- J. Robert Oppenheimer, portrayed by Cillian Murphy, cunningly poisons an apple intended for his tutor in the film “Oppenheimer.”
- This scene serves a purpose beyond mere drama; it is based on an actual event.
- In reality, Oppenheimer placed an apple on his tutor’s desk, but the question remains whether it was truly poisoned.
In Christopher Nolan’s biopic “Oppenheimer,” we witness a youthful J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, engaging in a somewhat vindictive act. He injects a green apple with potassium cyanide, intending to harm his university tutor, Patrick Blackett (portrayed by James D’Arcy). However, plagued by remorse, Oppenheimer discards the poisoned apple before Niels Bohr (played by Kenneth Branagh) can consume it.
This peculiar moment resembles a scene from “Snow White,” in which the Evil Queen offers a poisonous apple to the innocent maiden.
However, what makes this even more astonishing is that it is rooted in historical truth.
According to Ray Monk’s biography “Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center,” this incident occurred towards the end of Oppenheimer’s first term at Cambridge:
“In what appears to be an attempt to murder his tutor, or at the very least make him seriously ill, Oppenheimer left
an apple poisoned with toxic chemicals on Blackett’s desk… The incident was concealed at the time, and only Oppenheimer himself, often in a somewhat misleading manner, divulged the details to his friends. Those who knew him well could discern his intense admiration combined with profound jealousy towards Blackett.”
The primary divergence between the movie and reality is that Blackett discovered the poisoned apple.
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Despite this grave act, Cambridge chose not to pursue legal action, expel, or suspend Oppenheimer due to his family’s affiliation with the university.
According to Monk, “His father negotiated an arrangement with the university authorities, allowing Oppenheimer to continue his studies under probation, on the condition that he regularly seek treatment from a Harley Street psychiatrist.”
In the same chapter, Monk acknowledges the ambiguity surrounding the poisoned apple incident. It remains uncertain whether Oppenheimer truly left a poisoned apple or if his account should be interpreted metaphorically. Quoting a 1979 interview, Oppenheimer mentioned his use of cyanide “or something somewhere” in the fruit. The tale of the poisoned apple has been recounted in various versions by Oppenheimer to his friends, leading some authors to question its authenticity, considering it might be a hallucination or a form of mythmaking by the physicist.
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