At the risk of being pilloried by ardent fans of movie director Christopher Nolan, I am compelled to comment on the sound design of his recent blockbuster movie, “Oppenheimer,” if for nothing else, to warn future audiences.
Nolan is well known for his innovative use of sound, so I should have been aware going in that the movie would be loud — in the general decibel level of 74-104. That level is common in today’s movies, and I suspect exceeded in theaters’ “Coming attractions” segments. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIH), decibel levels of 100 for 15 minutes can cause some hearing damage. I believe that throughout most of Oppenheimer’s three hours, that level was sustained and even exceeded.
For this reason, I bring ear protection to movie theaters. My gas-powered lawnmower generates about 95 decibels, so I use earplugs when mowing my lawn. I’ve noticed that while performing this task, most of my neighbors wear ear protection. Yet, glancing around the movie theater on several occasions, I’ve rarely noticed anyone protecting their ears.
According to the National Institute of Health, one in eight people in the U.S. (13%, or 30 million) age 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations.
Perhaps people don’t care about their hearing, but I’ve always valued mine, especially after U.S. Navy tests many years ago that ranked me “off the charts” in both high, medium, and low frequencies.
For most of “Oppenheimer,” in IMAX, the dialogue’s volume was so loud it was difficult to hear, or it was drowned out by background sound features common in Nolan films. But I realize that movie preferences are highly subjective, and it seems the majority of audiences like rumbling, ear-splitting sound effects.
In other respects, I thought “Oppenheimer” was an excellent film that masterfully captured one of the most pivotal and landmark developments in world history. Unlike the Los Alamos workers who witnessed the first atomic explosion on July 16, 1945, theater-goers need not wear dark glasses. But perhaps some ear protection, even cotton balls, might be worthwhile.
— Frank E. Baker
Eagle River
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