Synopsis: This biography presents a complex and revealing portrait of one of the most influential American scientists, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Interweaving interviews with family members, scholars and colleagues with dramatic recreations, this film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer on a fascinating arc from the heady world of international physics to the top-secret Manhattan Project, and finally to the dark days of the Red Scare and McCarthyism.

Cast:
David Strathairn .... J. Robert Oppenheimer
Michael Cumpsty .... Prosecutor

Notes:
• David previously played J. Robert Oppenehimer in the acclaimed TV mini-series Day One.
• The Trials of J. Robert Oppenhiemer originally aired on January 26, 2009, David's 60th birthday.
• The Trials of J. Robert Oppenhiemer is a docudrama, a mixture of documentary filmmaking and dramatic performances.

Critical Praise & Commentary:
• "Actor David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) does a wonderful job of depicting the prickly scientist in these re-creations, which are a little stagey but which ably bring the trial transcript to life." -Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune

• "...David Strathairn plays Oppenheimer so effectively that docu and drama blend seamlessly into one another." -Michael Shermer, Scientific America

Related Links:
http:// American Experience (PBS)