Usually, a question about a film’s colour palette would be fairly straightforward to answer. If you have seen any of the promotional materials for Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited biographical thriller Oppenheimer, you might be curious. That’s because some images of Oppenheimer are clearly in black and white and you may be wondering if it’s like this throughout its three-hour runtime.
The film is an enthralling retelling of the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb”. It documents his early years studying at university, the beginnings of his career, and his role in the Manhattan Project. In addition, the movie explores his romantic relationships and life after World War II, including his fall from grace and the revocation of his security clearance.
Oppenheimer‘s narrative is not linear, however. The film jumps back and forth from different points in Oppenheimer’s life. And while the majority of its story is told from his perspective, other sections focus on different characters – primarily Robert Downey Jr.’s Lewis Strauss.
But how is this related to the film being in colour or black and white?
Is Oppenheimer in black and white?
Oppenheimer is mostly in colour, however there are some black and white sections in the film.
Christopher Nolan explained to Total Film that he did this to differentiate between subjective and objective parts of the movie’s narrative.
This is evident during colour scenes told from J. Robert Oppenheimer’s perspective and the scenes objectively retelling the Senate confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss in black and white.
While moviegoers will likely be most interested in Oppenheimer’s work as part of the Manhattan Project, what happens afterwards is equally intriguing. This is largely thanks to Robert Downey Jr.’s masterful performance as Lewis Strauss (shown mostly in black and white), who hopes to remove Oppenheimer from political influence.
Did you enjoy the black and white sections of Oppenheimer? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other Film & TV articles…
