''The Day After Trinity'' (or ''The Day After Trinity: J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb'') is a 1981

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

directed and produced by Jon H. Else in association with KTEH public television in San Jose, California.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967), the theoretical physicist who led the effort to build the first atomic bomb, tested in July 1945 at

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

site in New Mexico. It features interviews with several

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...

scientists, as well as newly declassified archival footage. The film's title comes from an interview seen near the conclusion of the documentary. Robert Oppenheimer is asked for his thoughts on Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's efforts to urge President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

to initiate talks to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. "It's 20 years too late," Oppenheimer replies. After a pause, he states, "It should have been done the day after Trinity."

Interviewees

:''In order of first appearance'' * Haakon Chevalier – writer, friend of J. Robert Oppenheimer * Hans Bethe – Los Alamos physicist, Nobel laureate in physics * Francis Fergusson – writer, friend of J. Robert Oppenheimer * Robert Serber – physicist, Los Alamos * Robert Wilson – physicist, Los Alamos * Frank Oppenheimer – physicist, Los Alamos, brother of Robert Oppenheimer * I.I. Rabi – Manhattan Project physicist, Nobel laureate *

Freeman Dyson Freeman John Dyson (15 December 1923 – 28 February 2020) was a British-American theoretical physics, theoretical physicist and mathematician known for his works in quantum field theory, astrophysics, random matrix, random matrices, math ...

– physicist,

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

* Stirling Colgate – physicist, Los Alamos * Stan Ulam – mathematician, Los Alamos *Robert Porton – G.I., at Los Alamos during World War II *Françoise Ulam – writer, wife of Stanislaw Ulam * Dorothy McKibbin – former head, Manhattan Project office, Santa Fe, New Mexico *Robert Krohn – physicist, Los Alamos *Jane Wilson – writer, wife of Robert Wilson * Jon Else – filmmaker, interviewer *Holm Bursom – rancher, Socorro, New Mexico *Dave MacDonald – rancher, Socorro, New Mexico *Susan Evans – resident, New Mexico *Elizabeth Ingram – merchant, San Antonio, New Mexico

Interviewees in archival film

* J. Robert Oppenheimer * General Leslie Groves * President Harry Truman * Senator Joseph McCarthy

Home media

''The Day After Trinity'' was released on VHS cassette by Pyramid Home Video, and on Region 1 DVD by Image Entertainment. A CD-ROM that was released in 1995 included interviews, transcripts, annotations, biographies, and other information. In July 2023, after the release of Christopher Nolan's '' Oppenheimer'', the Criterion Channel streamed ''The Day After Trinity'' for free; it was one of the service's most-streamed films during that time. It is also available for free viewing and download at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Reviews

Awards

''The Day After Trinity'' was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Documentary Feature of

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, and received a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

in 1981. The film also won a CINE Golden Eagle Award.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Day After Trinity, The 1980 films 1980 documentary films American documentary films 1980s English-language films Documentary films about nuclear war and weapons Films about the Manhattan Project Films with screenplays by David Peoples Films with screenplays by Janet Peoples J. Robert Oppenheimer Peabody Award–winning broadcasts 1980s American films Films about physicists Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award winners English-language documentary films