Latest news with #GhostsOfHiroshima
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Cameron calls Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer "a bit of a moral cop out"
Of the very small number of currently working Hollywood directors who could be said to be at, or even above, the level of Christopher Nolan in terms of both producing power and name recognition, James Cameron is almost certainly the one most willing to talk a little shit. Cameron has many laudable traits as both a filmmaker and an interview subject, but holding his tongue isn't one of them—something that became obvious in a recent conversation he had with Deadline, about a new film centered on the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and where Nolan came in for some genuine critique over his blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer. Cameron was speaking at length about Ghosts Of Hiroshima, his planned film adaptation of the book of the same name, soon to arrive from his old buddy (and fellow Titanic and nuclear war obsessive) Charles R. Pellegrino. As with underwater travel, the intricate hair-bonding rituals of the Na'vi, and basically everything else he sets his moviemaking mind to, Cameron has thought and researched about this topic a lot, it is very clear, and he sounds really excited/horrified to tell the story of the bombs dropping. And that includes doing his damnedest to center the conversation in the viewpoint of the people the bombs were actually dropped on, something he (as Spike Lee did a few years back) criticizes Nolan's movie for flinching away from. 'It's interesting what he stayed away from,' Cameron noted of Nolan's film, after being reminded of the implausibility of turning Robert Oppenheimer's life story into a massive box office property. 'Look, I love the filmmaking,' Cameron acknowledges. 'But I did feel that it was a bit of a moral cop out. Because it's not like Oppenheimer didn't know the effects. He's got one brief scene in the film where we see—and I don't like to criticize another filmmaker's film–but there's only one brief moment where he sees some charred bodies in the audience and then the film goes on to show how it deeply moved him. But I felt that it dodged the subject. I don't know whether the studio or Chris felt that that was a third rail that they didn't want to touch, but I want to go straight at the third rail. I'm just stupid that way.' (When told that Nolan felt it wasn't the place of his particular film to tackle the effects of the bombs from the perspective of the people they were dropped on, Cameron quipped, 'Okay, I'll put up my hand. I'll do it, Chris. No problem. You come to my premiere and say nice things.') Cameron has been on this particular topic for multiple decades at this point—this is the man who filmed that sequence from Terminator 2, so take it as read that he thinks about nuclear bombs more than most people—including traveling to Japan with Pellegrino to meet with Tsutomo Yamaguchi, one of the only people to have survived both bombings. (And who ultimately died of stomach cancer in his 90s.) Cameron is, among other things, un-shy about admitting he has limits on the story he wants to tell, too, saying he has no interest in using the film to discus the politics that led to the dropping of the bomb, and simply wants to capture its effects on the people who were at literal ground zero: I don't want to get into the politics of, should it have been dropped, should they have done it, and all the bad things Japan did to warrant it, or any of that kind of moralizing and politicizing. I just want to deal in a sense with what happened, almost as if you could somehow be there and survive and see it… I just think it's so important right now for people to remember what these weapons do. This is the only case where they've been used against a human target. Setting aside all the politics and the fact that I'm going to make a film about Japanese people…I don't even speak Japanese, although I have a lot of friends there. I've been there a million times, and I may need to work with a Japanese writer, a Japanese producer, so that I am not a complete outsider to their cultural perspective. I want to keep it as a kind of neutral witness to an event that actually happened to human beings, so that we can keep that flame alive, that memory. They've only died in vain if we forget what that was like and we incur that a thousand fold upon ourselves and future generations. More from A.V. Club Podcast Canon: Making Gay History is a treasure trove of archival recordings 3 new songs and 3 new albums to check out this weekend NASA Plus launches on Netflix this summer Solve the daily Crossword
Geek Tyrant
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Why James Cameron Is Determined to Make GHOSTS OF HOROSHIMA, a Harrowing Look at Humanity's Darkest Weapon — GeekTyrant
James Cameron has always brought hard truths to the films that he make. From Terminator 2 's apocalyptic imagery to Titanic 's tragic grandeur, he's built a career out of confronting mortality, destruction, and human arrogance with unmatched cinematic power. But his upcoming film Ghosts of Hiroshima , adapted from Charles Pellegrino's forthcoming book, might just be his most personal and urgent work to date. At the heart of it is a deathbed promise. Years ago, Cameron visited Tsutomo Yamaguchi, the only officially recognized survivor of both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Yamaguchi, in his 90s and dying of cancer, gave Cameron a painting and what the director now views as a calling: to tell the story of what really happened on those two days in August 1945. "He knew who I was as a filmmaker," Cameron recalls. "But it became personal... and that stayed with me. Somehow, I have to make this happen." Unlike Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer , which Cameron admires but critiques for sidestepping the physical horrors of the bomb's aftermath, Ghosts of Hiroshima will not look away. Cameron wants the audience to feel it, to breathe the radioactive air, to see the color of the sky change, to witness the human body melt and shatter. 'This is true horror,' he says. 'Because it happened.' His approach won't be exploitative or political. Instead, it's about bearing witness, standing in as neutral observers for a world-altering event most of us can't begin to imagine. That clarity of purpose is why Cameron isn't interested in moral debates about whether the bombs should've been dropped. 'I just want to deal in a sense with what happened, almost as if you could somehow be there and survive and see it,' he says. The goal is empathy, not argument. It's not about justifying or condemning. It's about remembering, so we don't forget the cost of forgetting. Cameron's storytelling will follow a few key figures, including double survivors like Yamaguchi and Kenshi Hirano, who carried his wife's bone fragments across a country only to be hit again in Nagasaki. These stories won't be filtered through a Western lens or diluted by studio polish. 'I want to be accurate and utterly apolitical,' Cameron stresses. He plans to work closely with Japanese writers, producers, and survivor families to preserve the cultural integrity of the project. 'This isn't about America or Japan. It's about what these weapons do to people.' The stakes feel especially high right now. Cameron isn't blind to the timing as global tensions are escalating, nuclear threats reemerging, and world leaders trading barbs like schoolyard bullies. 'The doomsday clock just keeps ticking closer to midnight,' he warns. 'I want to make a film that reminds people what these weapons do… how absolutely unacceptable it is to even contemplate using them.' If Cameron sounds obsessed, it's because he is. He's been preparing for this film for 15 years, keeping notes, collecting stories, and absorbing every technical and human detail he can. This isn't just a film for him, it's a moral mission. 'Maybe I make the least money on this one,' he shrugs. 'But like Spielberg with Saving Private Ryan, I'm going to use everything in my cinematic arsenal to show what happened. I think that's the job.' What Cameron is crafting is a cinematic reckoning. One that may not draw crowds like Avatar , but one he believes the world desperately needs. And in a time when history is often distorted or erased, he's resolved to do something rare: tell the truth—no matter how terrifying it may be. You can read the full interview with Cameron over on Deadline.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Cameron Says Christopher Nolan Took a ‘Moral Cop Out' with ‘Oppenheimer' — ‘It Dodged the Subject'
On August 5, in time for the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the book 'Ghosts of Hiroshima' will hit shelves, written by author Charles R. Pellegrino. The novel, as the cover announces, will eventually be a project for James Cameron — and he insists that he will be tackling the subject in a different fashion than Christopher Nolan did two years ago with his Oscar-winning 'Oppenheimer.' Cameron actually told Deadline that he felt Nolan took 'a bit of a moral cop out' because of 'what he stayed away from' in his narrative. More from IndieWire Scarlett Johansson Is Still Working on 'Tower of Terror' Adaptation, but Calls 'Thin' Plot a 'Hard Nut to Crack' 'Crying' - A Tribute to the 'Mulholland Drive' Club Silencio Singer Rebekah Del Rio 'He's got one brief scene in the film where we see — and I don't like to criticize another filmmaker's film – but there's only one brief moment where he sees some charred bodies in the audience and then the film goes on to show how it deeply moved him,' Cameron said. 'But I felt that it dodged the subject. I don't know whether the studio or Chris felt that that was a third rail that they didn't want to touch, but I want to go straight at the third rail. I'm just stupid that way.' Nolan had insisted at the time that that was not the story he was trying to tell, and it may instead take a filmmaker like Cameron to do it. The 'Titanic' director plans to heed the call. 'OK, I'll put up my hand. I'll do it, Chris. No problem,' he said. 'You come to my premiere and say nice things… I can't tell you today what's going to be in the movie. I've been making notes for 15 years and I haven't written a word of the script yet because there's a point where it's all there and then you start to write. That's how I always work. I explore around, I remember the things that impact me. I start to assemble 'em into a narrative. And then there's a moment where you're ready to write. And I'm not in that head space right now.' There is one filmmaker, however, whose product he does wish to emulate in substance. This, of course, is none other than Steve Spielberg, who made a pair of definitive World War II classics with 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan' in the '90s. 'He showed it the way it happened,' Cameron said. In addition to the next 'Avatar' sequel, due December 19, 2025, Cameron is also writing 'The Devils' with its author Joe Abercrombie. 'This is Joe Abercrombie in absolute peak form, opening up a whole new world and an ensemble of delicious new characters,' Cameron said earlier this month. 'The twists and turns come at a rollercoaster pace, and with Joe's signature acerbic wit and style. 'The Devils' showcases Joe's jaundiced view of human nature, in all its dark, selfish glory, as told through some decidedly un-human characters. But of course, Joe always teases with the flickers of redemption that make it all worthwhile — and ultimately quite heart-wrenching.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Fox News
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
James Cameron slams 'Oppenheimer' avoiding aftermath of atomic bombings on Japan as 'moral cop-out'
Prolific filmmaker James Cameron called the movie "Oppenheimer" a "moral cop-out" because it did not show the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "Yeah, it's interesting what he stayed away from. Look, I love the filmmaking, but I did feel that it was a bit of a moral cop-out," Cameron said in an interview with Deadline. Cameron, best known for "Titanic," "The Terminator," and "Avatar," is currently developing a film called "Ghosts of Hiroshima," to depict the devastation of J. Robert Oppenheimer's nuclear weapon that struck Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. While discussing his new project, Cameron criticized "Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan's creative choice to leave out the effects of the bombing of Hiroshima. Deadline added that in Cameron's view, "the choice to keep 'Oppenheimer' locked within its protagonist's perspective was a misstep, and one that, he suggests, sidesteps the full weight of the bomb's real-world consequences." "Because it's not like Oppenheimer didn't know the effects. He's got one brief scene in the film where we see — and I don't like to criticize another filmmaker's film – but there's only one brief moment where he sees some charred bodies in the audience, and then the film goes on to show how it deeply moved him," Cameron said. "But I felt that it dodged the subject. I don't know whether the studio or Chris felt that that was a third rail that they didn't want to touch, but I want to go straight at the third rail." Nolan had previously addressed criticism of his decision not to show the Hiroshima bombing in 2023, the year the film was released. "The film presents Oppenheimer's experience subjectively," Nolan said. "It was always my intention to rigidly stick to that. Oppenheimer heard about the bombing at the same time that the rest of the world did. I wanted to show somebody who is starting to gain a clearer picture of the unintended consequences of his actions. It was as much about what I don't show as what I show." Spike Lee also criticized the decision, saying, "If it's three hours, I would like to add some more minutes about what happened to the Japanese people. People got vaporized. Many years later, people are radioactive." "Oppenheimer" earned 13 Academy Award nominations, making it one of the most-nominated movies in Oscars history. Universal's World War II biopic was also the third highest-grossing movie of 2023, earning $951 million. It was part of a summer phenomenon called "Barbenheimer," which refers to theatergoers who opted to see both the deadly serious "Oppenheimer" and the more bubbly "Barbie" movie after both films were released in July. "Ghosts of Hiroshima" does not have a set release date yet. Nolan and Cameron did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment in time for comment.
