not that simple," you managed to say, your voice trembling. "This baby is not something I was prepared for. It could change everything,” you told him as his eyes never left yours, filled with a steadfast resolve.

"And I'm willing to risk everything for you and our child, if you will have me,” Robert told you as emotions surged within you, a whirlwind of joy and uncertainty. The allure of a life with Robert pulled at your heart, yet the fear of losing yourself and your dreams reigned heavy.

"I need time to think," you whispered, your voice cracking with emotion. "This decision is not one I can make lightly," you told Robert, and Robert nodded, his gaze filled with understanding.

"Take all the time you need, my love,” he told you, and with a heavy heart, you left Robert's office, the weight of your decision hanging over you like a shadow for days until you saw him in his office again, telling him that you needed to talk.

By that point, you had your pregnancy confirmed via the necessary tests and concluded that you would keep Robert’s child provided that he leaves his wife for you, following the conclusion of the project which you both considered to be most important.

“I would have done that anyway, and you know that. But, considering the circumstances, waiting until we have the gadget may not be an option. If the doctor is right in his assumption and you are indeed pregnant, then you will show soon, and there are rumours about us already. Kitty knows about us, and she will not take kindly to the news of your pregnancy,” Robert explained shortly after you informed him of your decision.

“So, what will you do?” you asked him worryingly as he caressed your face gently, but he did not have an answer.

“That I do not know yet. But what I know is that I want to be a part of our child’s life, so I will have to figure something out,” Robert told you reassuringly before making the somewhat harsh decision to pull you of the plutonium research team.

“Robert, no!” you told him angrily and again, he cupped your face, this time using both of his hands.

“You know very well that this is a necessary precaution. I will put you on design. You will work with me and Hans Bethe. This way, I can keep an eye on you,” Robert said, his piercing blue eyes searching for your agreeance.

“Fine,” you eventually gave up, knowing yourself that he was right and, in the end, you also knew that this was a stepping stone for you. You were part of the inner circle now and this was something exciting for you.

***

Your excitement, however, was short-lived when, at around 10 o’clock that evening, Kitty Oppenheimer made her way to your lodging and stormed into your room, her eyes burning with anger. You immediately felt a gust of tension fill the air as if the atmosphere was holding its breath.

She clenched her trembling fists, her voice dripping with venom. "I know about the pregnancy. Robert did not tell me, but his secretary did. She’s got good ears,” she hissed, her words laced with accusation.

You froze, feeling a mixture of fear and defiance coursing through your veins. You knew instantly that secrets had a way of escaping, and this one had just blown wide open.

Kitty's gaze burned into you, challenging you to deny her claims. But there was no denying it, not when the evidence was growing inside you.

Slowly, she reached into her bag, her hand emerging with a small container. Without a word, she placed it on the table and pushed it towards you.

"These will make the problem go away," Kitty said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Take them, or I'll make sure your career here is over before it even started,” she threatened you.

The weight of her words hit you like a ton of bricks. You had worked so hard to prove yourself in the scientific community, and now it was all at risk.

You glanced at the tablets, a surge of conflicting emotions swelling within you. But deep down, you knew you couldn't sacrifice the life growing inside you.

Taking a deep breath, you summoned the strength to look Kitty in the eye, your voice trembling yet steady. "Screw you, Kitty”, you spat and Kitty's eyes narrowed as she absorbed your defiant stance, her anger only growing.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," she spat, her voice shaking with suppressed rage.

Then, Kitty's face twisted with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Robert would not want this," she shouted, her voice echoing through the room. "He would want you to get rid of it!"

"I doubt that, Kitty," you countered, your voice cracking as you fought back tears. "He understands the significance of this life, of our love, and he wants to leave you. He told me so yourself," you told her in anguish, which is when Kitty's fist slammed down on the table, causing the small vial of tablets to topple and roll away.

“You are nothing but a whore, and I will ensure that, come next week, you will disappear from Los Alamos and our lives,” Kitty spat before you watched her retreating figure, a mixture of relief and sadness swirling within you. The road ahead would not be easy, but neither of you were willing to back down.

As the door closed behind her, you slumped into your chair, the weight of the world pressing down upon you. This was only the beginning of a tumultuous journey that would test your strength and resilience.

[phantom-le6]

Film Review - Oppenheimer

Now we come to what I feel has been the cinematic centrepiece of 2023 films, and after so long on science-fiction franchises, it’s a real breath of fresh air in the realm of war-era biographical drama from what I’ve recently been looking through.  Yes, folks, this is my review of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer…

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

In 1926, the 22-year-old doctoral student J. Robert Oppenheimer grapples with anxiety and homesickness while studying experimental quantum physics under Patrick Blackett at the University of Cambridge. Oppenheimer clashes with Blackett and leaves him a poisoned apple but later retrieves it. Visiting scientist Niels Bohr advises Oppenheimer to study theoretical physics at the University of Göttingen.

Oppenheimer completes his PhD and meets scientist Isidor Isaac Rabi. They later meet theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg in Switzerland. Wanting to expand quantum physics research in the US, Oppenheimer teaches at the University of California, Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. He marries Katherine "Kitty" Puening, a biologist and ex-communist, and has an intermittent affair with Jean Tatlock, a troubled communist psychiatrist who later dies by suicide.

When nuclear fission is discovered in 1938 after the Germans succeed in splitting the atom, Oppenheimer realizes it could be weaponized. In 1942, during World War II, US Army Colonel Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project, recruits Oppenheimer as the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory to develop an atomic bomb. Oppenheimer fears the German nuclear research program, led by Heisenberg, might yield a fission bomb for the Nazis.

Oppenheimer assembles a team consisting of Rabi, Hans Bethe, and Edward Teller, and collaborates with the scientists Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, and David L. Hill at the University of Chicago. Teller's calculations reveal an atomic detonation could destroy the world. After consulting with Albert Einstein, Oppenheimer concludes the chances are acceptably low. Teller attempts to leave the project after his proposal to construct a hydrogen bomb is rejected, but Oppenheimer convinces him to stay.

After Germany's surrender in 1945, some scientists question the bomb's relevance. Oppenheimer believes it would end the ongoing Pacific War and save Allied lives. The Trinity test is successful, and President Harry S. Truman orders the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in Japan's surrender. Though publicly praised, Oppenheimer is guilt-ridden and haunted by the destruction and mass fatalities. After Oppenheimer expresses his guilt to Truman, the president berates him and dismisses his plea to cease further atomic development.

As an advisor to the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Oppenheimer's stance generates controversy, while Teller's hydrogen bomb receives renewed interest amidst the burgeoning Cold War. AEC Chairman Lewis Strauss resents Oppenheimer for publicly dismissing Strauss's concerns about exporting radioisotopes and for recommending negotiations with the Soviet Union after the Soviets successfully detonated their own bomb. Strauss also believes that Oppenheimer denigrated him during a conversation Oppenheimer had with Einstein in 1947.

In 1954, wanting to eliminate Oppenheimer's political influence, Strauss secretly orchestrates a private security hearing before a Personnel Security Board concerning Oppenheimer's Q clearance during which his loyalty to the United States is questioned. However, the hearing is a trial in all but name. Oppenheimer's past communist ties are exploited and his associates' testimony is twisted against him, with Teller's being the most damaging. After Kitty delivers impassioned testimony in defence of herself and her husband, the board no longer suspects Oppenheimer of disloyalty but revokes his clearance, thereby damaging his public image and limiting his influence on American nuclear policy.

In 1959, during Strauss's Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Commerce, Hill testifies about Strauss's personal motives for engineering Oppenheimer's downfall. Strauss's nomination is voted down. In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson presents Oppenheimer with the Enrico Fermi Award as a gesture of political rehabilitation.

A flashback reveals that Oppenheimer and Einstein's 1947 conversation never mentioned Strauss. Instead, the two discussed Oppenheimer’s legacy, and Oppenheimer expressed his fear that they had indeed started a chain reaction that will destroy the world.

Review:

What began for me as just something I was just kind of curious to see at the cinema has, in hindsight, probably turned out to be my top film of 2023.  While efforts in the MCU, DC live-action and animation and the Transformers have wowed audiences with some element of spectacle or other, Oppenheimer wows us with acting ability and an all-star cast delivers on a great story.  Of course, when a film is handling the kind of subject matter that Oppenheimer does, a great story narrative is crucial, and thankfully the film delivers.  Now it isn’t a completely accurate story, but it is apparently very accurate, and where the inaccuracies occur, I would argue that these do not detract from the film we are presented with.  Why?  Well, let’s consider where the inaccuracies lie and we shall see.

Firstly, like any film, Oppenheimer is not a factual documentary, but a feature-length dramatic narrative, and moreover, it is based on a specific biography about Oppenheimer written by people other than Oppenheimer or any close family, friends or contemporaries.  As such, the medium of this story and its source material will bring inaccuracy to the table even before any effort is made to actually write a story.  Second, while some wider events are omitted, that is because they didn’t happen to Oppenheimer, so looking at the impact of nuclear weapons on Japan, other sites involved in the Manhattan project and the aftermath among Native Americans in the Los Alamos area isn’t relevant to this particular re-telling of this history.  The film is about the title character, so its focus isn’t going to be on wider events.

As such, if people want to see wider events in film in the wake of Oppenheimer, if Nolan’s work is to spark a cinematic chain reaction as much as the real Oppenheimer’s work set off a chain reaction of nuclear proliferation, then I would say write those films and get them made.  Don’t just criticise this film for not covering a wider perspective of things; if people really care about seeing more of World War 2 than just your bog-standard Pacific naval battle or soldiers and tanks rolling over Europe, then they need to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard.  This is what I do to try and create fiction with autistic main characters like myself, and if I knew more about World War 2, I’d probably dive into that myself.  We should see the other aspects of nuclear weapons being developed back in the 1940’s, as well as American internment camps for Japanese-Americans, a more nuanced and less America-centric look at the events preceding Pearl Harbour, and so on.  However, it is not the place of this specific film to tell those stories, as Oppenheimer is as much a biographical film as it is a war film, so let’s let it be what it is and make other war films to tell the wider stories.

The only other inaccuracy, or supposed inaccuracy, relates to the poison apple scene from early in the film.  This is apparently something Oppenheimer himself recounted, but it’s not anything that can apparently be substantiated.  However, given that some later film scenes take us into the imaginings of certain characters, particularly Kitty Oppenheimer, and given that the supposed poisoning occurs when Oppenheimer was homesick and sleep-deprived, it could well be that what Oppenheimer believed to happen was simply his sleep-deprived mind confusing imagination with reality, and his recounting of the event later could simply indicate he never untangled the two.  Regardless of whether this event is true or simply an error in the biography that the film replicates, it’s one of many examples that shows Oppenheimer to be a fundamentally complex, contradictory and fascinating human being.

The film handles its presentation of Oppenheimer’s life and work very well, in large part due to Cillian Murphy’s performance in the lead role, backed up by one of the most amazing all-star ensemble casts I’ve ever seen.  Many of the cast are people I recognise from at least one past film or another that I’ve seen, and not one of them ever seems to put a foot wrong here.  If I have any critique of the film, it’s only that some of the more badgering moments in Oppenheimer’s security clearance appeal hearings were not my personal cup of tea, which doesn’t detract in any way from the overall quality of the film, nor from its end score.  10 out of 10, hands down, and I would say that a lot of film makers need to watch this film before making anything more either in wholly original films or franchise instalments, because Oppenheimer really helps to showcase what other films are currently lacking.

[wikinomnom]

Oppenheimer

The man staring back at you with a cigarette enclosed between his lips, not quite an inviting one, but a deep gaze holding your eyes - that is what I remember as my first memory of American Prometheus. I do not quite remember how I came to the book. Maybe it was from some early reading on Oppenheimer, or maybe I found my way to it once I finished reading Feynman's "Surely You're Joking..." autobiography. In any case, I know reading it at the time I thought the Prometheus analogy fit perfectly. A man who knew too much, revealed to much to the humans; punished for it, tortured for it, forever haunted by it.

Then to see the words come to life, in and through Cillian Murphy's eyes - what a treat. To see Oppenheimer be himself on screen, dressing up in a small Los Alamos building room as he discards the military uniform and adorns his hat, takes his pipe and the same deep gaze peering back was life coming full circle. The realization of my imagination of the words could not have been rewarded more aptly. In his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Murphy lights up the screen and by the end I was left with a gut-wrenching knot in the pit of my stomach as he looked back into nothingness in the final moment of the movie before all cuts to black.

Nolan, so expertly, has fit in so much into one film. I felt transported between a historical drama, a court room thriller, a piercing look into a not so simple marriage and yet at the center of it all a psychological dismantling of a man, who pursued the responsibility of unearthing some awesome but life-altering truths about scientific forces and was left to bear the weight of how he had changed the very nature of our world. One scene early on in the film that thundered in was the switch in Oppenheimer's attire as the camera pans during his witch hunt of an AEC hearing. Pivoting behind the attorney pecking away at Oppenheimer's fragile mental armor, the camera reveals a naked man. Vulnerable. Laid bare in front of his contemporaries. As you think his humiliation could not be further, a layer is added from his wife's perspective when her point of view of her husband's affair is imagined by the now dead-girlfriend nakedly and lifelessly staring back at Katherine Oppenheimer.

Emily Blunt does so much with her eyes as well and many a times without them. In her few minutes giving testimony to the people tearing down her husband, Katherine Oppenheimer shudders initially, unable to meet the eyes of the men who are doing so. As they lock in on her, that unease is replaced with fight, tenacity and a determination to defend her truth, personifying what she has been pleading her husband to do since the witch hunt started. Equally significant is Kitty Oppenheimer's stare back at Edward Teller during a final montage where Teller hopes to mend broken fences but instead is met with deathly eyes, unforgiving of the statements he made to contribute to her husband's witch hunt.

The fallout of this witch hunt comes back to haunt its architect - played so beautifully by Robert Downey Jr. With an almost youthful energy he welcomes Oppenheimer to join the Institute of Advanced Studies and a within a handful of moments you see the ego-bruising disappointment in him, as he feels a rejection and the lack of embrace from the very legend of Oppenheimer he imagines he has helped create. Till the final turn of the film, I almost thought the narrative did so well to present a redeeming side to the Lewis Strauss of Downey Jr. But as the black and white scenes reveal the final layers of Strauss's story through his senate confirmation hearing, you are presented with an equally piercing image of a self-centered man who has worked so hard, all his life really, to get to the pinnacle of his life, only to see his machinations behind Oppenheimer's downfall come back to haunt him and deny him that reward.

Able to elicit wonderful performances from all the supporting cast and breath taking visuals to show them in, Nolan is relentless in his mastery of the craft. I was curious to see how he would capture the sheer scale of the atomic bomb explosion. I was not disappointed by his interpretation. He does not go about romanticizing the bomb or its effects. The explosion fills up the screen, and with it your senses. The sound, and in some instances, the lack of it, bring through the nothingness and destruction that such a "gadget" leave in its wake. The raw and bare colors of the explosion are left on the screen for your eyes to soak in. Letting you take a moment to think of the scale, washing over you. And then comes the sound, and in some instances the lack of it. Accurately conveying the physics of it, the light from the explosion reaching you before the sound of the blast comes blazing at you.

By the end, I was left with a hollowness akin to the gaze of Oppenheimer's eyes. Leaving the theater to a soundtrack that is magnificent yet intimate and vulnerable, I came out into the night feeling haunted. Haunted by the simple reality I was transported back into, away from the magnum opus of a vision that had been imprinted in my mind. A haunting is what will stay with me.

[ravensgyan]

Oppenheimer (Film)

Oppenheimer (film) movie got released on 21st July 2023. The movie is about the J. Robert Oppenheimer, often referred to as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” was a brilliant physicist and one of the key figures behind the development of the world’s first nuclear weapons.

It is a biographical thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. and acted by 1. Cillian Murphy As J. Robert Oppenheimer 2. Emily Bunt As Katherine ‘Kitty’ Oppenheimer 3. Matt Damon As Leslie Groves 4. Robert Downey Jr. As Lewis Strauss 5. Florence Pugh As Jean Tatlock 6. David Krumholtz As Isidor Isaac Rabi 7. Benny Safdie As Edward Teller 8. Josh Hartnett As Ernest Lawrence 9. Matthew Modine As Vannevar Bush 10. Dylan Arnold As Frank Oppenheimer 11. Josh Peck As Kenneth Bainbridge 12. Jack Quaid As Richard Feynman 13. Gary Oldman As Harry S. Truman 14. Danny Deferrari As Enrico Fermi 15. Gustaf Skarsgård As Hans Bethe 16. Devon Bostick As Seth Neddermeyer 17. Christopher Denham As Klaus Fuchs

Who was J. Robert Oppenheimer?

J. Robert Oppenheimer, a renowned scientist, gained fame as the leader of the Manhattan Project, the team responsible for developing the atomic bomb during World War II for the United States of America. Following the war, he assumed the role of chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, where he actively worked towards curbing the escalating nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.

In 1954, J. Robert Oppenheimer faced accusations of being a communist due to his involvement with various groups. As a result, he was dismissed from government service and entered a period of exile. Despite this setback, Oppenheimer remained dedicated to advancing science and continued his work as a prominent theoretical physicist and educator.

Throughout his career, Oppenheimer’s contributions to physics were widely recognized, and he received three Nobel Prize nominations in the field between 1946 and 1967. Regrettably, he never had the opportunity to claim a Nobel Prize before his passing in 1967. Nevertheless, his impact on the scientific world and his enduring legacy have continued to inspire generations of scientists.

How was the Oppenheimer (Film)?

As 95% People liked the movie. Same said “A tense & riveting portrait of human disillusionment”. so some said “more of a documentary and fictionalised account of the events preceding and into the 2nd World War”.

[ojamajomary]

Mario & Sonic at Oscars Party brainstorm

For some reason Mario & Sonic is discontinued so we cannot see Nintendo and Sega making a new Olympic video game for them! If let that crossover continued, they should consider another theme... Turns out into Mario & Sonic Party is nice, but how could makes different with original Mario Party (and Sonic Shuffle)? Should consider a new theme in reality for it...

And my answer is movie. The Oscars. Let them cosplay some classic Oscars Best Pictures nominees and winners, most movies are PG-13 and if select the movie is R-rated, that rating must still 16+ on other countries.

Pauline as Robot Maria in Metropolis I added Metropolis with some selfishness reason: I feel sorry it cannot get any Oscars since that was no Best International Feature Film in 1st Oscars yet.

Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic apart as Jack and David in Wings

Peach as Glida and Amy as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

Sonic as Jewish barber dressed in Hynkel (confused?) in The Great Dictator

Silver and Blaze as Mr and Mrs Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life

Mario as eponymous protagonist in Ben-Hur

Daisy as Maria and Knuckles as Captain Trapp in The Sound of Music

Bowser as Michael Corleone in The Godfather

Luigi as Carl & Tails as Bob in All the President's Men

Donkey Kong as eponymous protagonist in Rocky

Waluigi as Harold Abrahams in Chariots of Fire

Yoshi as eponymous protagonist in E.T.

Vector as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List

Wario as Frank Costello in The Departed, or Hon Sam in Infernal Affairs the original Hong Kong version

Sticks as Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figures

Rosalina as Katharine Graham and Eggman as Ben Bradlee in The Post

Shadow and Rouge as Robert and Kitty in Oppenheimer For the system spelling problem I turns Barbenheimer into Oppie + Barbie, but more correctly is Oppenheimer costume with some Barbie Pink accessories. @dracarialove I still waiting you upload my commission in your tumblr page, please...

Finally, that game maybe release at 2027 would be better. Metropolis and Oscars 100th anniversary, baby!

[beyondicelebrities]

Week 7 - biopic

'Oppenheimer' - the turbulent, genius, life of a man with a eternal legacy

A dense and powerful movie that tells the story of the man who created the atomic bomb. Directed and written by Christopher Nolan, the narrative expose the connections of J. Robert Oppenheimer with very powerful people, himself and close ones. the personal narrative also covers in details historical contexts.

The three hours long narrative was a success, winning several Oscars, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards of best pictures, actors, music and more. Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey jr. , Florence Pulgh, Emily Blunt are some of the names of the amazing cast. In terms of writing and techniques used the director really did an implacable job to create a blur vision of thoughts and events, the use of effects and dialogs were well explored and the proximity with the main character and his life was well explored and vital to the story. In my opinion, a well deserved attention to the movie.

The atomic bombs used in the World War II are well known history, a tragedy that devastated cities, however the background to this story might not be well known by many, and this movie gives context to the life of the man and the institutions that had the power of using the bomb make in 1945. I wouldn't say that it brings a new context to the subject, at least not for everyone, but it brings a new and more personal look to what happened.

It is also interested to think about the time in which the movie was released. Wars are present in our history since the begging of humanity. Destroying cultures, cities, taken innocent lives, and responding to conflicts in violence. Nowadays, there are wars happening in this exact moment, when the film was released, there were wars happening at the same time. Israel and Gaza conflict, Ukraine and Russian conflict, civil conflicts.... If I had to say that the movie had a purpose to be commented, or a cautionary tale to prove, I would say it is a reminder of what humans created in the past, the power that nations have, the destruction that it can cause.

While watching the movie, even though there is the presence of woman in it, I didn't stop to think if they interact to each other and talk about something that it is not related to men, but I researches after watching and disappointingly, this is what I found:

"

In a movie like Oppenheimer that packs an all-star cast and an intricate narrative, one would think that it would pass such a simple test. But surprisingly, the thriller biopic fails the test in the last two parameters as it doesn’t have any scenes to tick those boxes.

Applying the Bechdel test on Oppenheimer delivers the following results:

Are there 2 or more women in the movie?

Yes. Katherine Kitty Oppenheimer, Jean Tatlock, and more.

Do Kitty Oppenheimer and Jean Tatlock or other women in the film talk to each other?

No, not in any scene of significance.

Does the movie have two women talking about anything besides a man?

No."

As a conclusion, I really liked the movie. It is well interpreted, well written, directed and the production as whole ( clothing, make-up, effects...) are all well thought. I would say it is dense, and tragic at it's nature. It interprets an event that resumed in uncountable deaths. Maybe due to that, many people that I talked about it didn't think it was as good as other movie, such as Barbie. I think it is a matter of interpretation. But when looking at representing history, I believe it was a good take about the event.

[denimbex1986]

'Actor Cillian Murphy may embody the man behind Oppenheimer — physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer — but he's not playing the only Oppenheimer onscreen. Golden Globe Award winner Emily Blunt plays Oppenheimer's wife, Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, a biologist, botanist, and her husband's biggest champion.

This isn't the first time Blunt and Murphy have worked together, either. Their time on A Quiet Place Part II resulted in a friendship and working relationship that Blunt said helped bring the Oppenheimers' often dramatic real-life marriage to the big screen.

"I adore him as a person," Blunt told NBC Insider of her chemistry with Murphy. "He's a friend — I loved working with him before. We have a lot of trust with each other. And so it does lead to freedom in a scene with somebody when you just have a sort of history with them. It's like a sort of secret language or something.

"And I loved that going into this and walking in the shoes of this rather tempestuous couple that we knew each other," she continued. "So we understood all the nuance of how the other one liked to work but I think the scenes with Cillian because he's so transporting, they always sort of take on a different life than what's on the page and that's why I love working with him so much."

"Tempestuous" is an apt descriptor for the Oppenheimers' relationship.

Married in 1940, Robert and Kitty moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, with their eldest child Peter and the families of other scientists who were participating in the Manhattan Project. Their second child, Toni, was born in Los Alamos at the local hospital, which the Atomic Heritage Foundation explains was known as the “RFD,” for “rural free delivery” due to the high number of births that occurred within the Project’s first few years.

During her time in Los Alamos, Kitty suffered from isolation and addiction, which resulted in friction in her marriage. Additionally, Robert carried on a years-long affair with psychiatrist Jean Tatlock (portrayed by Florence Pugh in the film), which served as a stressor in his relationship with his wife.

All this and more will be shown in Oppenheimer when it premieres exclusively in theaters on July 21.'

[jmovielover]

81st Golden Globes Best Supporting Actress

In honor of The Golden Globes this weekend, here are the acting film nominees starting with the Supporting Actress category.

Emily Blunt as Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks as Sofia in The Color Purple

Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll in Nyad

Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in May December

Rosamund Pike as Lady Elspeth Catton in Saltburn

Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers

[emilybluntsource]

Emily Blunt ‘Appalled’ Over Resurfaced 2012 TV Interview in Which She Called a Waiter ‘Enormous’: ‘I Am So Sorry for Any Hurt Caused’

Emily Blunt is getting ahead of a potential scandal by telling People magazine she is “appalled” about a September 2012 appearance on the UK’s “Jonathan Ross Show” in which she called a waiter “enormous.” The actor was promoting her role in Rian Johnson’s “Looper” at the time. A clip of Blunt calling the waiter “enormous” must’ve begun circulating online, as the actor issued a statement to People in which she apologized for her language.

“If you go to Chili’s you can see why so many of our American friends are enormous,” Blunt told Ross during the interview. “Well the girl who was serving me was enormous.”

“I just need to address this head-on as my jaw was on the floor watching this clip from 12 years ago,” Blunt said Friday in a statement exclusive to People. “I’m appalled that I would say something so insensitive, hurtful and unrelated to whatever story I was trying to tell on a talk show.”

Blunt continued, “I’ve always considered myself someone who wouldn’t dream of upsetting anyone so whatever possessed me to say anything like this in that moment is unrecognizable to me or anything I stand for. And yet it happened, and I said it and I’m so sorry for any hurt caused. I was absolutely old enough to know better.”

Blunt had a supporting role in “Looper” opposite headliners Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. While she’s currently on strike as a member of SAG-AFTRA, she’ll most likely hit the awards season campaign trail hard when a contract is reached to promote her performance in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” Blunt is in the running for her first Oscar nomination. Her performance as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, the wife of J. Robert Oppenheimer, is being campaigned for best supporting actress.

According to People, Blunt’s comments to Ross were made on the Sept. 22, 2012 episode of his talk show. Other guests on that episode included English comedian John Bishop, the late “Harry Potter” actor Michael Gambon and music producers David Guetta and Jack Antonoff.

source: variety

[antoniakidman]

watch and review Oppenheimer (film)

WATCH MOVIE

In 1926, 22-year-old doctoral student J. Robert Oppenheimer studies under experimental physicist Patrick Blackett at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. Oppenheimer suffers from homesickness and anxiety and struggles doing the required lab work. Oppenheimer, upset with the demanding Blackett, leaves him a poison-laced apple but retrieves it. Visiting scientist Niels Bohr is impressed enough by Oppenheimer's intellect to recommend that he should instead study theoretical physics in Germany, where Oppenheimer completes his PhD. He later meets theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg at a conference in Switzerland.

Oppenheimer returns to the United States, wanting to expand quantum physics research there. He begins teaching at the University of California, Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology, starting with one student. He meets his future wife, Katherine "Kitty" Puening, a biologist and ex-communist, and also has an intermittent affair with Jean Tatlock, a member of the Communist Party USA, until her suicide a few years later. In 1938, Nazi Germany's progress in nuclear fission research spurs Oppenheimer and his colleagues to replicate their results. Leo Szilard and Albert Einstein then warn President Franklin D. Roosevelt of atomic weaponry's catastrophic potential.

In 1942, amid World War II, U.S. Army General Leslie Groves recruits Oppenheimer to lead the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb after Oppenheimer's assurances he has no communist sympathies. Oppenheimer, who is Jewish, is particularly driven by the Nazis' potentially completing their nuclear weapons program, headed by Heisenberg. Oppenheimer assembles a scientific team including Edward Teller and Isidor Isaac Rabi in Los Alamos, New Mexico and also collaborates with scientists Enrico Fermi and David L. Hill; he and Einstein discuss how an atomic bomb potentially risks triggering an unstoppable chain reaction that could ignite the atmosphere and destroy the world.

After Germany surrenders, some project scientists question the bomb's relevance, while Oppenheimer believes using it will quickly end the ongoing war in the Pacific, saving Allied lives. The Trinity test is successful and President Harry S. Truman orders Hiroshima and Nagasaki to be bombed, forcing Japan's surrender. Oppenheimer is thrust into the public eye as the "father of the atomic bomb", but the immense destruction and mass fatalities haunt him. He urges Truman to restrict further nuclear weapon development. Truman rejects Oppenheimer's advice, considering him weak.

As an advisor to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Oppenheimer advocates against further nuclear research, especially the hydrogen bomb proposed by Edward Teller. Oppenheimer's stance becomes a point of contention amid the tense Cold War with the Soviet Union. AEC Chairman Lewis Strauss deeply resents Oppenheimer after he publicly humiliated him by dismissing his concerns about exporting radioisotopes and also for Oppenheimer recommending arms talks with the Soviet Union.

At a hearing intended to eliminate his political influence, Oppenheimer is betrayed by Teller and other associates. Strauss exploits Oppenheimer's past associations with Communist party members. Despite allies testifying in his defense, Oppenheimer's security clearance is revoked, damaging his public image and neutralizing his policy influence. At Strauss's later Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Commerce, Hill testifies about Strauss's personal motives in engineering Oppenheimer's downfall. The U.S. Senate votes against Strauss's nomination. It is revealed that an earlier conversation between Einstein and Oppenheimer, in which Strauss believed Oppenheimer denigrated him, instead concerned nuclear weapons' possible cataclysmic consequences, with Oppenheimer believing they started a chain reaction that may destroy the world.