Einstein and the Bomb

"Einstein and the Bomb" was clearly meant to piggyback on the success of "Oppenheimer". But in terms of journalism and content, it is a failure. Far too much time was spent focusing on Hitler-Germany and Einstein's Jewish background, and far too little time on Einstein's work and personal life. There was also too much focus on his time in England, without a word being spoken about his time in Switzerland, which was far more important. It was in Bern where Einstein wrote his Special Theory of Relativity. There was even a major international event in Bern to mark the 100th anniversary of the Special Theory that drew eminent scientists from all over the world. (I reported on it for Swiss Radio International).

Einstein described his life in the Swiss capital as the happiest and most productive period of his career. His apartment on Kramgasse in Bern's old town near The Bear Pit is a popular museum, visited by people from all over the world. Einstein was also a Swiss citizen. But not one second of the story was devoted to this. There was only a brief pan-shot of Zurich (not Bern) without any label or explanation. Totally out of context. This is bad journalism and inexcusable.

If you are interested in more about Einstein in Bern, you'll find it under that title.

Most of us are aware of the theoretical pathways that led to Hitler's rise. This collection of footage offers a tangible, step-by-step journey into that historical period, providing a profound understanding of the events. It's also fascinating to delve into Albert Einstein's thought processes. Beyond his scientific genius, Einstein demonstrated worldly acumen, such as his timely escape from Germany and his advisory role to Oppenheimer, showcasing his ability to blend intellectual prowess with practical wisdom. His foresight and strategic thinking were remarkable, revealing a man who was much more than just a "science nerd."

Although I'm very familiar with the history and the physics, I was still excited to see the make a great Netflix documentary and see how they plan to together his only slight relationship with the Manhattan project, and maybe more bio before, and after producing general and specific theories of relativity.

But my largest complaint aside from Netflix, not doing the above is that this piece is completely all over the place, jumping timelines out of order going from one date to the other any linear storytelling and more over, I don't think they knew what they wanted here. What you get are bits and pieces of Einstein's history, bits and pieces of the rise of national socialism and the Nazi movement bits and pieces of where Einstein went and some of what he spoke about but only some; and very much a fractured history lesson on the persecution of Jews on the holocaust. Any of these would've made a fine documentary if they stuck to something and showed at Einstein had something to do with any of it or how he was affected by it, but this was trying to be everything at once and not being many bad mini documentaries. Also, I totally agree with some other comments that it seemed rushed.

This documentary combines archive footage and acted scenes to show parts of Albert Einstein's life and thinking, using his own words. This is the part I liked most about this film: in the acted scenes and the voice-overs, exclusively verbatim quotes by Einstein are being used. No invented dramatizations. The documentary does a good job in using Einstein's quotes to show his beautiful and exceptionally intelligent mind and to paint a coherent image of the his pacifist and internationalist convictions.

However, you might be disappointed if you are expecting more insights into Einstein's connection to the development of the atomic bomb. Contrary to what the title promises, there is very little content on that matter, beyond a reference to the Einstein-Szilard letter, his motives for signing said letter and his posterior regrets. Actually, only the last third of the film even touches upon these questions. For the larger part, it shows Einstein's life in the 20s and 30s, interlaced with the rise of the Nazis and World War II. It does not contain more insights on the development of the atomic bomb and Manhattan Project than does Oppenheimer and it does not show his private life in the way season 1 of Genius does.

The acted scenes mostly take part in Roughton, Norfolk, where Einstein was offered refuge in September 1933 by MP Oliver Locker-Lampson after fleeing Germany. The reason for focusing on that relatively minor episode of his life may be that this is a British production which wished to highlight the one relevant connection of Einstein with the UK.

In some scenes, Einstein seems oddly mute, which presumably has to do with the decision to only use documented quotes, so no small talk is possible. As in other documentaries, such as in Genius, the producers (annoyingly) decided to let the acted Einstein speak only English (with German accent), even when he speaks to other Germans, rather than have him also speak his native German language.

The film ends on a strong note, with two message to us contemporary viewers. "The fate of mankind hinges entirely on man's moral development." - "Dear posterity, if you have not become more just or peaceful and generally more rational than we are or were, then may the devil take you."

"Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in producing an atomic bomb, I would not have taken part in opening that Pandora's box." - Albert Einstein Einstein was a vocal advocate for peace. He was a pacifist. But when he received a letter from Leo Szilard ( who not only proposed the idea of chain reaction but also conducted the experiment) alerting Einstein about German scientists working on fission (based on the famous E= mc squared by Einstein) which could result into Hitler having the A-bomb before the allied could develop it. Einstein forwarded that letter to FDR and urging him to hasten the development of an A-bomb by saying " I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two thirds of the people of the earth might be killed, but enough men capable of thinking, and enough books, would be left to start again, and civilization could be restored." Very few would know that U. S. Army Intelligence office denied Einstein the security clearance needed to work on the Manhattan Project!!!!

This documentary is a part essay, part revisiting the chapters of his life. It combines archival footage with dramatizations. The movie starts with his living room in his Princeton home with Mahatma Gandhi's photo on a night stand and ends with his famous quote " the war is won but the peace is not". He was so right. The unleashed power of atom as he said once would change everything in the years to come as the human race would gradually drift towards the unfathomable fears of catastrophe ... when the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6 1945, Einstein sighed and said "Woe is me." Einstein showed measurement. Measurement is a possibility on which the science depends..but did you know that Heisenberg who gave an uncertainty principle failed at Diffusion equation?i or really? Did he pretend that he failed so that Nazis could not have the bomb!!!!! He as a matter of fact told Otto Hahn, the German nuclear scientist later how the little boy worked after Hiroshima was bombed!!!!

This documentary is not a biopic like Oppenheimer nor a play like Copenhagen. But it does explore one of the greatest scientist's own conflicted emotions..a human's great discovery falls into demonic hands aka of humans!! The movie feels rushed in the second half and fails to capture the depth of Einstein's dilemma. But still a good watch!

"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Einstein.