| Oppenheimer | |
|---|---|
 2023 DVD cover | |
| Genre | Biopicdrama |
| Written by | Peter Prince |
| Directed by | Barry Davis |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | John Carson |
| Composer | Carl Davis |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Peter Goodchild |
| Cinematography | Rodney Taylor |
| Editor | Tariq Anwar |
| Running time | 57–68 minutes[1] |
| Production companies | |
| Budget | $1.5 million[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 29 October (1980-10-29) – 10 December 1980 (1980-12-10) |
Oppenheimer is a seven-partbiographicaldrama based on the life and career of American theoretical physicistJ. Robert Oppenheimer. Written byPeter Prince and directed by Barry Davis, the series is a co-production between theBBC andWGBH. It starsSam Waterston in the title role, with Jana Shelden, Christopher Muncke,Edward Hardwicke, andDavid Suchet in supporting roles, and is narrated byJohn Carson.
Oppenheimer premiered in the United Kingdom onBBC Two on 29 October 1980, and concluded on 10 December 1980, consisting of seven episodes.[1] The series won threeBAFTA TV Awards, includingBest Drama Series or Serial, from seven nominations. It received twoPrimetime Emmy Award nominations forOutstanding Limited Series andOutstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special for Prince. For his portrayal of Oppenheimer, Waterston was nominated for aBAFTA TV Award and aGolden Globe Award.
The series depicts Oppenheimer's wartime role as head of the weapons laboratory of theManhattan Project, during which he was under constant surveillance by the US federal government because of his association with communists. It culminates in aU.S. Atomic Energy Commissionhearing in 1954, in which Oppenheimer is stripped of his security clearance; largely because of theChevalier Incident.
Oppenheimer is a co-production between theBBC and Boston'sWGBH, which contributed 15 percent of the project's $1.5 million costs.[2][3] The series was executive produced by the BBC'sPeter Goodchild, who conceived the idea in 1975.[3] After producing a series on physicist and chemistMarie Curie, he set his sights on Oppenheimer.[2]
Oppenheimer was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom onBBC Two from 29 October to 10 December 1980, and in the United States onPBS from 11 May to 22 June 1982, as episodes of the first season ofAmerican Playhouse.[4][5] More than 40 years after its release, the series became available onBBC iPlayer following the success ofChristopher Nolan's2023 film of the same name, which also chronicles the career of Oppenheimer.[6][7][8]
John J. O'Connor ofThe New York Times wrote that J. Robert Oppenheimer was "persuasively" played by Sam Waterston and the series "is primarily interested in telling, quite absorbingly, one of the more puzzling and indeed astonishing stories of contemporary American history".[9] Bill Carter ofThe Baltimore Sun called it "never less than a fascinating portrait of a truly fascinating man" while criticizing a "choppy production technique that makes much of the film seem rather raw".[10]
Major GeneralKenneth Nichols disputed his portrayal in the series, saying that it "portrayed me serving as a personal aide to Groves on frequent visits to Los Alamos", when he did so only once.[11]
Edward Teller wrote in 1982 of the recent BBC production that "However, General Groves in this television drama is rather inadequately represented. (Even his girth was underestimated). Obviously no one with so little intelligence as the General Groves presented by the BBC, could have met the massive responsibilities of providing shelter, equipment, and materials with so little delay and impediment to the project."[12]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Drama Series or Serial | Peter Goodchild Barry Davis | Won | [13] |
| Best Actor | Sam Waterston | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music | Carl Davis | Won | |||
| Best Film Editor | Tariq Anwar | Won | |||
| Best Television Cameraman | Rodney Taylor | Nominated | |||
| Best Television Lighting | Clive Thomas | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Sound | Peter Edwards | Nominated | |||
| 1982 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Limited Series | Peter Goodchild Lindsay Law | Nominated | [14] |
| Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special | Peter Prince ("Part V") | Nominated | |||
| 1983 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film | Sam Waterston | Nominated | [15] |