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IMDbPro

Tesla

  • 20202020
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
9.5K
YOUR RATING
Ethan Hawke in Tesla (2020)
Brilliant, visionary Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) fights an uphill battle to bring his revolutionary electrical system to fruition, then faces thornier challenges with his new system for worldwide wireless energy.
Play trailer2:18
1 Video
76 Photos
BiographyDrama
A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.
IMDb RATING
5.1/10
9.5K
YOUR RATING
    • Michael Almereyda
    • Michael Almereyda
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Eve Hewson
    • Eli A. Smith
    • Michael Almereyda
    • Michael Almereyda
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Eve Hewson
    • Eli A. Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 201User reviews
    • 118Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:18
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos76

    Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Almereyda, Jim Gaffigan, and Eve Hewson at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Kyle MacLachlan, Jim Gaffigan, and Eve Hewson at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Michael Almereyda at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Almereyda at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Michael Almereyda at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Eve Hewson at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Kyle MacLachlan at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Jim Gaffigan at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Michael Almereyda at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Almereyda, Jim Gaffigan, and Eve Hewson at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Jim Gaffigan at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)
    Jim Gaffigan at an event for The IMDb Studio at Acura Festival Village (2020)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Nikola Tesla
    Eve Hewson
    Eve Hewson
    • Anne Morgan
    Eli A. Smith
    • Roller Skating Fiddler
    • (as Eli Smith)
    Josh Hamilton
    Josh Hamilton
    • Robert Underwood Johnson
    Lucy Walters
    Lucy Walters
    • Katherine Johnson
    Luna Jokic
    • Macak
    • (as Luna)
    Kyle MacLachlan
    Kyle MacLachlan
    • Thomas Edison
    Dan Bittner
    Dan Bittner
    • Fred Ott
    David Kallaway
    David Kallaway
    • John Kruesi
    Karl Geary
    Karl Geary
    • Francis Upton
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    Ebon Moss-Bachrach
    • Anital Szigeti
    Nicholas Wuehrmann
    • Ed the Organist
    Haley Elise Pehrson
    • Tesla's Mother
    • (as Haley Pehrson)
    Tony Hutaj
    • Bill Edison
    Corban Elwick-Schermitz
    • Tom Edison Jr.
    Emory Gleeson
    Emory Gleeson
    • Dot Edison
    Hannah Gross
    Hannah Gross
    • Mina Edison
    Michael Mastro
    Michael Mastro
    • Charles Peck
      • Michael Almereyda
      • Michael Almereyda
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Was intended to be shot on 35mm film but due to the low budget and some of the producers, the filmmakers had to resort to digital.
    • Goofs
      The narrator claims "George Westinghouse was sixteen when he enlisted in the Civil War, served in the Navy on the northern side, and was promoted to Corporal." This is incorrect. In 1861 at the age of fifteen, Westinghouse enlisted in the New York National Guard (a land unit) but was later called home by his parents. In 1863 he re-enlisted in the 16th New York Cavalry (another land unit) where he attained the rank of Corporal. In 1864 he joined the Navy, serving on the USS Muscoota as Acting Third Assistant Engineer. While "Ship's Corporal" was a position (not a rank) in the Union Navy, Westinghouse never served in that position.
    • Quotes

      Nikola Tesla: You know the proverb, nothing grows in the shadow of an Oak.

    • Soundtracks
      The portrait of a Lady
      Written by Wojciech Kilar

      Performed by John Paesano

      Courtesy of Universal Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.

    User reviews201

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A more whimsical take on the Tesla story.
    Did Elon Musk mess up by naming his car brand Tesla? The cars run on batteries, i.e. Direct Current, so maybe he should have chosen the name Edison, the champion of Direct Current?

    There have been a number of movies and documentaries regarding Tesla, before this movie came out I watched a nice documentary "American Experience: Tesla (2016)" a few months ago on a DVD from my public library. Famously Edison was pushing hard in the late 1800s for widespread use of direct current, Tesla came along and, after working for Edison for a short time, partnered with Westinghouse to develop alternating current. And, as we are prone to say, "The rest is history." What a different place our world would be had Tesla not come along.

    This movie, starring Ethan Hawke as Nikola Tesla, is more for entertainment than education, is filled with whimsy and anachronisms. Like seeing workers vacuum a hotel floor long before vacuum cleaners were invented. They also have certain scenes that never really happened, like a meeting between Edison and Tesla where they agreed to put differences aside and work together, Edison admitting he was wrong. But each time they are quick to say that never actually happened. Sort of a "what if...".

    I can understand why some rate this movie very low as they probably preferred something closer to a genuine documentary. But I enjoyed it, the very low ratings of "1" or "2" are bogus, it is a much better movie than that.

    I watched it at home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped, not her kind of subject. But I am a scientist, I relish this type of movie and don't require that it be 100% accurate.
    helpful•9
    4
    • TxMike
    • Apr 10, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 21, 2020 (United States)
      • United States
      • IFC Films (United States)
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Millennium Media
      • Millennium Media
      • Passage Pictures (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 42 minutes
      • Color
      • Stereo

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