Oppenheimer and the Fictionalization of Historical Events

Written By: Bobby Lynch

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer follows the life of Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and the creation of the atomic bomb. The three-hour epic touches on all aspects of Oppenheimer's life, from his personal relationships to his work on the Manhattan Project. Despite Nolan's truly superb efforts, it is almost impossible to adapt a piece of history such as this one with 100% accuracy. When adapting a historical event, elements must be added (or ignored) to add to the dramatics of the narrative. Without such elements, a filmmaker is risking the overall enjoyability of the film just to preserve historical accuracy. An extreme example of a fictionalized historical narrative is Don DeLillo’s Libra. The novel fabricates entire characters and storylines in the name of creating an enjoyable reading experience. By using fictionalized elements in a historical narrative, both DeLillo and Nolan can tell a better story than they otherwise would have.  

 

While the fictionalized elements are more subtle in Oppenheimer versus Libra, it is still important to note how Nolan uses them to add to the film's narrative. Oppenheimer's wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt), is depicted in the film as an alcoholic who stays at home while her husband is out working on the Manhattan Project. This trait of hers in the film is based on her real alcoholic tendencies in her later years. Despite this, Kitty was still an accomplished botanist who had a job working in the Los Alamos health center. By embellishing her dependence on alcohol, Nolan adds a depth to both Kitty and Oppenheimer's characters that undoubtably makes the film more interesting. Her overindulgence of alcohol is central in various scenes in the film, as she is prone to violent outbursts because of her drinking. This also adds to Oppenheimer's character as he grapples with the consequences of an alcoholic wife.  

Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his wife Kitty (Emily Blunt) in an argument.

 

As opposed to taking the real-life tendencies of a person and simply embellishing their prevalence for dramatic effect, Libra invents entire characters with fabricated personalities and motives to increase its captivation. One of the book's most central characters, Nicholas Branch, is an invented character whose actions and motivations are fictitious. In the novel, Branch is assigned to research the assassination of President Kennedy many years after the event. He concludes that the assassination was orchestrated by the CIA to spark further resentment against Cuba. Of course, Branch’s actions, motivations, and findings are not a piece of history being displayed in a manner for the reader to digest. He is a manufactured character that has no ties to real life and the events surrounding the assassination of JFK. DeLillo has written an amazing piece of historical fiction that is meant to serve as a fantastical tale rather than an actual piece of nonfiction. His inclusion of a character such as Branch is what creates such an interesting narrative for a reader to enjoy.  

Don Delillo, author of Libra.

When discussing works of historical fiction such as Libra and Oppenheimer, some may have grievances with the inclusion of these fictitious elements. They may not like the fact that fiction is added into a story that is grounded in fact and history. What these people fail to understand is that these books and movies that may be based on historical events, are meant for mass entertainment. Most people may not want to read or watch nonfiction because they might find it boring. We read books and we watch movies to become infatuated with the story and to be transported to a new world that we find interesting. If a story wasn't interesting, why even bother to read or watch it? To those that still critique historical fiction for its inaccuracy, I say, ‘Have fun reading your textbook; let us keep the good stories for ourselves.’