Einstein and Eddington

2008
7.2| 1h30m| PG-13| en
Details

A look at the evolution of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, and Einstein's relationship with British scientist Sir Arthur Eddington, the first physicist to understand his ideas.

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
caramia2002 The fine ensemble of actors never seemed to gel and had zero chemistry. Einstein was portrayed as a joke, when he wasn't working, that is. They tried to drag too many dramatic elements which muddled things. They should have picked two and stuck to those. Nowhere it say, that I have found, that Eddington was gay. He might have been, but he never came out. As many people view movies based on history as history itself, this was a cheap ploy to resemble A Beautiful Mind, and further muddled the plot (why hire an actor to play the object of his affections, for two very short scenes?). Tennant, a fine actor, played Eddington over the top and his glasses magnified his eyes in a very distracting and strange way. What was the director thinking??? Give him clear lenses and contacts.The "history" in this movie is not even close, except that Einstein did indeed solve this puzzle. Eddington did not help him or pose the question. Einstein already had the question. They left out key life milestones. Einstein did marry his 1st cousin, right after his divorce from his 1st wife came through, as it had taken a long time (the only thing this got right). The whole Africa thing didn't happen like this nor did the scene where Eddington proved Einstein's theory, and it wasn't in public. I don't expect any movie based on history to be a documentary, but at least get half of it right, not 10%.The writing was bad TV movie worthy. I cringed for the actors often. The music was just embarrassing. I almost turned it off after the overly majestic opening, as I thought it was a kid's movie. The composer copied the ET score, if not in notes, in theme, mood, and dynamics. And not near as good as the ET score. I am glad that Andy Serkis got a nice leading role after being known as Gollum for so long. But like the other actors, he never got to really shine. He managed the situation better than most of the male ensemble, though. The women did very well, however.
Speedwheels1718 This movie had a lot of potential I think to get people who arnt much into science or astronomy and truly captivate them, unfortunately I don't think it does nearly as much as it could have. Instead it focuses too much imo on the love stories and the way it rearranges history and adds much inaccuracy for the sake of the story when the way it really went down in history was just as exciting, if not more in many parts. Still, the movie is enjoyable, the characters are fairly well developed and the story is engaging all the way until the end. I liked the dynamic between country vs the betterment of sciences for all and really enjoyed Eddington's fight and struggle with the university. I did think some of how the characters explained and reacted to the science felt unnatural in dialog. There probably could have been more creative ways to incorporate it but think it did a good job of explaining it to the layman and explained it well to get people interested in relativity and/or cosmology. If you want a history lesson this is the movie for you. The way events occurred is all out of sorts. (Spoilers) Things like the expedition did happen but there was several explanations years before including one during the war and one in America. The one in America was successful and got calculated, but it showed that Einstein was wrong! However the equipment used in the expedition was not the best (the shift is very very small) the other expeditions didn't turn out because of clouds, rain or were left after the people got kicked out of Russia because of the war, The American results were going to be published but right before they did, word got there that Eddington's results from the expedition came back showing Einstein right! While science accepted Einsteins theory, there rose a few concerns and it took another eclipse and expedition to Australia (where this time seven countries set up there) to fully accept Einstein was correct. Einsteins love story in the movie is fabricated in some parts, again the real story I think is just as interesting and would have worked just as well.
Richard von Lust The central approach is quite good: Einstein v Newton during WW1. It's the perfect setting for yet another reminder of the British/German enmity that Hollywood loves to ram down our throats. According to the plot, Einstein is given a top Berlin academic post in order to embarrass the Britons by proving Newton wrong. Whilst in England Sir Arthur Eddington is given a senior Cambridge position just in order to prove the upstart German wrong.All the standard ingredients are there; nasty German scientists devoted to anti-personnel gas production, stiff old aristocrats interfering with progress and our two cool dudes strutting around their patches telling everyone what's what. But it's not just about giving the Krauts another bashing. Once again the Studios give us a spoon fed morality session with stereotypical bad guys looking like greasy bankers, sold out scientists and pompous officials waging senseless war for their own profit and power. (If only life was that clear cut) Meanwhile the good guys, Eddington and Einstein, are both above the mass killing. Their search for truth is a shining example of how the individual can change the world - or so Eddington tells us in a much edited final speech that could have been written by Thatcher.The sheer banality of the script is enough to bend space itself. Max Plank makes a stage entrance so contrived that even the Cleethorpes Junior School Drama Society would be embarrassed to stage it. We are treated to Einstein the improvised clown who leaps from boats explaining relativity to knee high children. Then he becomes a disheveled dropout who goes around demanding that the German authorities stop their gas campaign. Once again Hollywood takes 21st century man and sticks him into 19th.century society and once again it doesn't work. Our Einstein is so profoundly rude and abusive to the authorities that you know exactly which century he comes from.Of course David Tenant as Eddington is superb. Had he not been in the show I don't think I could have stuck it out and written this review. Watch this if you have a crush on him or an obsessive interest in Einstein. But don't expect to learn anything about 'Einstein the Man' in this movie for it was one of the worst pieces of casting and scripting that I've ever had the misfortune to endure.
IMDbeans Although this was easy and enjoyable to watch, the characters all lacked depth and the script in general was rather superficial, simplistic and ultimately unsatisfying. It could have been so much more, given the fascinating setting and the magnitude of the underlying facts. The science itself was almost completely omitted or dumbed down. It was disappointing that there was a rather cheap and unconvincing attempt at a religious 'miracle' as well as some one-dimensional and unnecessary politics. On the positive side, Cambidge university in the WWI era made for a pleasing backdrop and the actors' performances were decent on the whole.

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