The Current War: Director's Cut (2017)

The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world.

Director:

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Writer:

Michael Mitnick

Stars:

Benedict Cumberbatch, Oliver Powell, Katherine Waterston

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Thomas Alva Edison
Oliver Powell	...	Leo
Katherine Waterston	...	Marguerite Westinghouse
Nancy Crane	...	Gladys
Liza Ross	...	Beti
Tim Steed	...	Mr. Manesberg
Michael Shannon	...	George Westinghouse
David Morley Hale	...	Mr. Worthington
Amy Marston	...	Mrs. Worthington
Robert Jezek	...	Mr. Faulk
Abigail Johns	...	Emily Faulk
Tom Bell	...	Reverend Vincent
Giles Terera	...	Elijah McCoy
Samuel Dutton	...	Mr. Burton
Stanley Townsend	...	Franklin Pope

Storyline

Three brilliant visionaries set off in a charged battle for the future in The Current War, the epic story of the cutthroat competition that literally lit up the modern world. Benedict Cumberbatch is Thomas Edison, the celebrity inventor on the verge of bringing electricity to Manhattan with his radical new DC technology. On the eve of triumph, his plans are upended by charismatic businessman George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), who believes he and his partner, the upstart genius Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult), have a superior idea for how to rapidly electrify America: with AC current. As Edison and Westinghouse grapple for who will power the nation, they spark one of the first and greatest corporate feuds in American history, establishing for future Titans of Industry the need to break all the rules. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) with Producer Timur Bekmambetov, Basil Iwanyk and Executive Producer Martin Scorsese, The Current War also stars ...

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Plot Keywords:

lens flare | world's fair | 1893 columbian exposition | chicago illinois | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by True Events

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jake Gyllenhaal was originally cast alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role, however, Gyllenhaal dropped out and Michael Shannon was brought as a replacement.

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Goofs

The film places Mary Stilwell Edison's death on October 9, 1888. Mary died on August 9, 1884, aged 29. By 1888, Edison was already married to Mina Miller since two years.

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Quotes

Samuel Insull: So, what's your trade?
Nikola Tesla: I fix problems for idiots.

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Alternate Versions

The music of the original cut (by Volker Bertelmann aka Hausckha and Dustin O'Halloran) has been replaced in the director's cut by a new score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Benedict Cumberbatch/Savannah Guthrie/Andy Grammer feat. Lunchmoney Lewis (2017)

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Soundtracks

Autumn 3
Written by Max Richter
Performed by Max Richter, Daniel Hope, Raphael Alpermann, Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin, Andre De Ridder (as André de Ridder)
Published by Mute Song Limited
Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon GmbH under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Inaccurate story, not linear facts

The movie is actually slow, with a sad music, giving inacurate profiles about the personalities of Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla. Tesla should be the real hero of the movie, as it happened in reality. The other characters where: Edison, yes a quite original mind but not a genious, being a slave to his need for fame. Westinghouse, JP Morgan : businessman. Tesla: the one that changed the world and died broke in an appartment.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

USA Russia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Current War: Director's Cut

Filming Locations:

Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,633,717, 27 October 2019

Gross USA:

$5,979,540

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,242,451

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bazelevs Production, Film Rites, FlightAV.com

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1