Einstein and Eddington (2008)

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.

Director:

Philip Martin

Writer:

Peter Moffat

Stars:

David Tennant, Richard McCabe, Patrick Kennedy

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Sir Arthur Eddington is a renowned physicist at Cambridge University and an expert in the measurement of the physical world. He along with all of his colleagues are also avowed Newtonians. Sir Oliver Lodge suggests that he read a new thesis put forward by a German-Swiss scientist named Albert Einstein who is suggesting that Sir Isaac Newton may have got it wrong. The expectation is that Einstein's theories will be disproven but Eddington admits that his General Theory of Relativity has merit. These are turbulent times as England and Germany are at war and Eddington's own loyalty is called into question when, as a Quaker, he refuses to fight. In the end, Eddington develops a series of tests to either prove or disprove Einstein's theories. For his part, Einstein has his own struggles during this period: the breakdown of his marriage, his integration into the university in Berlin and his own strident pacifism that led him to oppose German militarism and the First World War. In the end, ...

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Einstein és Eddington

Filming Locations:

Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Company Television Productions, HBO Films, Pioneer Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the partial phase of the eclipse of the Sun, the entire outline of the Moon was visible. This does not happen in reality.

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Quotes

Fritz Haber: [Elsa accompanies Einstein as he fetches his mail in the senior common room of the University. As they enter the room, the other faculty members looks up]
Fritz Haber: This is the senior common room.
Albert Einstein: [Einstein looks at Haber]
Fritz Haber: She's a woman...
Albert Einstein: [Einstein looks at Elsa]
Albert Einstein: Do you know Haber, I think you could be right. Quick, what should we do? God knows. Anything might happen.

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Connections

Referenced in Parkinson: Episode dated 5 May 2007 (2007)

User Reviews

A movie of contrasts.

As the title suggests, this movie is about two men. Albert Einstein and Arthur Stanley Eddington. Einstein is light of heart, humorous, and a bit flippant. Eddington is a serious and religious man, a quaker. Einstein has no idea, nor cares how to prove or demonstrate his theory of gravity. Eddington works out an experiment using a telescope to observe if starlight bends coming near a massive object, so he takes his telescope to Africa to photograph a total solar eclipse. The story also highlights old guard science vs. a creativity. Neither English nor German scientists are comfortable with Einstein's Relativity. In the end, both Eddington and Einstein are scientists and intellectually honest. This the story of two very different men, trying to understand the universe in their own ways. The science is only a prop for the story.