Wonders Are Many The Making of Doctor Atomic
March 2009 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

In 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer headed a group of scientists at Los Alamos that built and detonated the first atomic bomb. In 2005, contemporary composer John Adams and librettist/director Peter Sellars wrote a hit opera about that event. This thrilling and intriguing documentary lays both stories side by side. As the viewer sees the creation of the bomb, he also sees the evolution of the opera.

The 1945 sequences feature live-action footage and still photographs that have just recently been declassified. Don’t think this is just another A-bomb movie. There’s footage here that you will never have seen and is likely to take your breath away. I had never seen the somewhat horrific shots of penned-up farm animals filmed during tests taking place after World War II ended, nor have I seen many of the explosion shots. One features a ship in the foreground with rolling clouds of destruction behind it that seem hell bent on grabbing the seemingly helpless vessel, while other shots show the explosions as beautiful orange-yellow fireballs. Composer John Adams talks about these, noting that the atomic bomb explosions are sexy and have a strange and powerful beauty. Seen from afar, I must agree with him, but there are also some still shots here of people who were instantly incinerated at Hiroshima, and these graphically show the horrible results the bomb produced.

There are many photographs of the charismatic Oppenheimer, even some live footage. According to eyewitnesses who give some interview bits, he never felt guilty about creating the bomb until he knew that he was going to die in six months. The moral dilemma facing the team that exploded the first bomb is discussed in some detail, however; and it’s ironically noted that there were many babies born at the Los Alamos camp during the team’s stay. While developing an instrument of war that would take thousands of lives in the blink of an eye, the scientists were also creating life.

The opera is studied from the first rehearsal, with Gerald Finley as Oppenheimer, a role that has become a signature one for the exceptionally gifted singer. The eccentric and energetic Peter Sellars is much in evidence in almost every rehearsal shot, as is composer Adams, making changes and additions right up to the last minute. There are cuts to the stage shop where a crew is building a stage bomb, using original drawings so that it will look like the real thing. I previously noted that a lot of the pictorials are just recently declassified. A lot of the text is the same. Sellars has a unique cut-and-paste technique for choosing the words that were used in the libretto. We’re shown that process and also often shown the music page while hearing the text sung, then shown the final result. The viewer of this documentary can really feel like he or she is part of the creative process. Yes, that goes for the bomb, too.

The editing and cutting are nothing short of astonishing. These two stories are put together so that at times the result seems like one story, or at least two commenting closely on each other. The opera-production footage is all color, while the 1940s archival footage is mixed color and black-and-white. The picture is always very good, moving up to excellent once in a while, and never backing off to merely good. The sound is about the same, which does seem a pity, because Adams’s orchestrations are so brilliant and could use sound with more dynamic range. By the way, you do not have to be an opera or documentary lover to enjoy this film. It’s in English for one thing, and it crosses all the lines and borders to present exciting entertainment.

There are a few extras, which include a three-minute trailer and a very short printed biography of the director, Jon Else. The latter is the sole voice on the commentary track, which is very interesting in giving away facts about making a documentary and putting so much material together so that it works.

I’ve seen quite a few documentaries through the years and this is one of the very best. Don’t miss it.

• Go Back