With all the renewed interest in this brilliant, complex, and controversial scientist, who ushered in the atomic age, and later became one its most important philosophers, we now have a long awaited DVD issue of this dramatic series, based upon the book of Peter Goodchild: "J Robert Oppenheimer: Shatterer of Worlds.
This was a joint production of the BBC/WGBH, starring Sam Waterston as JRO. Although the script took some liberties with dialogue, it was for the most part accurate, both historically, and, insofar as was possible, in that it was dealing with a subject based upon still classified material, scientifically. It alludes to a large FBI file on Oppenheimer, which was becoming more available at the time of production, and an invaluable source for historians.
The 7 episodes follow Oppenheimer from his Berkeley days to Los Alamos where the bomb was built and tested, to Princeton and Washington, where he held court after the War, as the director of the Institute of Advanced Studies(where he was Einstein's boss)and a consultant to the AEC as the nation's premier advisor on atomic energy, through the beginning of his exile following the stripping of his security clearance.
The drama is especially good on both the deliberations of the Interim committee, which discussed the possible uses of the bomb once it was to be finished, as well as the Security Hearing which led to the stripping of Oppenheimer's clearance. Notable performances are given by both Sam Waterston, as Oppenheimer, and Manning Redwood as Groves. David Suchet is also memorable as Edward Teller." (Written by Mark Borowsky, M.D.)
