Every reporter: Du Weiding Zhouyang Every editor: Song Hong, Liang Xiao, Chen Junjie, Liu Linpeng
"Prometheus, who stole fire for mankind, is the incarnation of light, and can also be the incarnation of death." Christopher ·This sentence introduced by Nolan at the beginning of the movie " Oppenheimer " is thought-provoking. It not only moved countless audiences, but also impressed the judges of the Academy Awards.
On March 11, the 96th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA. "Oppenheimer" swept the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor. 7 Oscars for Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
Nolan received the first statuette in his life. Video screenshot
This is the first statuette in Nolan’s life.
For Nolan, winning this Oscar is not only an affirmation of his numerous past commercial successes, but also recognition of his long-term pursuit of the pinnacle of art. In the past, Nolan has competed for Oscar awards many times through " Memento ", " Inception ", " Dunkirk ", etc., but unfortunately, he always missed the award.
The 54-year-old Nolan finally won the Oscar for Best Director for "Oppenheimer". This moment of honor is undoubtedly the highlight of his career. After receiving the "Little Golden Man" from Spielberg, Nolan said in his acceptance speech: "Special thanks to Kay Bird and Martin Sherwin for their 25 years of hard work in producing this book, and thanks to the producers. Someone put this book in my hands."
The success of "Oppenheimer" is inseparable from the original biography behind the film "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" "(hereinafter referred to as "The Biography of Oppenheimer"). This most complete biography of Oppenheimer embodies the efforts and wisdom of authors Kay Byrd and Martin Sherwin. To this end, they interviewed nearly a hundred of Oppenheimer's close friends, relatives and colleagues, and consulted more than 50,000 precious documents. As soon as the biography came out, it won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006, which shows its importance.
Kay Bird (photo provided by the interviewee)
During the filming of the "Oppenheimer" movie, the Nolan team was deeply inspired by the original work and combined Oppenheimer's legendary experience with the mythical story of Prometheus Combined, it presents a work that has both a sense of history and a sense of modern technology. Nolan himself also expressed his deep respect and gratitude to Kay Bird. It is precisely with the support of such an excellent original work that the brilliant success of the "Oppenheimer" movie was achieved. Moreover, Kay Bird is also the screenwriter of "Oppenheimer".
On the eve of the 96th Academy Awards, a reporter from "Daily Economic News" had an exclusive interview with Kay Bird and listened to his interesting stories about writing a biography and working with Nolan. Kay Bird also talks about how humanity should deal with each new "Oppenheimer" moment.
During the trip, Kay Bird accepted a video interview with a reporter from "Daily Economic News" in the hotel room.
The content of the interview unfolded in the form of a self-narration:
I hope Nolan's film will be successful.
Teach Hollywood how to make serious movies.
I am biased. I really hope the movie "Oppenheimer" wins a few more Oscars.
This movie not only includes the past events about World War II and many scientists, but more importantly, it explains to us the present in an artistic way: How should we understand the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other events that are happening in front of us? The story of "Oppenheimer" reminds us: we are still living in the shadow of the atomic bomb, and the whole world is still living in an era created by Oppenheimer.
"When you have an ideal, be careful about the day it comes true" - because it may be very scary, far beyond your expectations. The power of nuclear weapons far exceeded Oppenheimer's prior calculations, and the casualties caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were several times greater than expected.What is more difficult is not the chain reaction of the atomic bomb itself, but the complex catalysis it triggers at the political, diplomatic, social and other levels. This is beyond the control of a physicist. His "dream" turns into a nightmare the moment it is achieved. .
Oppenheimer himself (left), stills (right) (pictured according to Douban Movies)
Nolan used "time magic" to connect and echo the dialogues and scenes of the film. There is a scene in the film: the brief silence before the explosion of the atomic bomb paved the way for the subsequent deafening, and the mushroom cloud changed from bright and dazzling to pitch black. This unexpected and frightening power left Oppenheimer with lingering fears, and he poured his heart and soul into it. The Los Alamos base turned into a purgatory that he wanted to escape from quickly...
In fact, various historical evidence later proved that the reason for Japan's surrender in World War II was not just the US military dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But this history is a complex and mysterious story for most Americans. To this day, many people still believe that the two atomic bombs ended the war.
What pleased me was that Nolan included such a line in the movie - after the atomic bombs were exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer turned his head to Edward Teller and said: "You know, Edward, I just learned from the briefing in Washington how close Japan came to surrender. I was very troubled by the fact that we were using this weapon against a largely defeated enemy."
Although, this is just the movie "Oppenheimer" " tells a small part of the story, but allows the audience to appreciate the complexity of history.
So I hope that the success of Nolan's movies will teach filmmakers in Hollywood and around the world how to make serious movies. Filmmakers have a responsibility to capture real human stories and complex histories, not just super action heroes.
"Martin, who has worked for 25 years, did not see all this.
It is my biggest regret."
After the movie "Oppenheimer" was released, I received invitations from many places around the world: I went to Los Angeles, USA, to visit the bomb site. manufacturing site; went to Oxford University in England to participate in a debate on nuclear weapons; visited China to meet with movie fans; and also went to Italy, India and other places.
The global box office of "Oppenheimer" (photo according to box office mojo)
At Oxford University, I participated in a debate on nuclear weapons. I made it clear that I oppose the use of nuclear weapons. As Oppenheimer said, nuclear weapons are weapons of terror and weapons of aggressors. The debate is over whether nuclear deterrence is successful. My point is this: Although we have lived with atomic bombs for more than 75 years, that is just a drop in the ocean of time, nuclear weapons are still very dangerous, and we should get rid of them and ban them instead of relying on them for deterrence. My argument was persuasive and I won the debate 140 to 90 votes.
"Oppenheimer" is a daunting subject for any biographer. My writing partner, Martin Sherwin, has been writing a biography of Oppenheimer since 1980. He visited more than 150 relatives, friends, and colleagues of Oppenheimer during his lifetime, and spent 25 years of hard work.
Martin once told me that there were some holes in his research and gave me several boxes of information. But as I began sifting through relevant information, I realized that Martin’s research was meticulous and wide-ranging, leaving almost no gaps.
My biggest regret is that Martin Sherwin is no longer with us. He did not have the opportunity to watch this film and share the writing process with everyone.
Martin Sherwin (picture according to Douban)
"The Biography of Oppenheimer" was published in 2005. Martin and I won the Pulitzer Prize for it, but this is still a niche book, lying quietly on the bookshelf Last 16 years. Until the fall of 2021, I received a call from Nolan: "I want to talk to you about this book."
In March 2021, one of Nolan's producers gave him the title "The Biography of Oppenheimer" After reading the book, Nolan told the producers that he was interested in making the movie. Then Nolan read the book again, took careful notes, and even wrote a first draft of more than 200 pages of the script.In September 2021, Nolan contacted me and we had a three-hour meeting. After parting ways with Nolan, I couldn't wait to return to Martin. At that time, 84-year-old Martin had terminal lung cancer and could not fly to New York for this meeting. I told Martin that I thought Nolan had a very thorough understanding of the book. Two weeks later, Martin died.
A few months later, I received another call from Nolan. He handed me the script of more than 180 pages and asked me to sit in the hotel room and read it: "Read it as long as you want."
This is a The adapted script is true to the original work, and I saw dialogue and scenes that originated from the book. I have a few small suggestions for this very wonderful script. After that, it took Nolan only 57 days to complete the shooting, and editing took a year. This is a wonderful work that is both art on the screen and serious history.
Will always be called the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" in the United States
It is Oppenheimer's tragic fate
Regarding the development of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer had long been painfully aware that if it succeeded, it would be used in the entire city, large Most of the victims will be innocent women, children and the elderly. Because the atomic bomb was not used against a specific military target, its explosion would destroy entire cities and kill thousands of innocent people, but Oppenheimer had no choice.
Because Germany was about to develop an atomic bomb at that time, Oppenheimer understood the extremely capable German physicist Heisenberg. If scientists from the fascist camp were ahead in the race to build a nuclear weapon, Hitler would have used it to win the war. So Oppenheimer knew he had to do this, even though he was deeply worried about the tragedy that would result if the United States had an atomic bomb.
Stills from the movie "Oppenheimer" (video screenshots)
Being forever known as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" in the United States was Oppenheimer's tragic fate. He didn't want to be the "father" of a horrific weapon, but that was his destiny.
For Oppenheimer, the atomic bomb not only destroyed the world, but also destroyed his personal life. In 1945 he became the most famous scientist in the United States and was regarded as a national hero. His photos also appeared on the covers of magazines such as Time and Newsweek, and he gained great influence.
Stills from the movie "Oppenheimer" (video screenshots)
At the same time, he began to inform the public about the dangers of the atomic bomb. He mentioned "my hands are stained with blood" in public speeches; he was committed to curbing nuclear threats. , courageously leads people away from the misguided path of nuclear bomb culture. However, the conscience of scientists was incompatible with the background of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union at that time. Oppenheimer was deeply involved in the whirlpool of political struggle. He insisted on somehow putting back the "nuclear genie" released from the "magic bottle". However, the political forces opposed to him wanted to "determine to put the nuclear genie back in". Benheimer put it in a bottle and threw it into the sea.”
Nine years later, Oppenheimer was tried and humiliated during a security hearing in a secret court, and his loyalty to the United States was questioned. Oppenheimer's security clearance was revoked, and the transcript of that hearing was leaked to the outside world. Oppenheimer's private life was exposed and he was slandered as a spy. He eventually died unjustly and was only cleared sixty years later.
My wife "saved" me twice
The writing of "The Biography of Oppenheimer" undoubtedly brought me a huge sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. But let’s face it: books are a bad business.
The paperback price of "Oppenheimer's Life" in the United States is 18 to 20 US dollars, and the author's royalties are 7%, which means that for every book sold, the author can only get a small amount of income. Therefore, the sales of the book must be very, very large for the author to profit from the book. The number one book on the New York Times bestseller list can sell 40,000 copies, but for the 330 million people in the United States, these 40,000 copies are insignificant. Book publishing has always been a difficult business, operating on very small profits for a long time. I believe the situation is similar in China, where not many people are willing to read paper books.
Chinese translation of "The Biography of Oppenheimer" (Photo provided by CITIC Press)
I was a reporter with a very low salary. After working as a reporter for 10 years, I wanted to write a book. I couldn't do any of this without my wife, Susan. She has a good job and is very supportive of me. She supports my dream by paying rent and living expenses.
My last book, The President, about Jimmy Carter, took six years to write and I felt very tired when I finished it. In fact, being a writer is a lonely journey. You must sit alone in a quiet place and write the story you want to express on paper. So my strategy for writing a book is to take it one day at a time. I only write for three hours a day, but I write every day, including Christmas and all holidays. The most important thing about writing is persistence.
As much as I was tired of the solitary life of a writer, I have to say that about six months after writing "The President," I started to get bored. I felt I had to write a new book. A good writer is someone who is addicted to writing and telling stories. So when you find a person or topic that interests you and become obsessed with it, it drives you to understand and express stories about the person or topic that interests you.
After writing "The Biography of Oppenheimer", Martin and I originally named the book "opie", which was the nickname of Oppenheimer. We thought it was a cute name and it was very short. It sounds great, I want to try it. When the book was ready to go to the printers, the editor called us and told us that the marketing people said there was no way they could sell a book called Obie and gave us two days to come up with a different title. .
After watching the movie "Oppenheimer", many Chinese netizens began to follow "Oppenheimer" (Screenshot of Douban)
I was about to fall asleep that night, and Susan suddenly turned to me and said, "You Why not call the book 'Prometheus'?" I turned around and said "No, I don't think so, it's too complicated. 'Prometheus' is obscure and a lot of people don't understand it. Remember this tragic story in Greek mythology."
And early the next morning, Martin called me and said very excitedly: "Last night my friend and another biographer Ronald Si Teal went out to dinner and Ronald suggested the title 'American Prometheus.'" Martin also thought it was a good title, and I agreed.
Susan and Ronald had never communicated, but on the same night they both came up with the title. The trouble is me, I listened to Ronald but not to my wife (laughing). But no matter what, Susan was very proud of it. Looking back now, this is a really good title. Prometheus was punished by Zeus for stealing fire and giving it to humans. The same was true for Oppenheimer. He brought the fire of the atomic bomb to the world and was tortured and tortured throughout his life.
"The Biography of Oppenheimer" has a score of 8.1 on Douban (Screenshot of Douban)
Artificial intelligence is another "Oppenheimer moment" we are facing
Indeed, as the philosopher Hegel said, "Human beings are the only ones from The lesson learned from history is that humans never learn lessons from history.” But I think Oppenheimer would argue that humans are fragile and they make many of the same mistakes, but we can still learn from history.
For example, Nolan's film persuaded millions of people who saw the film to think about this period of history, read "Oppenheimer" and learn something from it. I came to China to communicate with readers, and to my surprise, a large number of young readers read this book, which is very inspiring. They may not have known who Oppenheimer was before, but had only vaguely associated his name with the atomic bomb. Because of this movie, they can learn about this history at a young age. When they grow up, when they are able to make some choices, they will think and consider issues from a human perspective, not just immediate interests.
Oppenheimer's proposition will never go out of style. We live in a global community filled with science and technology, computers and artificial intelligence. The scientists behind all breakthroughs will face their own "Oppenheimer" time".
Technology is developing too fast, and the world around us is also changing rapidly. My grandparents were born in a world without cars, and now we have rockets, spaceships, and computers that we can talk to. It is foreseeable that the world will change faster in the next 10 to 30 years. However, we all face a choice when using new technologies – what to do when there is a conflict between human development and technological progress? We need scientists with conscience and concern about the fate of mankind to stand up and explain everything to the public.
Stills from the movie "Oppenheimer" (pictures according to Douban)
Now, artificial intelligence is mankind's "Oppenheimer moment". Sam Altman, one of the creators of artificial intelligence, once said that this is a moment where we are at the beginning of a new revolution in this new kind of science, artificial intelligence, where we have "nuclear weapons" like Oppenheimer.
We should now consider: how to use artificial intelligence to solve some difficult problems, how to tame it and how to integrate it into society in a more humane way, and how to formulate rules about privacy. While we can no more stop science from running amok than we can stop the invention of the atomic bomb, we can learn to regulate it and find appropriate ways to live with it.
It is the responsibility of scientists to explain complexity. For us ordinary people, we need to have the ability to understand complexity, which requires everyone to read more. Nowadays, everyone cannot stop watching short videos. You can easily spend several hours a day on short videos, but spending an hour or two to pick up a book and read is considered to be hard work.
Stills from the movie "Oppenheimer" (pictures according to Douban)
When I was in my 20s, there was TV but no Internet or short videos. Reading was the cheapest entertainment. Nowadays, computers, mobile phones, tablets... all screens are competing for your time. This is a very scary thing. In the "information cocoon" of the algorithm, you cannot get information beyond your cognitive scope. Books are much more effective than short videos at conveying large, complex stories as well as history and emotion, but you have to sit down and do it alone, just like the author has to sit down and do it alone.
Our lives do not have to be dominated by technology. Nolan doesn’t have a smartphone, or even email, let alone short videos. He pays attention to new technologies, and it’s not that he doesn’t know how to surf the Internet. He just doesn’t want to be carried away by the inertia of swiping his mobile phone, causing his time and attention to be cut into pieces.
Nolan is obsessed with exploring "space and time", and most of his works are about this big theme. Nolan, who does not use a smartphone, has made such imaginative and technologically hard-core movies as "Memento," "Inception," "Interstellar," "Dunkirk" and "Oppenheimer."
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