Einstein and Eddington (2008) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Philip Martin

Writer:

Peter Moffat (written by)

Release Date:

23 November 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

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. |

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

David Tennant	...	Arthur Eddington
Richard McCabe	...	Frank Dyson
Patrick Kennedy	...	William Marston
Ben Uttley	...	Tennis Player 1
Gyuri Sarossy	...	Tennis Player 2
Rebecca Hall	...	Winnie Eddington
Jim Broadbent	...	Sir Oliver Lodge
Andy Serkis	...	Albert Einstein
Jacob Theato	...	Eduard Einstein
Callum Williams	...	Hans Einstein
Lucy Cohu	...	Mileva Einstein
Donald Sumpter	...	Max Planck
Lucy Briers	...	Librarian
Anton Lesser	...	Fritz Haber
John Bowe	...	Leopold Koppel

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Company:

Company Television Productions

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Eddington went to the railway station to see Marston off, he used a subway to get across to platform 3. Cambridge station has no subway, all the platforms are accessible on the level.

Quotes:

[Einstein is trying to work out why Newton's Laws of Motion do not correctly explain the orbit of the planet Mercury]
Max Planck: May I ask you a very serious question? What if God were to say you were mistaken? If he said "Stop. Newton is right"?
Albert Einstein: Then I would thank God for his point of view, and we would agree to differ, and I would be left feeling very sorry for God.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Parkinson: (2007-05-05)" (2007)

Great actors, great story

This is a superb drama, combining a well-presented scientific and historical explication of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity alongside a gripping portrait of the moral dilemmas that scientists have to struggle with as they try to reconcile the demands of country and conscience.

The twin leads –British scientist Arthur Eddington (David Tennant) and Einstein (Andy Serkis) – lead very different lives but face not only similar scientific opposition and derision but also similar pressures to back their country's efforts to win the First World War. Tennant shakes off the Dr Who expectations in pointing up the problems of a gay pacifist Quaker who tries to prove the new-fangled theories of 'enemy' scientist Einstein – a theory especially dangerous because it undermines the ordered view of the universe created by English scientist Isaac Newton. Einstein's complicated private life is compounded by his revulsion at fellow scientists' work in developing poison gas. Both Tennant and Serkis get right into the skin of their characters - two brilliant actors on top form.

The drama brings over very effectively the transition from the comfortable life of the scientists in pre-war Cambridge and Switzerland to the tragedies of war. Jim Broadbent as Sir Oliver Lodge and Donald Sumpter as Max Planck lead the scientific establishments in Cambridge and Berlin as they pervert their scientific beliefs to condone mass killing on a scale never before seen. The main female roles have rather less to do, but Rebecca Hall as Eddington's sister, Lucy Cohu as Einstein's abandoned wife and Jodhi May as his mistress all add an extra warmth to the production and help to avoid the danger of focusing only on clever men using symbols and formulae to bemuse their colleagues (and the audience).

The settings – Cambridge, Berlin and West Africa, where Eddington photographed a total eclipse of the sun to prove the Einstein's theory was right – provide a powerful backdrop to the human drama, making it all the more believable. All in all, a very successful and informative BBC and HBO drama that maintains tension and excitement throughout.