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[insects chirping]

[insects chirping]

[indistinct chattering]

[man] So we have a method of solving neutron fusion...

[whistling]

Tell me, Stan,

what's the point of hiking when you have these fantastic new binoculars?

The air around here gives me headaches.

Don't get a stroke.

It would be a loss given your special mind.

Oh.

Do you know this one?

A religious man wants to know whether sex on Sabbath is a sin.

Somehow he's not sure if sex is work or pleasure.

So he goes to a priest.

And the priest reads for hours in the Bible.

Then he says, "My son,

after a long Bible reading,

I'm sure sex is work,

and therefore not allowed on Sunday."

The man thinks, "What does this priest actually know about sex?"

So he goes to a minister, he gets the same answer,

but he still is not convinced.

Then he looks for the ultimate authority:

a man with thousands of years of knowledge.

-A rabbi. -[laughs]

The rabbi looks at him and then says...

"My son, sex is clearly pleasure."

"How can you be so sure if nobody else is?" the man asks.

The rabbi turns to him and goes...

[Stan] "Oh, if sex would be work, my wife would leave it to the maid."

[Johnny, chuckling] That's right.

[Stan] By the way, have you found a way to calculate the impact yet?

[Johnny] We're still struggling with the final stages of the chain reactions.

[Stan] Transfer me into your group.

I could solve it in a heartbeat.

[Johnny laughs]

[phone line rings]

[phone operator] Operator. How can I help?

Can you please connect me with Lvov in Poland?

[phone operator] Certainly, sir.

Thank you.

[phone line ringing]

[man] I got math class...

[phone operator] There's no connection at the moment.

Oh.

Are the lines still up?

[phone operator] I have no information about that, sir.

Thank you.

[phone line disconnects]

[indistinct chattering]

[keys rattle]

-[door opens] -[keys rattling]

[footsteps]

[door closes]

Shouldn't you be in bed?

I have to finish my essay about Lvov.

Uh-huh.

Stasiu?

I don't want to tell them that I'm Jewish.

Well, then don't.

There are wonderful things to say about Lvov.

Tell them about your brother, a brilliant mathematician,

and his friends from the Scottish café.

[sighs]

Cheer up.

I don't like it here.

I have a surprise for you.

What surprise?

From Stefka?

Hm?

-Oh, come on. -Wait.

Out loud, please.

Okay, I'll read it aloud.

Read it.

"Dear brothers.

I hope you're both well and not teasing each other too much.

Stasio, I'm very proud of you.

So are Mom and Dad.

I'm sending the photo you asked for.

Please thank Johnny for his help with the bank.

Dad is still working.

Everything is fine in Lvov.

The Russians don't do much, they bring food and supplies.

Also Mom is getting better.

The new doctor is helping her a lot..."

If everything's fine why aren't they coming?

Stefania will come.

She told me so. Mom also feels better.

But we can't rush it.

All you can do is work hard at school and get good grades.

Understand?

Understand.

Go to sleep.

Calculus is the boring part of mathematics.

But you can do fascinating things with it.

You can, for example, compose music.

And even, more importantly,

go to Las Vegas and win card games.

I'll show you something.

Gambling is all about probability.

Here are 33 cards.

Twenty-two are black

and only 11 are red.

Now, George,

let's imagine that your job is to find the red cards.

For every dollar you bet,

I would give you double the amount if you win.

A quick digression:

if your budget is one dollar, how much money you could possibly win?

-It doubles every time, right? -Uh-huh.

I can't do that in my head. I'm not a genius.

2,048.

But...

how do you know whether you should keep playing?

I go with my gut.

Think of it.

Thirty-three cards. Eleven are red.

One in every three is red, right?

Which means that your chances of losing

are twice as likely than winning.

Try.

And I've got a higher chance with the second card I pick.

Exactly.

But it doesn't matter how it turns out.

Every game you play tells you something.

Just play more card games.

[door opens]

-And learn mathematics. -[laughter]

Let's continue next time.

-[student] Goodbye, Mr. Ulam. -[all] Goodbye.

Here.

Did you have a chance to think about my friends from Poland?

We could use them here. They are willing to teach.

I've made some calls, but it's not looking promising.

And with the recent situation between Germany and Russia,

things could get more difficult.

-What do you mean? -You haven't heard?

Hitler's invaded Russia.

You lazy son of a bitch.

You are teaching Catholic and Protestant kids gambling tricks,

and telling them what they learn in Harvard

is an unimportant part of mathematics.

Well, I try my best, Johnny.

How is Marietta?

Not good.

She loves you. She's only confused.

No, she's in love with this young physicist.

She said I bore her.

But she still brings me my favorite food.

I don't get it.

Do you know why Jesus is not a Hungarian?

Why not?

Because they could not find three wise men and a virgin.

[laughs]

What about your family?

Well...

I tried to convince them to leave,

but my father doesn't want to go to the U.S.

You know, these stubborn Poles.

Do they have enough money to get out of Lvov?

Yes.

Yes.

But I want to send them more,

and I don't know whether they want to extend my fellowship.

I bet you gave them good reasons not to.

-[indistinct chattering] -[big band music playing]

-Hello. -Hi.

[Oppenheimer] Hey, Stan. You want to join us?

We're French, Lithuanian, Bulgarian.

We need a Pole.

And since you're the only one I know and like...

-[Stan] What are you playing? -Belote.

Well, let me watch a few rounds first,

and then I can show you how to win.

[all chuckle]

The bloody French together with Chamberlain

could have stopped him in 1938.

Who wanted to go to war again? Come on.

He invaded Czechoslovakia and no one helped.

Remember, eight million dead in the Great War.

There were a lot of reasons not to go to war.

In any case, my friends,

the Germans will have trouble to hold all this territory.

They don't have the resources for world war.

-You're sure about that one? -Of course.

But they have a lot of good scientists and engineers.

Isn't it in the end just men fighting against other men?

Well, she has a point there.

They lose scientists every day.

-I'm going to have a drink. -They'll feel it soon.

Europe is dying, my friends.

[man] Come on, don't talk like that. He's underestimating the U.S.

Do I know you?

It would be stupid of me to deny this.

Oh, would it?

I am Stan.

I'm Françoise.

And what does Stan do?

I'm a mathematician.

Mm.

I've only met physicists and chemists,

but never a mathematician.

Can one make a living out of that?

[laughs]

Well, the question is,

can we all make a living without it?

I teach in Harvard.

In Harvard?

That's impressive.

I don't have permission to stay,

because the college I'm studying at is for women,

and not so well recognized like Harvard.

And, unfortunately,

I'm not a genius scientist like yourself.

So, what are you doing?

I like to write.

Oh.

What do you write about?

I come from a Jewish family,

and there's a lot to write about these days.

Yes.

But tell me...

I don't know a thing

about the theory of relativity, for example.

Oh.

It's actually very simple.

-Really? -Mm-hm.

Could you imagine that nobody else is here in the room,

and that we are the only two planets in the universe?

Nothing is certain then,

because there are no fixed points.

Everything you say is true from the perspective of your planet,

and everything I say is true from the perspective of mine.

The only thing we know for sure

is that the speed of light is the same everywhere...

and for everyone.

Well, that is the basic idea.

And the rest are just complicated consequences.

[man] Come on, Stan.

[sighs]

You should go.

We should continue this conversation.

Who knows?

We probably will.

[man] Get over here.

[operator, on phone] You're better off writing a telegram.

The lines to Poland are very fickle.

[coins rattle]

Sir?

Could you please try it one more time?

Who knows? Maybe God throws the dice for me.

I need to speak to her.

[operator] You don't have any other address?

No, I haven't. It's the house of Michal Ulam.

He's an architect.

[phone line rings]

[Stefania, over phone] Stasio?

Stefka?

How are you?

[Stefania] It's so good to hear your voice again.

How is Adam?

He likes it here. It is all good.

Tell me, how is my little nephew, Josi?

[Stefania] He eats a lot, he's happiest then.

A typical Ulam.

Listen...

I transferred more money since last time.

Take our parents and go by train.

I heard the Germans are close. It's in every newspaper.

You have to leave Lvov.

[Stefania] I'll take care of it.

I have to plan it. I need to find a route.

I don't know where to go.

Don't take too long.

Talk to Uncle Michal, go to the West.

Can I speak to Dad?

[Stefania] He's out at the moment.

-All will be good, Stasio. -[coin clangs]

Why are little brothers always so worried?

You're just one year older.

Don't lecture me.

I used to do that to you. Remember?

[Stefania] Yes, I remember.

Don't show all the time how smart you are.

-That always got you in trouble. -[coins clang]

I'm looking forward to seeing you again.

Me too.

[Johnny] Is that your sister?

Yes.

[Johnny] She is beautiful.

I teach here while my hometown is invaded by Germans.

I should become a soldier.

[Johnny] Do you want us to lose the war?

Our skill is not fighting, Stan.

You have a brain.

Use it.

That's how we can help.

[Stan] What do you mean?

[Johnny] There is a place in the West

where they are hiring a lot of mathematicians right now.

They need people like us.

[Stan] Which place?

If it's Las Vegas, I'm in.

[Johnny laughs]

[Johnny] These guys over there

want to end this war.

Once and for all.

I never thought about you,

because you would have to do it alone.

Only wives and children are allowed.

What about Adam?

Could I bring him?

[Johnny] That's impossible, Stan.

It's your call.

[birds tweeting]

[George] Mr. Ulam.

Mr. Ulam.

What?

This is all we need for the exam, right?

[Stan] Oh, yes.

Just keep applying this.

Practice every day, and you should be fine.

[sighs]

-[Adam] I'll take it. -Thank you, Adam.

You're very welcome.

May I ask you something?

[Francoise] Of course.

How is your family?

I haven't heard from them in a long time.

A while ago I got a telegram from my brother.

He managed to get to London,

and he joined the Free French Forces.

-He's a soldier? -No, he's a journalist.

But he decided to join the army.

I'd also like to join them.

[Stan] Good.

But even a soldier has to sleep.

-Good night, Francoise. -Good night.

-Good night. -Good night.

[door closes]

[sighs]

What is it?

You know, I asked Johnny about the job.

-Yes? -I got it.

Congratulations.

However...

it would mean...

it would mean moving to the other side of America.

Thank you.

Why don't we get married.

Excuse me?

That way you could stay in the U.S.

It sounds extreme, I know, but...

actually it could just be on paper.

You don't have to come with me.

You are totally free to stay here.

-[laughs] -I'm serious.

You're weird.

Doesn't it make sense?

But, Stan, this is not an equation.

Maybe it doesn't sound so romantic.

Not so romantic?

You're funny.

Look at it as an adventure.

If you are looking for an adventure,

go and climb a mountain.

Wouldn't it be better to stay in a safe country?

No, I can't.

Listen...

I like your sense of humor,

and I wouldn't ask just anybody to marry me.

Oh, thank you.

I'm very happy to hear that.

Look, you could stay here as a married woman.

-You don't have to tell anybody. -No?

And if you fall in love, we can get a divorce.

[laughs]

Living divorced as a woman?

What a nice life on top of all that.

Then we can stay married.

No problem.

So?

No.

Definitely not.

How long are you staying there?

I really don't know.

-A few weeks? -Yes.

Maybe longer.

[sighs and sniffles]

[cries softly]

Uncle Zygmunt will take care of you.

You'll see, you'll love New York.

[slams suitcase closed]

[indistinct chattering over PA]

There you go.

One ticket to Penn Station, please.

-Return? -No.

Two dollars, please.

Thanks.

-Thank you. -Did you bring your ring,

Mrs. Ulam?

-My ring? -Yes.

Of course I did.

Oh, it's a nice one.

And you know what?

Johnny told me how wonderful is the climate there.

-[car engine starts] -You should've married Johnny.

[chuckles]

-Really? -Yes.

Hm.

[soldiers shouting indistinctly]

[soldier] Papers.

[dog barking distantly]

Go ahead.

Anybody interested in playing cards in the evening

and discussing the state of the universe?

No way.

I can't afford to play you.

I'm already recovering from last week.

Come on, Jack.

No.

I'll let you win, and make sure you don't lose money.

Don't ask me. I'm broke.

Klaus?

I'd rather go back to Germany.

Then go back to Germany.

[Jack] Leave the guy alone.

[Stan sighs]

Gentlemen.

Has anybody seen my brown notepad?

The brown one?

Small one, right?

With all the brilliant ideas in it?

Yes, Jack. Where is it?

I don't know. I haven't seen it.

[laughs]

[Stan] Edward, do you mind if we all go and work outside?

The weather is beautiful.

Very often you're late.

You take breaks whenever you want.

We have to make progress here and prove that my idea works.

Did you think about the interaction

between the electrons and the gas?

I asked you to come up with an approach for it.

Tomorrow. I'm almost done. I'll come by at your house.

Like you already said yesterday.

I don't understand your concept.

A hydrogen bomb requires far more energy

than the atomic one.

Where does the energy come from?

Well, I suggest that before you are trying

to prove that my idea doesn't work,

you should show to all of us

what they first teach to a student

from the famous Lvov school in Poland.

Maybe I've missed it,

but respect seems to be absent from your repertoire.

Edward, the atomic bomb seems like a firecracker next to this.

What's the purpose?

You get out now.

What?

Get out!

I am fed up with you!

You're here to help, and you don't.

Let us work.

[door slams]

[indistinct chattering]

[man 1] I hear they're going to detonate it

from the top of a tower.

[man 2] I think they're already building a site there.

[man 1] You've seen it?

I call him M.A.N.I.A.C., which means,

"Mathematical And Numerical Integrator And Computer."

You can run all sorts of programs on it, not just one.

It's like a new instrument.

Now we need to write the sheet music.

You still have your headaches?

It's better. Just the change of the seasons.

Maybe you smoke too much.

Smoking is good for the brain.

Tell me.

Is there a date for the bomb test yet?

-I don't know. -Come on, Johnny.

They have problems with some of the calculations,

and Oppenheimer is afraid that there might be a risk

to blow up the atmosphere.

He's paranoid.

We need to speed things up.

We must finish the bomb...

in case the Nazis do it.

Then let me help.

I don't like working with Edward.

I don't get why he's so obsessed with this hydrogen bomb.

And I don't think he really knows what he's talking about.

Please, focus on your work.

People have already complained about you twice,

and you've been there a couple of months.

Also, Oppenheimer heard about you.

Can't you just do what they ask?

[Jack] Quantum physics means

there's no objective observation possible, right?

But wasn't that the basis of science forever?

[Johnny] These days are over, my friend.

Tell me, do you see any innocent bystander in this world?

Why should that be different on the subatomic level?

I guess there's room for irony in the quantum world.

-See you tomorrow. -See you.

Hey, you heard about this dance thing at Fuller Lodge, right?

Oh, yeah, Francoise wants to go.

-You gonna go? -Of course.

Let's go.

[Jack] See you tomorrow.

[men shouting indistinctly]

-Hello, Stan. -Hello, Irene.

[sighs]

[Stan] I had another fight with Edward today.

-[Francoise] Tell me. -[cork pops]

It's confidential.

Well...

you have to talk to him.

-[sighs] -I'm sure you can sort it out.

To be honest, I'm not interested in sorting it out.

I was just pointing out that he was wrong.

-[snickers] -It's true.

It's what I did.

Edward's wife is nice.

Maybe I can talk to her.

There's no need. You don't have to, really.

Well, I'm sure she can convince him to talk to you.

[scoffs]

Can I ask you something?

Yes, of course.

What is the plan with this bomb?

[sighs]

Basically, it's about having it

before Hitler does.

So it means they definitely wouldn't use it?

-Right? -No.

I don't think the Americans would use it

if nobody else does.

[sighs]

It's a deterrent.

They just want to show it as a warning.

But you know what is bothering me?

The other wives tell me

that you are working on an even bigger bomb now.

[sighs]

Why would they need to do that?

Isn't it funny what the other wives know?

But it's strange to be having a child

when you are working on a bomb like that.

I wouldn't worry about it.

I am convinced it will prove impossible to build.

Come.

[song on car radio] ♪ I put it in me pocket ♪

♪ And I took it home to Jenny ♪

♪ She sighed and she swore ♪

♪ That she never would Deceive me ♪

♪ But the devil take the women For they never can be easy ♪

♪ Mush-a ring Dumb-a do dumb-a da ♪

♪ Worked for my daddy-o Worked for my daddy-o ♪

♪ There's whiskey in the jar ♪

The shipping line got back to me.

Stefania has picked up her tickets in Gdansk.

-That's great. -Yes.

Yes, it is.

My parents also just arrived in Halifax.

They came from England.

The Atlantic is much safer now.

You should tell it to Adam.

I will.

I'm working on a self-replicating algorithm,

trying it on the M.A.N.I.A.C.

Do you have any ideas?

You mean to simulate chain reactions?

-[horse whinnies distantly] -Mm-hm.

[Stan] Let me think about it.

Can you ride a horse?

[Johnny laughs]

[Johnny] I tried a donkey once.

[Stan] I only bet on horses.

[Johnny] Look at it.

I don't think it perceives himself

as not living in freedom.

You have a broken heart, Johnny.

Ex-wives and horses make you sentimental.

[clicks tongue]

[Johnny] Maybe.

But life is much more complicated

than relations between numbers.

[horse huffs]

[indistinct chattering]

-[taps microphone] -Ladies and gentlemen, hello.

So thank you all for coming out tonight,

and thank you to our wonderful band,

the Los Alamos Wranglers.

[applause and whistling]

Today, the U.S. Navy sank two Japanese aircraft carriers.

The big ones, folks.

[cheers and applause]

Now let's give a cheer to our fighting men.

It's time to dance.

[all cheer]

Do I have a volunteer?

Jack.

Give your partner a hug like we Americans do.

[band plays]

[band] ♪ Seven hundred dollars ♪

♪ For this suit and those shoes ♪

♪ Dressed up like a crazy clown ♪

♪ You spent $700 ♪

♪ For this suit and those shoes ♪

♪ Bow your head and hold these shoes ♪

♪ And let me down ♪

♪ Then you shout and you scream And you dance like the devil ♪

♪ Twisting like there's rockets In your brain ♪

♪ You spent $700 ♪

♪ For this suit And them shoes ♪

♪ For that girl I need in this crowd ♪

♪ Then you shout and you scream And you dance like the devil ♪

♪ Twisting like there's rockets In your brains ♪

Nice party.

♪ $700 for this suit and the shoes ♪

♪ When you don't mind meeting lovebirds ♪

Hey.

[laughs]

-Are you okay? -Yes.

I'd like to dance some more.

Mwah.

[man] Thanks to the Polish resistance,

the Allies are in Warsaw.

The Germans got stuck in Russia.

I have a friend over there in Europe.

We grew up together in Paris.

You know what? Russia's 10,000 trucks and a damn sight more guns.

I say it's about time to tie this brigadier.

You know what, Germans, they made one big mistake.

They didn't take the American economy seriously.

Oh, yeah? What about the resistance?

♪ $700 for that suit and the shoes ♪

♪ When this woman is not around ♪

[piano being played]

[Mici] Doesn't he play so skillfully?

Yes, he does.

[whispers]

Stanislaw.

Can I offer you something to drink?

Real mathematicians drink coffee, don't they?

Yes.

Coffee, thank you.

[Mici] So, I leave you two alone.

[Edward] Thank you.

So...

I've heard that you feel sorry

about your behavior in the group.

[Stan] I did my homework,

like you asked.

I thought extensively about the gas electron exchange.

I still don't know how to deal with the repulsive forces

between the particles.

I think we need some kind of new mathematical tool to solve this.

Great. What kind of tool?

[Stan] You were talking about the sun.

But we don't understand

how the fusion reaction there exactly takes place

and how to translate that into maths.

[Edward] It's based on quantum tunneling.

-We know that. -Well, yes.

But by the standards of classical physics, the sun should not even burn.

It's not hot enough. But it does.

You know as well as I that we can't really explain

why things happen the way they do on the quantum level.

We don't know how fire worked for thousands of years,

but they still used it.

There's a difference between a campfire and a thermonuclear explosion.

I agree we need the atomic bomb to defeat Hitler.

But we don't need the hydrogen bomb.

We left the realm of civilized discussion a long time ago.

We fight against everybody here.

Don't you see that?

There's a new threat around every corner.

Take a look at the past thousand years, Stanislaw.

There were pogroms in Russia,

and now there are death camps in Europe.

We can only rely on ourselves.

I understand, Edward,

but that's not a decision we should make while living behind fences.

I don't want to be the one to decide on the fate of mankind.

Aren't you aware there is a war going on?

We are scientists, not Gods.

The hydrogen bomb is the ultimate insurance.

It secures the future of our children.

You are not supporting it.

I see there is a philosophical objection.

But it's our duty to keep working on it.

See you at work, Stanislaw.

[door closes]

Irene invited me for dinner tonight.

Do you want to join?

Yes.

Why not?

Sure.

[Francoise sighs]

[man shouting outside]

[Francoise] Isn't that Jack out there?

Stan!

Stan! Did you hear?

[grunts]

[Jack laughs]

[Francoise] Jack, what happened?

-Stan? -You haven't heard?

-What happened? -It's over.

-What's over? -The war's over in Europe.

We won! We defeated the Nazis!

[laughs]

-We did it. We did it. -Oh, my God.

[Jack] It's unbelievable.

It's unbelievable.

[laughing]

[Jack] Since we're dealing with it every day,

I have a story for you about experimental physics.

Okay?

So a guy walks into a bar, and he has a monkey with him.

And he goes to order a drink.

And as soon as he does, the monkey freaks out.

[swing music playing]

Klaus, you seem lost.

-You want to lose some money? -Yeah.

The monkey pulls the cherry back out of his ass and he eats it.

And the bartender's like. "That's disgusting."

And the guy says, "I know, but ever since the cue ball last week...

now he has to measure things before he eats them."

[both laugh]

[Stan] Cheers, guys.

Do we play some poker?

So you all really enjoy being employed by the military?

I mean, we should act as scientists, not like soldiers.

It contradicts each other.

Don't you think?

No, Klaus, no, it doesn't at all.

The purpose of science is to free mankind

and to satisfy our need to know why,

and this is precisely what is happening in this country at this moment.

So where is the contradiction?

And besides, look at how the Catholic Church supported art.

You should wear a bishop's miter, Johnny.

What is it with you and Catholicism?

[chuckles]

[Jack] So we all came here for one reason.

To defeat the Nazis.

Now what?

[Edward] Well, we are still at war with Japan.

[Johnny] This is pretty simple, Jack.

We are all going to have atomic weapons in the future.

But at the same time, we will have unlimited amounts of energy.

And Stalin will own half of Europe.

[crickets chirping]

[door opens]

[nurse] You can come in now, Mr. Ulam.

[baby coos]

[baby grunting and whimpering]

Do you want to hold her?

[murmurs]

Hey.

Her name is Claire.

That's a beautiful French name.

Like yours.

I want to thank you for your hard work and your dedication to this project.

After all these months of sleepless nights,

we have finally reached a crucial point.

If Trinity is a success tonight,

I need all our resources diverted

into preparing two more gadgets right away.

[Jack] Why?

I mean, what for?

[Oppenheimer] Further tests.

They're not thinking about actually using the bomb, are they?

[man clears throat]

Anyway, I'm afraid I have no more resources for this.

That's why I'd like to put the work of the H-Bomb group on hold.

Mr. Oppenheimer,

this is a much more complex undertaking than with the atomic bomb.

With all respect, if we keep on going,

we have the ability to build it in the near future.

What do you think of Edward's concept, Professor Von Neumann?

I don't think we should stop working on it,

but we need to find a way to calculate this kind of reaction.

That's why I'd like to advocate the ideas of Mr. Ulam.

His is an original mind.

Stan?

Well...

Edward's principle is based on heat,

but we lose too much heat to the environment, so--

[Edward] We don't. And it works.

[Stan] So far, you approached the problem from the side of physics, as an engineer.

But speaking from a gambler's point of view,

we can essentially understand the bomb as one very big casino,

where the odds are always against the players.

But you ask us to somehow beat the house.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Ulam.

[Stan] We should not build that bomb.

And why is that?

Excuse me, gentlemen.

[Oppenheimer] Are you coming to the test tonight?

I think I should spend the evening with my wife and daughter

instead of watching the most gruesome weapon in the universe melt the desert,

I'm sorry.

[Oppenheimer] So you're also against the atomic bomb?

[sighs]

Do we want to spend

the rest of our lives with a gun to our heads?

We have made the decision to come here.

Now we need to deal with it.

Isn't this meaningless?

We have to understand the process behind it.

I need another drink.

[woman laughing distantly]

[indistinct chattering]

[car horn honks]

[car engine shuts off]

[car doors open and close]

[indistinct chattering continuous]

[woman] Why is it so quiet tonight, honey?

[man] It was quiet.

[men and woman giggle]

[indistinct chatter continuous]

[bombs rumbling distantly]

[man] Good morning, Stan.

[brakes squeal]

[driver] This stop: Block T.

It was like nothing I have seen before.

Like a divine force.

Like something

that shouldn't be used by us.

That isn't meant for us.

I don't know.

What happened to your hands?

-Hm? -Your hands.

[radio announcer] Today, we are proud to announce that the United States of America

successfully dropped a second atomic bomb, on the city of Nagasaki.

The United States government has asked for the unconditional surrender of Japan.

[Oppenheimer] Initial estimates suggest there could be in excess

of 130,000 people.

We'll have more over the next few days.

Unfortunately, that is all the information that I have here, gentlemen.

Mr. Oppenheimer.

Sir?

[door opens]

[door closes]

We're supposed to have a party now or something?

[sighs]

And if so,

remind me why exactly?

Why two bombs?

I mean, one is a crime against mankind, but we dropped two.

Why?

I wanted to hear that from him.

Because the United States won this war.

Excuse me?

We murdered civilians.

We saved a lot of lives of Japanese and American soldiers.

-Even civilians. -It's an act of barbarism

to burn women and children alive with a hellfire!

I calculated the ideal height to detonate the bomb

so as to achieve a maximum energy yield.

-I understand. -I did that!

What did I do?

Appeasement encouraged barbarism, Jack.

Europe committed suicide.

The brave Europeans in France and England didn't want to go to war

until it was inevitable.

[Edward] And that's why we need the thermonuclear.

From now on, our life becomes an existential game.

It is called "Who shoots first?"

We need to find the...

Where is Klaus?

[Edward] Obviously not here.

[sighs] I go for lunch.

This is a madhouse.

[birds squawking]

[brakes squeal]

Thank you.

Look at you.

Staszek, Stefania is dead.

[Francoise] How is life in Cambridge?

Good.

I got a grant for my thesis.

[Francoise] That's wonderful.

Thank you.

[Francoise] I should put her to bed.

Yeah, sure.

-Come on, Claire. -Good night, Claire.

-Do you need some help? -No, that's okay.

-[baby whimpering] -Shh.

[sighs]

How did it happen?

I got a message...

that Stefania was hiding

in the outskirts of Lvov...

with this woman,

a friend of hers.

And...

they unfortunately were captured by the Nazis.

Stefania had to lead them to the place

where she was hiding her jewelry.

They promised not to shoot her if she would do that...

but they didn't keep their promise.

Yossi, our nephew, was also shot.

And the other woman.

[Francoise] Oh, my God.

[Adam] I spoke to our uncle Michal,

but he doesn't know where our parents are.

He just told me that our flat is empty.

I wanted to talk to Stan about it.

I sent several telegrams, but he never answered.

-[high-pitched whine] -[gasps]

He just left me behind. He...

He didn't care.

[Francoise] It's not true, Adam.

Stan!

Stan, talk to me!

Stan! Stan!

Thank you.

Mr. Ulam.

How are we feeling?

What's happened?

You had brain inflammation.

Aren't you supposed to say comforting things to a patient?

Well, we had to drill a hole in your head.

And you have a very hard head, I'll give you that.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Hm.

Let me ask you something.

What's nine times seven?

I am a mathematician, not a computer.

Okay.

All right.

Trust me, Stan.

You will recover.

But it'll take some time.

[indistinct chattering]

[sighs]

Whoo-hoo!

[both laugh]

[Francoise] Stan.

You shouldn't smoke.

[Francoise sighs]

Give me your cigarette.

Please give me your cigarette.

Why can't you just leave me alone, hm?

Go home and write your diary.

I don't need you telling me what to do.

I can't just sit here and stare at the water like an idiot!

I can't! I'm fed up with it! Don't you understand?

What's the point of it?

If I can't think, I can't even joke.

If I can't joke...

what's left for us, huh?

Besides bottomless tragedy?

Your daughter is not a bottomless tragedy.

I didn't tell you, Johnny called.

He'd like to visit you.

I don't want to see him.

But it's Johnny.

I don't know what to talk about.

I can't think any equation through at the moment.

I might be finished.

You are not finished.

He's your best friend.

Talk about something else with him.

The only thing I can think about

is that I cannot think.

I know.

[Francoise sighs]

[seagulls squawk]

[Francoise] Claire really loves the seaside.

Look at her.

Isn't it a waste of time?

You don't have to play to know the outcome.

There are only two options: winning or losing.

What is it?

You're right.

[laughs]

You are absolutely right.

You don't need to play...

to know the outcome.

They should drill more holes in your head if you come up with this kind of idea.

I was wondering what the chances are

a solitaire game with 52 cards

will come out successfully.

I tried it by combinatorial calculations,

but I felt that it needed

some kind of abstract thinking.

Essentially,

the more games we play,

the more exactly we can predict the outcome without playing.

-Exactly. -[laughs]

[Johnny] This is the mathematical tool we always mentioned.

You are brilliant, Stan.

You remember that we couldn't find Klaus?

Yes.

He appears to be in Russia.

And not because of the Nutcracker suite.

The son of a bitch told them everything they need to know about bombs.

Now Edward has all the support and is working on the fusion.

You have to come back to Los Alamos.

It will be better.

You could also teach again.

No.

I need to go back there.

But...

doesn't it feel wrong to have a kid

and keep working on this bomb?

What about us?

[indistinct chattering]

[Edward] Jocelyn.

I need this again All of it.

-[Jocelyn] Yes, sir. -[Edward] Good? No mistakes.

Look who's here.

[chattering stops]

In Goettingen we used to say,

"A mathematician is a machine that translates coffee into theorems."

So how do the calculations look?

I have to discuss them with Washington.

Congratulations on your promotion.

It suits you.

Thank you.

Could you give me a little more detail on the parts that I've marked?

[humming]

Edward...

I actually think it's not the math.

It seems as if the general engineering of the bomb doesn't work.

You lose too much heat to the environment.

It cools down too fast,

and you propose to blow up two atomic bombs to make it work.

But it doesn't.

Then use three bombs.

The fusion reaction works once we get it started.

The bomb is already very big.

With three bombs, it's as large as a truck.

Stanislaw, why don't you leave this to an engineer to solve?

Listen...

I am glad that you had a change of heart.

I am, really.

We do need your ideas.

Especially since we haven't got much time.

Thanks to Klaus, the Russians have their own bomb now.

I never really liked Fritz.

Well, Klaus was a very good poker player.

And a traitor.

Stefka?

Stefania?

[wind gusting]

[Stan] I'm thinking about several ways to solve the bomb's engineering problem.

The fusion seems only possible with an immense amount of pressure.

Did you talk with Edward?

No.

I have to figure it out first.

Do you remember our hiking trips?

They never liked us, because we were slowing the group down.

I miss the humor, Johnny.

Do you know the joke about the dying Jew in Prague?

Jew lies on his deathbed.

He says, "My beloved wife, are you here?"

She answers, "Yes, of course."

So he turns to his son:

"My son, are you here?"

The son cries and says, "Yes."

This goes on.

"My brother, are you there?"

Also the brother is there.

Suddenly,

the old Jew gets really, really angry

and says, "But who's in the store, then?"

[laughs]

[toy playing "Pop Goes the Weasel" melody]

[both laugh]

Hello, I'm a clown.

[door opens]

[sighs]

You seem distant.

You sit here, but you're not here.

You're absent.

I found out how to solve it.

The hydrogen bomb.

I know how to make it work.

But I'm not sure whether I should tell them.

If you're not sure,

then what's the point in spending any more time here?

We could just leave.

Doesn't Edward have a point?

It's just a matter of time before the Russians get the hydrogen bomb.

-[inhales and exhales deeply] -Equal chances.

Doesn't it secure Claire's future?

I don't know what to do.

Let's have a normal life.

Because I can't stand this any longer.

[Stan] The problem remains that

we can't keep the temperature steady.

The sun uses gravity to contain heat.

Well, I think that we have to put the deuterium

and the lithium in a safe.

The most massive safe you can imagine.

Then we let it implode until it's super-critical

and the reaction starts.

That will work.

I did basic calculations.

It's a closed system and, in fact,

not very complex to solve.

What do you say, Edward?

Hm.

It is indeed brilliant.

Well done, Stanislaw.

Great work.

Great work, Stan.

I'm calling Washington.

[Johnny] Congratulations.

Now you belong to the establishment.

Yes.

What happened?

Some problems with the memory.

I have an idea since a couple of days.

What if one would use small atomic bombs

as a propulsion for a spaceship?

Did you steal it from a novel like they did with the fission bomb?

Maybe I should read more science fiction.

-Do you have numbers? -Some.

You should keep thinking about that.

Could be an alternative to these Germans in Texas and their rockets.

We should present that.

I'd like to work on it with you and our friends,

but not with an institution.

I've met somebody.

Great.

I'm happy to hear that.

Tell me, who is she? What's her name?

Her name is Klari. She's a coder.

She has such an exceptional mind without being a trained mathematician.

But there is really no point in being with her.

Why?

[Johnny] I'm afraid of death, Stan.

[crickets chirping]

Claire...

Come to me.

[grunts and laughs]

[Francoise] Oops!

[ignition starts]

[woman, on PA] Colonel Farbes, please report to the information desk.

I'd like to visit John Von Neumann.

Sign here, please.

[man on TV] A year of war between the newly founded state of Israel

and the coalition of Arab states comes to an end.

See you later.

[man on TV continues indistinctly]

[door closes]

You should move to Israel.

-Why? -[chuckles]

Who knows how long it will exist?

[scoffs]

By the way,

this guy from a company in California called me.

They want to develop my idea about the spaceship

that's driven by small bombs.

You remember?

They call it "Project Orion."

Sounds almost like a novel.

Congratulations.

I'll bet you have something to do with it.

I have so many ideas right now.

You know how bad I am in writing them down.

Just tell them to me.

Okay.

You know what the fascinating thing about cancer is?

No, I must have missed it.

Well, cancer is essentially a self-replicating algorithm,

like the one we were trying to look for.

[release latches click]

Have you heard about this guy who recently discovered DNA?

[Johnny] No.

Cancer is written in our genes.

I think it's fascinating.

I don't think I ever told you how much you really mean to me.

You are the only functioning relationship I ever had.

[laughs]

-[latch clicks] -Let's go out.

You know what Zeus did with Prometheus

after he discovered that he stole the fire?

He put him in chains

and sent an eagle every day

to tear a piece of his liver out.

All this work we were doing in New Mexico.

The horrible deaths of people in Hiroshima.

And now this hydrogen bomb.

We can't get away with it.

What about making sure it never happens again?

You know what I mean.

Look what happened to us in Europe.

Wasn't that the true purpose of it?

Wasn't that why we went there in the first place?

Johnny, we had a responsibility.

That's what you told me.

[indistinct chattering]

That's $1.20.

Here's one.

-And you can keep the change. -Thanks.

I'm really worried about him.

[Stan] Adam...

it's good to see you.

Call me if you need anything.

I like Molly.

Do you have plans together?

Plans?

Actually, I do.

I want to cut all ties with my Jewish identity.

[Stan] Oh.

Yes.

I'm sorry I left you.

I was wrong. I know that now.

That's good to hear.

-Thank you. -I realized it a long time ago,

but I didn't know how to tell you.

Who do you think you are, Staszek?

Who do you think you are?

Now you feel the need to talk to me?

So you wanted to talk all this time,

but until now you couldn't?

-It wasn't so easy. -Mm-hm.

Right.

A few cards and a letter, that's all you could manage.

I called you.

Yes.

Every six months.

So tell me, what's going on in your fabulous life?

Any new bombs?

You must be so proud of yourself.

-I shouldn't have left you. -I don't care!

You made a choice, now live with it.

You'll scare her.

You'll scare her. She's a good girl.

I don't want you to lose her.

-I know what happened. -What happened?

-She told me she found you... -Yes, I fainted.

I fainted, I lost consciousness.

It can happen to anyone. It's none of your business.

-Listen-- -No, you listen to me, Stan.

I was alone in a small room in Cambridge...

when I heard about Stefania's death.

I just needed you to be there with me.

But your bomb was more important.

You're right.

So what?

What should I do with this now?

Do you have a solution?

Just leave.

[door opens]

I didn't help create the bomb to kill people.

I wanted to save our family.

I left you.

Yes.

But I went there hoping that...

all I created in my life...

is burnt sand.

Around me, only ash and death.

I don't want this anymore.

[door closes]

[door opens]

[door closes]

[footsteps recede]

[sobs softly]

[tour guide speaking indistinctly]

[tour guide] We call them the Anasazi, the Ancient Ones or the Elders.

They lived here over 2,000 years ago.

No one knows where they came from.

And then one day they disappeared,

only leaving behind their knowledge.

Much like you.

They were a tribe of highly intelligent people.

They have left their marks on the land

and on the following generations.

They had a rich culture.

They all shared a bond.

A common story...

[theme music playing]

[insects chirping]