Netflix has released a new docudrama titled Einstein and the Bomb, that narrates the story of the German-born theoretical physicist’s life and career. Interestingly, this project used archival footage and starred Aidan McArdle as Albert Einstein.
One of the most popular films of 2023 was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. It starred Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss. Furthermore, it even starred Tom Conti as Einstein. Interestingly, this epic biographical thriller film showed that Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein were important in developing nuclear weapons. However, that is not completely true. In reality, the duo rarely met. People have described their relationship as “cordial and complicated”.
Ultimately, there was no direct relation between Einstein’s contributions to Oppenheimer’s work. However, it can’t be denied that the 1921 Nobel Prize winner’s work influenced several scientists.
According to Tudum by Netflix, the description of Einstein and the Bomb reads, “What, exactly, was Albert Einstein’s involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb — and how did the world’s most famous physicist grapple with the morality of that work? The existential threat posed by nuclear weapons has resurfaced in popular culture in large part due to Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-nominated Oppenheimer, in which Albert Einstein (played by Tom Conti) is depicted advising J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who played a pivotal role in the development of atomic weapons.”
It further reads, “In reality, Oppenheimer and Einstein likely only met a few times — their relationship has been described as “cordial and complicated” — and, ultimately, Einstein’s contributions to Oppenheimer’s work were theoretical and indirect. In addition to offering context to the looming moral dilemma of atomic weaponry, the film depicts moments from Einstein’s life and career, offering important context to one of the most renowned and influential physicists in history.”
Albert Einstein claimed that his involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb was a mistake
Einstein and the Bomb described the German-born theoretical physicist as a radical pacifist. He was a brilliant scientist who possessed moral conviction and got amused by the greatest scientific mysteries of the world.
Interestingly, in the project, Albert Einstein’s character in one instance states is involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb was a mistake. He says, “I’ve made one great mistake in my life. Had I known the Germans would not succeed in producing an atomic bomb. I would not have taken part in opening that Pandora’s box.”
Albert Einstein believed that the Nazi regime was developing atomic weapons. This prompted him to write President Franklin Delano Roosevelt a letter. Interestingly, this led to an arms war that changed the course of history. Einstein and the Bomb also showcased how a compass planted the Nobel Prize winner’s interest in physics. In the docudrama, he states, “As a child, 4 or 5, my father showed me a compass. This experience made a deep and lasting impression on me. Since this needle behaved in such a determined way, something deeply hidden had to be behind things… The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”
Albert Einstein was born on 14 March 1879 and died on 18 April 1955 at the age of 76.
