I'm a Tesla fan from way back, and have seen better documentaries. Some of the facts are shown, but far more could have been done. For example, Marconi, often credited with the first radio transmissions, didn't accomplish it until several years after Tesla demonstrated a radio controlled model boat. That's a far more complex radio transmission and control circuit than Marconi's. This fact is glossed over quickly, leaving the viewer with the impression Marconi's achievement was better. Marconi did something great, too, but it was Tesla's theories that got him there.
The story drags and isn't helped by the wooden acting of Peter Bozovic as Tesla. At times, it almost looks like a high school play being filmed. In the middle of the movie is an out of place scene where he figures out AC current and generation, which is good, but they're speaking German, no subtitles. And it's after he's already demonstrated an AC generator and built a powerhouse at Niagra Falls! The DVD also looks like it was copied from a VHS tape, rather dark, and about three quarters of the way through, the movie suddenly backs up about 15 seconds like someone accidentally hit the fast rewind button, then goes back to play. A real professionally made product! Strother Martin tries to make the best of a bad script, as does Orson Welles, but they're just isn't much there. The extras are a documentary made in Russia, in Russian, no subtitles.
A better documentary is Nikola Tesla, the genius who lit the world.
The story drags and isn't helped by the wooden acting of Peter Bozovic as Tesla. At times, it almost looks like a high school play being filmed. In the middle of the movie is an out of place scene where he figures out AC current and generation, which is good, but they're speaking German, no subtitles. And it's after he's already demonstrated an AC generator and built a powerhouse at Niagra Falls! The DVD also looks like it was copied from a VHS tape, rather dark, and about three quarters of the way through, the movie suddenly backs up about 15 seconds like someone accidentally hit the fast rewind button, then goes back to play. A real professionally made product! Strother Martin tries to make the best of a bad script, as does Orson Welles, but they're just isn't much there. The extras are a documentary made in Russia, in Russian, no subtitles.
A better documentary is Nikola Tesla, the genius who lit the world.