In a behind-the-scenes featurette for “Oppenheimer,” we learn that black and white Film had to be engineered to give Nolan what he wanted. “We actually had to create the black and white film that we were using to shoot,” says executive producer Thomas Hayslip. “65mm black and white was a format that didn’t exist,” states cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, adding: “There was a lot of engineering that went into that.” 

In another interview, van Hoytema reveals he called Kodak to ask about the film: 

“We asked: ‘Do you have 65-millimeter black-and-white film?’ And of course, they didn’t, because they never made it before … So, we asked: ‘Can you make it?’ And they were like, ‘Maybe?’ And then we were always nagging them like little kids to do it. Fortunately for us, they really stepped up to the challenge. They supplied us with prototypal film stock — freshly manufactured, with hand-written labels on it — and when we tested it, the first time we saw it, it just blew us away. It was so special and so beautiful.”

It’s impressive that Nolan and company have that sort of clout. I don’t know if Kodak would go ahead and invent film like this for anyone, but for Nolan, they made it happen. Nolan used black and white and color to contrast different elements of the film. “One is in color, and that’s Oppenheimer’s subjective experience,” the director said. “That’s the bulk of the film. Then the other is a black-and-white timeline. It’s a more objective view of his story from a different character’s point of view.” One has to wonder now if other filmmakers will employ this particular type of massive 65mm black and white film, or if it was a one-and-done situation that will never be repeated … unless Christopher Nolan wants to do it again.