Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Will Feature A Very Cool First For IMAX Cameras
Keeping in line with previous press tours, Christopher Nolan is playing a lot of cards close to the chest with his latest feature "Oppenheimer." One of the few ways you can see its teaser trailer, which premiered theatrically with "Nope," is through a YouTube live stream that has been running since July 28, 2022. Each time it refreshes, the countdown within shaves a minute off, and will likely continue going until its summer release date next year. When the clock strikes zero, the world will finally see what Nolan has unleashed upon the world.
On top of being aware that "Oppenheimer" will tackle the life of the titular scientist (Cillian Murphy) amid the formation of the Manhattan Project, which of course would give way to the destructive force of the Atomic Bomb, one of the film's most notable aspects is that of its enormous cast. Names like Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Josh Peck, James Remar, Benny Safdie, Olivia Thirlby, Florence Pugh, and Jack Quaid are present, and that's barely scratching the surface.
Lastly, we know that Nolan is once again returning to IMAX, which made his films "The Dark Knight," "Dunkirk," and "Tenet" almost appointment viewing. In each of these films, he's found a way to push the boundaries with what the form is capable of, and it appears that "Oppenheimer" is going to push it further.
IMAX is going black and white
Where Nolan's inaugural feature "Following" was presented in black and white, his labyrinth thriller follow-up "Memento" alternated between that and color. With "Oppenheimer," Nolan is returning to the world of black and white. There was only one issue, however, as IMAX cameras had never shot in black and white before, which pushed the "Interstellar" filmmaker to get crafty (via GamesRadar+):
"We challenged the people at Kodak photochem to make this work for us [...] And they stepped up. For the first time ever, we were able to shoot IMAX film in black-and-white. And the results were thrilling and extraordinary. As soon as Hoyte [van Hoytema] and I saw the first tests come in, we just knew that this was a format that we were immediately in love with."
You can try to reverse engineer a scene to look black and white in the post-production stages, but if Nolan's going to do something, he'll attempt to do it practically first. After all, he went out and bought a real 747 plane to crash to his heart's desire during the making of "Tenet" rather than having someone construct it on a computer later.
Seeing as "Oppenheimer" will be presented in both color and black and white, I'm very interested to see the contrast between their presentations, especially in such a vivid format. I wouldn't be shocked if Nolan is attempting a reverse "Wizard of Oz," where the film starts out colorful, but after the detonation of the A-bomb, the world devolves into the ashy sorrow of black and white, or if the explosion unleashes the ugliness of color unto our world.
"Oppenheimer" is set to hit theaters on July 23, 2023.