A Brief History of Time (1991)
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- G
- 1h 20min
- Documentary, Biography
- 27 Dec 1991 (UK)
- Movie
A film about the life and work of the cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who despite his near total paralysis, was one of the great minds of all time.
Director:
Writer:
Awards:
- 4 wins & 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Isobel Hawking | ... |
Self - Stephen Hawking's Mother
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| Stephen Hawking | ... |
Self
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| Janet Humphrey | ... |
Self - Stephen Hawking's Aunt
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| Mary Hawking | ... |
Self - Stephen Hawking's Sister
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| Basil King | ... |
Self - Hawking Family Neighbor
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| Derek Powney | ... |
Self - Hawking Classmate at Oxford
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Norman Dix | ... |
Self - Hawking Classmate at Oxford
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Robert Berman | ... |
Self - Hawking Tutor at Oxford
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Gordon Berry | ... |
Self - Hawking Classmate at Oxford
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| Roger Penrose | ... |
Self - Professor at Cambridge
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Dennis Sciama | ... |
Self - Professor at Cambridge
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| John Wheeler | ... |
Self - Astrophysicist
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| Brandon Carter | ... |
Self - Astrophysicist
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John Taylor | ... |
Self - Astrophysicist
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| Kip Thorne | ... |
Self - Research Scientist at Cambridge
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| Don Page | ... |
Self - Hawking Student
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Christopher Isham | ... |
Self - Astrophysicist
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Brian Whitt | ... |
Self - Hawking Student
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| Raymond Laflamme | ... |
Self - Hawking Student
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Directed by
| Errol Morris | ||
Written by
| Stephen Hawking | ... | (book) |
Produced by
| Jan Euden | ... | assistant producer |
| Colin Ewing | ... | executive producer: Anglia Television |
| Gordon Freedman | ... | executive producer |
| David Hickman | ... | producer |
| Kathleen Kennedy | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| Steven Seidenberg | ... | assistant producer |
| Steven Spielberg | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
Music by
| Philip Glass | ||
Cinematography by
| John Bailey | ||
| Stefan Czapsky | ||
Editing by
| Brad Fuller | ||
Editorial Department
| William A. Anderson | ... | additional editor |
| Eliza Johnston | ... | assistant editor |
| Julian Rodd | ... | associate editor |
| Lisa Schechter | ... | associate editor |
| Maura E. Shea | ... | apprentice editor (as Maura Shea) |
| Charlie Silver | ... | consulting editor |
| Mary Skinner | ... | editorial assistant |
| Carolyn Stark | ... | apprentice editor |
Production Design by
| Ted Bafaloukos | ||
Art Direction by
| David Lee | ||
Makeup Department
| Suzie Zamit | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Barney Reisz | ... | production supervisor |
| Paul Sparrow | ... | production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Nick Heckstall-Smith | ... | first assistant director |
Art Department
| John Bastin | ... | carpenter |
| Bobby Betts | ... | painter (as Robert Betts) |
| Alan Chesters | ... | construction manager |
| Bob Cox | ... | construction manager |
| Terry Dunne | ... | props: UK |
| Jenny Dyer | ... | property buyer / set dresser |
| Jim Foran | ... | carpenter |
| Tommy Gray | ... | stagehand |
| Mark Hedges | ... | props: UK |
| Paul Hedges | ... | property master |
| Michael Hersey | ... | painter |
| Rebekah Ingalls | ... | props: USA |
| David Ned Kelly | ... | carpenter (as Ned Kelly) |
| Pat Lynch | ... | painter |
| Richard Maris | ... | props: UK |
| Alan Pearson | ... | painter |
| Brian Webb | ... | stagehand |
| Michael Webb | ... | carpenter |
Sound Department
| Ed Barteski | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Tony Bell | ... | boom operator (as Antony Bell) |
| Bob Edwards | ... | Rerecording Mixer |
| Bradford L. Hohle | ... | consultant: Dolby Stereo |
| Julie Lindner | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Eliza Paley | ... | sound editor |
| Ira Spiegel | ... | sound editor |
| Randy Thom | ... | re-recording mixer / sound effects |
| Bruce White | ... | sound mixer |
Visual Effects by
| Dennis Bartlett | ... | blue screen supervisor |
| John Hughes | ... | cg supervisor: Rhythm & Hues / studio head: Rhythm & Hues |
| Aung Min | ... | digital effects artist |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Scott Billups | ... | camera operator |
| Kevin Bryan | ... | electrician |
| Peter Butler | ... | grip |
| Philippe Carr-Forster | ... | camera operator (as Philip Carr-Forster) |
| Steve Davis | ... | rigger |
| Dave Everall | ... | rigger |
| John Foster | ... | clapper loader |
| Bill Geddes | ... | grip |
| Sunil Gupta | ... | still photographer |
| Ian Hills | ... | rigger |
| Ed Joyce | ... | animation camera operator |
| Bill Keenan | ... | rigger |
| Brian Kemp | ... | gaffer |
| Steve Kitchen | ... | electrician |
| Eddie Matthews | ... | electrician |
| Stephen Morley | ... | still photographer: production stills |
| Bob Olley | ... | electrician |
| Steve Parker | ... | focus puller |
| John Payne | ... | grip |
| Tony Sankey | ... | grip |
| Chris Schwarz | ... | still photographer |
| Ed Searles | ... | animation camera operator |
| Peter Toley | ... | electrician |
| George C. Webb | ... | electrician |
| Gary Willis | ... | gaffer |
Music Department
| Suki Buchman | ... | music editor |
| Dante Desole | ... | assistant engineer |
| Angela Dryden | ... | engineer |
| Scott Hollingsworth | ... | assistant engineer |
| Michael Riesman | ... | conductor |
Transportation Department
| Ron Nanson | ... | unit driver (as Ronnie Nanson) |
| John Orsler | ... | driver: props |
| Bill Wright | ... | unit driver |
Additional Crew
| Brook Adams | ... | runner |
| Ted Bafaloukos | ... | master drawings |
| Alex Baxter | ... | radiology advisor |
| Jacob Beckenstein | ... | archive photographs |
| Robert Berman | ... | archive photographs |
| Colin Bevan | ... | publicist |
| David Bulbeck | ... | stand-in: Stephen Hawking |
| Suzanna Bunting | ... | production assistant |
| Sidney Coleman | ... | science advisor |
| Becky Crane | ... | production secretary |
| Donna Davis | ... | research assistant |
| Fiona Eldridge | ... | publicist |
| Buck Ewing | ... | transcriptions |
| Philip Gaze | ... | runner |
| Karen Gordon | ... | production secretary |
| David Hohmann | ... | graphics coordinator |
| Alan John | ... | financial controller |
| Raymond Laflamme | ... | time reverse calculations |
| Lynda Levy | ... | unit publicist (as Linda Levy) |
| Sharon Mansfield | ... | runner |
| David Mason | ... | wheelchair/computer consultant |
| Rachel McCallister | ... | publicist |
| Carolyn Moore | ... | production assistant |
| Rosemary Nicholls | ... | chicken wrangler |
| Don Page | ... | archive photographs |
| Keir Pearson | ... | research assistant |
| Nick Powers | ... | back projection supervisor |
| Ana Ransom | ... | transcriptions |
| Christine A. Sacani | ... | production coordinator: USA |
| David Schisgall | ... | assistant: Errol Morris |
| Paul Sowerbutts | ... | production associate |
| Kip Thorne | ... | archive photographs |
| Walter Woltosz | ... | technical advisor |
| Jonathan Dana | ... | studio executive (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Amblin Entertainment
- Anglia Television
- Channel Four Films
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
- Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
Distributors
- Cineplex Odeon Films (1991) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Triton Pictures (1991) (United States) (theatrical)
- Bac Films (1992) (France) (theatrical)
- E.A.T. Medien (1992) (Germany) (theatrical)
- Falcon, a.s. (1992) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
- Finnkino (1992) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Folkets Bio (1992) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Moxienotion (1992) (Indonesia) (theatrical)
- Roadshow Entertainment (1992) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Alliance Video (1998) (Canada) (VHS)
- Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1993) (Canada) (VHS)
- Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- MCA Home Video (1993) (Canada) (VHS) (distributed by)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (1993) (United States) (VHS)
- The Criterion Collection (2014) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- The Criterion Collection (2014) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
- Balsmeyer and Everett (visual effects photography)
Other Companies
- Antique Time Machines (courtesy of: antique timepiece)
- Balsmeyer and Everett (motion control)
- Balsmeyer and Everett (title design)
- Cambridge University Press (by permission: "Large Scale Structure of Space-time", Hawking & Ellis)
- Cavalier Transport (construction transport)
- D. H. A. Lighting (back projection slides)
- Hamish Bell Movie Transport (prop transport)
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (acknowledgement: Quasar 3C273)
- J & P Timepieces (courtesy of: Rolex Cosmograph watch)
- J.G. Films (negative cutting)
- John G. Wolbach Library (archival material courtesy of)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (courtesy of: particle explosions)
- Looking Glass Studios (music recording and mixing)
- Modern VideoFilm (post-production facilities) (restoration)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (acknowledgement: spiral galaxies)
- Oxford University Press (by permission: Bleaney & Bleaney)
- Parker Bros. (courtesy of: "Monopoly" board)
- Pergamon Press (courtesy of: particle explosions)
- Rhythm & Hues Studios (computer animation)
- Rolex (thanks)
- Skywalker Sound (Rerecording at) (uncredited?)
- Skywalker Sound (Sound Effects Recorded at)
- Sotheby's (courtesy of: Maps of the Heavens)
- Sound One Corporation (Rerecording at)
- The ALS Foundation (courtesy of: "Eye Gaze" board)
- The British Library (courtesy of: Maps of the Heavens)
- The Effects House (opticals)
- The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York (courtesy of: Maps of the Heavens)
- The Walt Disney Company (courtesy of: "The Black Hole")
- Words Plus Inc. Livermore, California, USA (Prof. Hawking's computerized communication system)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Unlike the book, this film is really an anecdotal biography of Stephen Hawking. Clips of his lectures, interviews with friends and family and a little physics are thrown together.
Written by Jim Sadur |
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| Taglines | Where did the universe come from? Will time ever come to an end? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? See more » |
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| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Appearances to the contrary, all interviews were filmed on sets built for the movie. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Honeymoon in Vegas/Christopher Columbus: The Discovery/Bob Roberts/Storyville/A Brief History of Time (1992). See more » |
| Quotes |
[last lines]
Stephen Hawking: If we do discover a complete theory of the universe, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all - philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people - be able to take part in the discussion of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason. For then we would know the mind of God. See more » |