Creation (2009/I)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jon Amiel

Writers:

John Collee (screenplay)
Randal Keynes (biography)

Release Date:

22 January 2010 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

How he saw the world changed it forever

Plot:

English naturalist Charles Darwin struggles to find a balance between his revolutionary theories on evolution and the relationship with religious wife, whose faith contradicts his work.

Plot Keywords:

Charles Darwin | Evolution | Scientist | Country House | 1850s

Cast

Jennifer Connelly	...	Emma Darwin
Paul Bettany	...	Charles Darwin
Jeremy Northam	...	Reverend Innes
Toby Jones	...	Thomas Huxley
Jim Carter	...	Parslow
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Joseph Hooker
Teresa Churcher	...	Mrs. Davies
Pauline Stone	...	Mrs. Darwin's Maid
Martha West	...	Annie Darwin
Zak Davies	...	Jemmy Buttons
Harrison Sansostri	...	Lenny Darwin
Christopher Dunkin	...	George Darwin

Also Known As:

Annie's Box (International: English title) (working title)
Nature (International: English title) (working title)
Origin (USA) (working title)
Untitled Charles Darwin Project (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, UK

Company:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC)

Trivia:

Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly portray husband and wife in the movie, and are actually married in real life.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Emma Darwin: Do you not care that you and I may be separated for all eternity?

Brilliant Performances

Simply put, Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly were remarkable. The movie is less about the raw science of Darwin's beliefs, and holds the focus very strongly on his relationship with his family, primarily his wife, Emma, and daughter, Annie.

Toby Jones gives a wonderful turn as Thomas Huxley, the great defender of Darwin's beliefs, and the rest of the cast is up to the task of sharing screen time with Bettany and Connelly.

But it is those two who carry the movie. Their real chemistry is apparent from beginning to end, but develops transcendence as Darwin grapples with his demons. The scene where Darwin relates the ending of the story of Jenny, the orangutan, to his dying daughter, Annie, is utterly gripping. The world premiere audience at the TIFF was spellbound. Bettany's performance will be recognized as one of the year's best in short order. Equally magnificent is Connelly's work playing the religious wife of a man who, in Huxley's words, "killed God".

The film moves slowly through the entire spectrum of Darwin's grief, relishing every detail of Bettany and Connelly's acting.

Brilliant.