Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Galileo

  • 1975
  • PG
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
773
YOUR RATING
Topol in Galileo (1975)
Galileo: I've Achieved Nothing
Play clip1:59
Watch Galileo: I've Achieved Nothing
1 Video
10 Photos
BiographyDrama

Galileo Galilei, his telescopic discoveries, support of Copernican theory, conflict with Catholic Church leading to imprisonment, and influence on future scientists like Newton and Kepler.Galileo Galilei, his telescopic discoveries, support of Copernican theory, conflict with Catholic Church leading to imprisonment, and influence on future scientists like Newton and Kepler.Galileo Galilei, his telescopic discoveries, support of Copernican theory, conflict with Catholic Church leading to imprisonment, and influence on future scientists like Newton and Kepler.

  • Director
    • Joseph Losey
  • Writers
    • Barbara Bray
    • Bertolt Brecht
    • Charles Laughton
  • Stars
    • Topol
    • Edward Fox
    • Colin Blakely
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    773
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Joseph Losey
    • Writers
      • Barbara Bray
      • Bertolt Brecht
      • Charles Laughton
    • Stars
      • Topol
      • Edward Fox
      • Colin Blakely
    • 13User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Galileo: I've Achieved Nothing
    Clip 1:59
    Galileo: I've Achieved Nothing

    Photos9

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 3
    View Poster

    Top cast56

    Edit
    Topol
    Topol
    • Galileo Galilei
    Edward Fox
    Edward Fox
    • Cardinal Inquisitor
    Colin Blakely
    Colin Blakely
    • Priuli
    Georgia Brown
    Georgia Brown
    • Ballad Singer's Wife
    Clive Revill
    Clive Revill
    • Ballad Singer
    Margaret Leighton
    Margaret Leighton
    • Elderly Court Lady
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • The Old Cardinal
    Michael Gough
    Michael Gough
    • Sagredo
    Michael Lonsdale
    Michael Lonsdale
    • Cardinal Barberini (later Pope Urban VIII)
    Richard O'Callaghan
    Richard O'Callaghan
    • Fulganzio
    Tim Woodward
    Tim Woodward
    • Ludovico Marsili
    Judy Parfitt
    Judy Parfitt
    • Angelica Sarti
    John McEnery
    John McEnery
    • Federzoni
    Patrick Magee
    Patrick Magee
    • Cardinal Bellarmin
    Mary Larkin
    Mary Larkin
    • Virginia
    Iain Travers
    • Andrea Sarti (boy)
    Tom Conti
    Tom Conti
    • Andrea Sarti (man)
    James Aubrey
    James Aubrey
    • Monk-Scholar
    • Director
      • Joseph Losey
    • Writers
      • Barbara Bray
      • Bertolt Brecht
      • Charles Laughton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Man in the Glass Booth
    7.0
    The Man in the Glass Booth
    Black Gravel
    7.5
    Black Gravel
    Nowhere to Go
    6.8
    Nowhere to Go
    Resisting Enemy Interrogation
    6.8
    Resisting Enemy Interrogation
    Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail
    7.2
    Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail
    Galileo
    6.7
    Galileo
    Household Saints
    6.9
    Household Saints
    Joe MacBeth
    6.2
    Joe MacBeth
    Without Pity
    6.6
    Without Pity
    The Solid Gold Cadillac
    7.5
    The Solid Gold Cadillac
    Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
    6.3
    Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
    Monty Python: The Meaning of Live
    7.6
    Monty Python: The Meaning of Live

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Joseph Losey had also directed the original Broadway production of "Galileo," 28 years previously.
    • Goofs
      After the crier announces Galileo Galilei's recantation, a chessboard is seen on the left side of the screen: all the pieces are upright. As Galileo enters, a new shot shows that one of the pieces has been toppled. In the next shot, all the pieces are again upright (1:57:50-1:58:10).
    • Quotes

      Andrea Sarti: [upon Galileo's recantation] Unhappy is the land that has no heroes.

      Galileo Galilei: Incorrect. Unhappy is the land that *needs* a hero.

    • Connections
      Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #23.1 (2010)

    User reviews13

    Featured review
    10/10

    Galileo, the Alienation Effect & those shrill little choir boys

    I wrote a previous comment on the film of Bertolt Brecht's play "Galileo" a few years ago. Since it's posted here I will try not to repeat myself. However, comments from other reviewers need addressing, especially since this film is finally out on DVD and more people may be interested in seeing it. Brecht's intent in this play, which he wrote and rewrote over a period of thirty years, was never intended to be a "biography" of the scientist. Brecht was a Marxist and he saw theatre as a means of propaganda, to jolt viewers out of their complacency, to shake up their way of thinking and their view of the world. How well he succeeded may be open to question, but it is important to understand his intent and point of view. To this end he incorporated what he called the "alienation effect" into his plays. He did not want viewers to get emotionally involved in the characters or experience a catharsis afterward. He wanted to address them directly and tell them that there were important ideas being presented and they should pay attention and think about them. He did not want his audience to be "entertained". If you ever see a production of his "Three-Penny Opera", for instance, the characters come out to the front of the stage and sing little lectures to the audience. The best known tune from this show, "Mack the Knife" is not the swinging jazzy Bobby Darin version, but is supposed to be sung in a grating, irritating voice. This is perhaps the most obvious example of Brecht's alienation effect. In "Galileo" this effect is less apparent, perhaps because this play leans toward the genre of realism more than most of his other plays. It is a rather straightforward, narrative story. In the film the choir boys sing between what would be different scenes in the play. In the play, the lyrics the boys sing are supposed to be on a sign or projected on a screen to bring the tell the audience the year, the place and the general theme of the upcoming scene. Why the producers or director chose to use the choir boys for this purpose, I cannot say and I do think the message get lost in their shrill soprano voices. But for Brecht, this was to be his alienation effect in "Galileo", a break in the action to remind the audience not to get involved in the storyline or the characters, but to pay attention to the ideas he is presenting. I'm pretty sure that the choir boys are in this film to do the same thing, to break up the narrative, to take the focus off the characters in the story, and to communicate the information about the next scene in a way unrelated to the rest of the play. If only they weren't so screechy! One last comment about Brecht & Galileo, the character. I mentioned that Brecht rewrote this play several times, He did this because he was unhappy that actors portrayed Galileo too sympathetically; Brecht wanted him to be a villain, a coward and a betrayer of humanity. Actors, however, were seduced by the slyness and humor of the character. Charles Laughton, who worked with Brecht to translate "Galileo" into English in the late 1940's was among those who couldn't avoid making Galileo likable. Brecht admired Laughton's theatre craftsmanship as they rehearsed the play, but was horrified to find the audience liked the character of Galileo & saw him as a hero instead of a villain. Brecht tried and tried to make Galileo unlikable but never succeeded. Years later, after he have returned to communist East Germany he again tried to make Galileo despicable rather than heroic. But even though he had his own Marxist theatre company in a Marxist country with Marxist actors, his audiences still loved Galileo. It may be the only time a character defeated the author who had created him.
    • pholmer
    • Sep 7, 2005
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ15

    • How long is Galileo?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 27, 1976 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Galileo Galilei
    • Filming locations
      • Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Cinévision Ltée
      • The American Film Theatre
      • The Ely Landau Organization Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 25 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Topol in Galileo (1975)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Galileo (1975) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.