The Half-Life of Genius Physicist Raemer Schreiber
2017
Action / Biography / Documentary / History / War

The Half-Life of Genius Physicist Raemer Schreiber
2017
Action / Biography / Documentary / History / War
Plot summary
Our two-hour film highlights the life and career of Dr. Schreiber with respect and clarity. Raemer, his wife Marge, and young daughter Paula would move to the high-desert of New Mexico where he and other brilliant minds would change the world forever.
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Long Overdue Non Oppie or Teller History
Cerebral Documentary
This cerebral and technical documentary will make you use your brain cells, and probably could have used better editing as it runs nearly 2 hours in length. It focuses on the very important contributions of physicist Raemer Schreiber, who played a vital role in the building of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and went on to also contribute greatly to scientific projects post WW II, such as nuclear rockets and the hydrogen bomb.
Schreiber was actually one of the few physicists in the world who had the wherewithal to actually construct an atomic bomb piece by piece. In WW II, as America raced against the Nazis to build the bomb, Schreiber was entrusted to accompany the Plutonium core of the Fat Man bomb to Tinian Island, in the Marianas, which would eventually be the second atomic bomb dropped, this one on Nagasaki, Japan.
Rather fascinating to watch the film and stills of the social events at Los Alamos, for the workers on the Manhattan Project, to relieve their stress. But also quite interesting to note that with each unit sworn to its own secrecy they couldn't discuss any "day at the office" details among each other.
I particularly liked the contributions in the movie from Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Rhodes, who not only is an expert on this subject but has a way of transcribing very technical details into language a layman can understand.
Overall, I certainly learned some new info in this doc but it's not for everyone, as I see it. However for those who like to expand their horizons and, as mentioned, use the old cranium there are rewards to be found here.