Did 'Oppenheimer' Purposely Create 50-Star American Flag 'Error' In 1945?
Keen-eyed moviegoers believe they noticed an error in the film Oppenheimer.
Without spoilers, there is a scene that takes places in 1945 in which Oppenheimer, whom Cillian Murphy plays, walks into a auditorium. The attendees of the rally begin to cheer and wave the American flag. On the flag is 50 stars. But in 1945, there were only 48.
Alaska and Hawaii did not become states until January 1959 and August 1959, respectively. The American flag added the additional two stars, replacing the 48-star design, in 1960.
Perhaps the scene was just that, an error. Or it was director Christopher Nolan's intent.
See, Nolan draws a distinction between scenes that are historical facts and based on Oppenheimer’s perspective.
As Fox Business notes, "scenes that are displayed in black-and-white are taken from public records and government documents, while those that are in color are shown from how the 'father of the atom bomb' remembered the moment."
And when the flag appeared in a separate black-and-white scene, it included the correct 48-state design.
The color disparity suggests "error" was Nolan's way of showing that Oppenheimer would have misremembered the details of the flag during his retelling of the event.
So, the film sleuths ought not take victory lap just yet.
If it is an error, perhaps the streaming edition will include a digital edit to fix the number of stars on the flag.
As for the film itself, it drew an estimated $80 million domestically and another $94 million in foreign markets during its opening weekend.
Oppenheimer and Barbie, together, fueled the fourth-biggest box office weekend in history.
Interestingly, it was the blue states that turned out for Oppenheimer, while the red states preferred Barbie.
Via Fox News.
For what it's worth, viewers have yet to notice any possible errors in Barbie.