Oppenheimer fans spot historical error in Christopher Nolan epic
It's a minor detail but eagle-eyed fans of the historical epic have already been calling it out.
Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has been met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike, who have praised the performances of the cast, cinematography, soundtrack and historical detail.
Nolan is of course known for his keen eye for detail in mind-bending thrillers such as Inception and Tenet. However, it appears fans have already spotted one slight error in the new movie.
In a scene set in 1945, Cillian Murphy's J. Robert Oppenheimer is surrounded by a crowd waving hand-held American flags.
The problem is that the flag is the current version, featuring 50 stars to represent the 50 states. In 1945, the USA was made up of 48 states, without Alaska and Hawaii, and a 48-star flag was used until 1959, many years after the scene is set.
Fans were quick to point out the minor historical error on Twitter, but one made a compelling case for why this may actually have been done intentionally.
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The fan wrote: "Personally I think it was done intentionally, because coloured scenes were from Oppenheimer's perspective which is his present day's memory. That was after the 50-star flag was established".
Intentional or not, with the film getting as positive reactions as it has, we're sure most audience members will be able to overlook this.
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Nolan's next project has not officially been revealed yet, but it certainly seems as though the director would be interested in helming a very different movie to Oppenheimer: the next James Bond film.
Nolan said in a recent interview: "I love the films, it would be an amazing privilege to do one. At the same time, when you take on a character like that you’re working within a particular set of constraints.
"And so you have to have the right attitude towards that, it has to be the right moment in your creative life where you can express what you want to express and really burrow into something within the appropriate constraints, because you would never want to take on something like that and do it wrong."
Oppenheimer is in UK cinemas now. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
