The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)

The story of the life and academic career of the pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.

Director:

Matt Brown (as Matthew Brown)

Writers:

Matt Brown (screenplay), Matt Brown

Stars:

Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Malcolm Sinclair

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	G.H. Hardy
Dev Patel	...	S. Ramanujan
Malcolm Sinclair	...	Professor Cartwright
Raghuvir Joshi	...	Narasimha
Dhritiman Chatterjee	...	Narayana Iyer (as Dhritiman Chaterji)
Stephen Fry	...	Sir Francis Spring
Arundathi Nag	...	Komalatammal
Devika Bhise	...	Janaki
Pádraic Delaney	...	Beglan
Toby Jones	...	John Edensor Littlewood
Jeremy Northam	...	Bertrand Russell
San Shella	...	Dr. Muthu
Richard Cunningham	...	Hobson
Thomas Bewley	...	Baker
Anthony Calf	...	Robert Alfred Herman

Storyline

In the 1910s, Srinivasa Ramanujan is a man of boundless intelligence that even the abject poverty of his home in Madras, India, cannot crush. Eventually, his stellar intelligence in mathematics and his boundless confidence in both attract the attention of the noted British mathematics professor, G.H. Hardy, who invites him to further develop his computations at Trinity College at Cambridge. Forced to leave his young wife, Janaki, behind, Ramanujan finds himself in a land where both his largely intuitive mathematical theories and his cultural values run headlong into both the stringent academic requirements of his school and mentor and the prejudiced realities of a Britain heading into World War One. Facing this with a family back home determined to keep him from his wife and his own declining health, Ramanujan joins with Hardy in a mutual struggle that would define Ramanujan as one of India's greatest modern scholars who broke more than one barrier in his worlds.

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Plot Keywords:

academic | mathematics | mathematical series | mentor protege relationship | trinity college cambridge | 

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Taglines:

The true story of a limitless mind

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, Littlewood walks across the campus with Ramanujan and points out the apple tree that Isaac Newton observed the falling apple. In fact, the apple tree was (and still is) growing in the gardens at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, his birthplace. However, a graft from that tree grows in a courtyard garden in the Physics Department at the University of York.

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Goofs

G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) spells "Jacobi" incorrectly when writing on the blackboard by transposing the 'c' and the 'b' This is changed in later cuts of the film.

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Quotes

S. Ramanujan: [gazing at the umbrella Hardy is carrying in full sunlight] Sir, do you know something I do not?
G.H. Hardy: [sarcastically] Apparently not!
[realizing the question referred to his umbrella]
G.H. Hardy: Oh! God and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye. So if I prepare for rain, then it won't. So far, so good.
[bellowing at the sky]
G.H. Hardy: I'm Hardy. And I'm spending the afternoon in the Wren Library!
[speaking again to Ramanujan]
G.H. Hardy: Now we're sure to have sunshine. Hmph. You see, I am what you call an atheist.
S. Ramanujan: No, sir. You believe in God. You ...

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Crazy Credits

Card before the title: "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth but supreme beauty." - Bertrand Russell

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Connections

Featured in StarTalk: Jeremy Irons (2016)

User Reviews

A beautiful movie...

"The Man Who Knew Infinity" is a Biography - Drama movie in which we watch the true story of the Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan. His story starts in Mandras a city in India where he makes his first steps in mathematics while searching for a job and goes until he arrives in Cambridge and starts working there. He faces many difficulties and makes some friendships such as with Professor G.H. Hardy who was also his mentor.

I liked this movie very much because it was a true story of a person who suffered a lot, facing any difficulties but eventually succeeded in his field. The direction which was made by Matt Brown was very good and I believe that the combination he made between the life of Srinivasa Ramanujan in India and what he sacrificed in order to go to England with the life that he was expecting before arriving in England and what he actually lived there was a very good idea. I enjoyed also the interpretation of Dev Patel who played as Srinivasa Ramanujan and for one more time, he was very good at it. Other interpretations that were very good and have to be mentioned are Jeremy Irons who played as Professor G.H. Hardy and Toby Jones who played as Littlewood.

To sum up, I believe that "The Man Who Knew Infinity" is a beautiful movie with a great plot based on an incredible person and pioneer in mathematics. I strongly recommend everyone to watch it because it's a life lesson from which everybody will gain something by watching it. Never stop dreaming and never stop fighting for something you love.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK USA Singapore Hong Kong United Arab Emirates

Language:

English Tamil Sanskrit

Release Date:

29 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Filming Locations:

The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$80,325, 1 May 2016

Gross USA:

$3,866,794

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,252,684

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edward R. Pressman Film, Animus Films, Cayenne Pepper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1