Oppenheimer
On the Same Page gives new students (and everyone else) at Berkeley something in common to talk about: a work that has changed the way we view the world. This year’s work, selected especially for the fall 2024 incoming class, is the film Oppenheimer.
Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award–winning film follows the spectacular rise and fall of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s career, beginning in the fall of 1929 when he arrived at Berkeley as an assistant professor in the physics department at the age of 25. The years he spent at Berkeley were a defining moment for the young professor and future father of the atomic bomb: here, he met close friends and collaborators, established his reputation as a charismatic public intellectual, and began his political awakening.
Our student reviewers were “fascinated by the questions the film raises about the value of technology” and “the role of academia in war.” Oppenheimer will change the way you see and think about UC Berkeley and our campus’s place in history and the world.
Watch Now
Stream Oppenheimer for free through UC Berkeley Library: Swank Digital Campus (CalNet authentication required)
New students will have access to streaming through UC Berkeley Library starting August 21, 2024 (more information).
Events
Free UC Berkeley Screening: Oppenheimer
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 | 5:00 PM (180 mins) | BAMPFA
Sunday, September 8, 2024 | 1:00 PM (180 mins) | BAMPFA
These screenings are only open to UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty as part of the On the Same Page program. Free tickets will be available at the admissions desk one hour prior to showtime. Attendees must present their Cal 1 Card to receive their ticket.
On the Same Page presents: What is Oppenheimer Good For? Panel Conversation and Q&A
Thursday, September 5, 2024 | 4:00–5:00 PM | Zellerbach Playhouse
Join us for a thought-provoking, interdisciplinary panel and Q&A discussion about the film Oppenheimer. We’ll hear from historians, physicists, and a filmmaker about Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award–winning film. Reception to follow.
This event is the first in a series this fall around Oppenheimer, presented by the On the Same Page program.
Panelists: Dmitri Brown, Assistant Professor of History, UC Berkeley; Cathryn Carson, Professor and Chair of History, UC Berkeley; Jon Else, Professor Emeritus of the Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley; Yasunori Nomura, Professor of Physics and Director of the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics, UC Berkeley; and Kyoko Sato, Associate Director of Science, Technology, and Society, Stanford University
Moderator: Steven Kahn, Professor of Physics, Professor of Astronomy, and Dean of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Introduction by Benjamin Hermalin, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UC Berkeley
Resources and News
Bancroft Library — Breaking Through: A Century of Physics at Berkeley
The Bancroft Library’s online exhibit about Oppenheimer at UC Berkeley, assembled by University Archivist David Farrell and web design and construction by Andrew Hon. Includes:
- Introduction
- The Origins of Physics at Berkeley (1868-1900)
- Learning the “Language of the Atom” (1900-1930)
- Seedtime for “Big Science” (1930-1950)
- Extending the Reach of Physics Research (1950-1968)
Oppenheimer’s Berkeley Years: Pioneering Research & Personal Legacy
Friday, July 28, 2023
11:30 AM–1:00 PM
Chevron Auditorium at International House
Film crew sends UC Berkeley back to the 1940s
June 2, 2022 | By Public Affairs
A major Hollywood studio sent UC Berkeley back to the 1940s at the end of May for a motion picture that was filmed on campus. The set, which included old cars and costumes, was constructed over two days in an area near Sather Tower, Wheeler Hall and Physics North, a 1924 building designed by John Galen Howard and known as LeConte Hall until 2020.
Faculty Planning Committee
Faculty with expertise in the themes of this year’s selection, from a wide range of disciplines, plan engaging events and activities for students throughout the academic year. In previous years, the faculty planning committee has organized panels, roundtables, film screenings, concerts, faculty dialogues, karaoke nights, contests, and more.
If you would like to join our efforts, please email Aileen Liu.
Acknowledgments
Selection Committee
David Ackerly, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, and Integrative Biology
Stephen Best, English and Film & Media
Elisa Diana Huerta, Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement
Corliss Lee, Library
Oliver O’Reilly, Mechanical Engineering
Aileen Liu, Chair, Director of Curricular Engagement Initiatives
Student Reviewers
Alaina Delsignore, Alexa Gutierrez Reyna, Carina Kim, Chris Harjadi, Daniela Arreola, Kierstyn Cohen, Kuldeep Dungarwal, Lucille Lorenz, McKinley Keys, Muhammad Ibrahim Noon, Nichelle Wong, Niki Ebrahimnejad, Prab Kaur, Samantha Lindsay, Sardaana Eginova, Sofia Gonzalez, and Zeyu Hou
Special thanks to Sonya Lee and Belinda White.
