Christopher Nolan explained his choice to use black and white scenes in his upcoming historical thriller Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer is a highly anticipated film about physicist J Robert Oppenheimer working with a team of scientists during the Manhattan Project, leading to the development of the atomic bomb. Nolan recently spoke with AP News about shooting the film in IMAX, as well as his creative choices on the page and onscreen.
“I knew I had two timelines that we used in the movie,” Nolan said. “One is in color, and that’s Oppenheimer’s subjective experience. That’s the bulk of the film. Then the other is a black-and-white timeline. It’s a more objective view of his story from a different character’s point of view.
It wouldn’t be the first time Nolan had used black-and-white scenes in his filmography. In his 2000 psychological thriller, Nolan had two timelines: the color scenes were played in reverse chronological order, and the black-and-white scenes were in forward chronological order. This upcoming film will be an example of how he uses color to distinguish perspectives.
When is Oppenheimer’s release date?
Oppenheimer is released on July 21, 2023. The cast includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Modine , Jack Quaid, David Dastmalachina, Jason Clarke, Josh Peck, Devon Bostick, Gary Oldman and Casey Affleck.