Professor Marston & the Wonder Women (2017)

The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and his polyamorous relationship with his wife and their mistress who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman.

Director:

Angela Robinson

Writer:

Angela Robinson

Stars:

Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcote

8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Evans	...	William Moulton Marston
Rebecca Hall	...	Elizabeth Marston
Bella Heathcote	...	Olive Byrne
Connie Britton	...	Josette Frank
Monica Giordano	...	Mary
JJ Feild	...	Charles Guyette
Chris Conroy	...	Brant Gregory
Oliver Platt	...	M.C. Gaines
Maggie Castle	...	Dorothy Roubicek
Alexa Havins	...	Molly Stewart
Sharon Kubo	...	Kate
Allie Gallerani	...	Sara
Christopher Jon Gombos	...	Fred Stewart (as Chris Gombos)
Forry Buckingham	...	Doctor
Stacy Fischer	...	Linda

Storyline

Details the unconventional life of Dr. William Marston, the Harvard psychologist and inventor who helped invent the modern lie detector test and created Wonder Woman in 1941. Marston was in a polyamorous relationship with his wife Elizabeth, a psychologist and inventor in her own right, and Olive Byrne, a former student who became an academic. This relationship was key to the creation of Wonder Woman, as Elizabeth and Olive's feminist ideals were ingrained in the character from her creation. Marston died of skin cancer in 1947, but Elizabeth and Olive remained a couple and raised their and Marston's children together. The film is said to focus on how Marston dealt with the controversy surrounding Wonder Woman's creation.

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Plot Keywords:

sadomasochism | comic book writer | college professor | dominance | teacher student relationship | 

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Taglines:

Ever wonder?

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

R for strong sexual content including brief graphic images, and language.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Professor Marston & the Wonder Women

Filming Locations:

Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$736,883, 15 October 2017

Gross USA:

$1,584,759

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,899,615

Company Credits

Production Co:

Strongman, Opposite Field Pictures, Boxspring Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Marstons' life has been previously adapted into the 2014 play "Lasso of Truth", written by Carson Kreitzer. The characters of Olive Byrne, Elizabeth Marston and William Moulton Marston were credited as "Amazon", "Wife" and "Inventor" respectively. The play premiered at the Marin Theatre Company in San Francisco.

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Goofs

The end notes of the film say that the sexual themes disappeared from Wonder Woman after Marston's death and that she lost her powers, implying that the two happened around the same time and that Wonder Woman's loss of powers was long lasting. While Wonder Woman did lose her powers, this occurred in the late 60s and was brief time period. The end notes also implies that the character was basically defunct until Gloria Steinem featured her on Ms Magazine. In fact, Wonder Woman remained in constant publication throughout the period after Marston's death.

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Quotes

[last lines]
William Moulton Marston: [speaking to an audience] My name is Dr. William Moulton Marston. And I am the creator of Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is a love letter. She is a fantasy. She comes from a distant place where there is beauty and justice, and respect. I write what I see about women I know women who are every bit as just and strong, and capable as Wonder Woman. Now, we can debate the length of her hemline. But what is important is the way Wonder Woman reforms criminals. She makes them tell the truth. ...

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Crazy Credits

Photos of real-life William Marston, his wife Elizabeth, and Olive Byrne are shown at the end of the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)

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Soundtracks

Falling Feather
Written by Tom Howe & Steve Tait (as Stephen Tait)
Courtesy of APM Music

User Reviews

Original Interpretation of an interesting story -- for adults

Fantastic film. But not as sexual as the advertisements promised. In fact, apart from the curse words, this film should be rated PG-13 at best. I found it surprisingly chaste.

The first thing you should know is that this film is NOT based on the book, The Secret History of Wonder Woman. It is based on original research by the director/writer of the movie, who did a great job interpreting the story her own way. It's a story about what happens when you defy convention! And the good that can come of it.

Is it factual? Mostly, yes. Kinkiness and BDSM is in the book as well (just read it), not to mention the early comics of Wonder Woman. Anyone denying the lesbian/BDSM content of the real story and the BDSM content of the comic ... is in denial. Sadly, the granddaughter of William Moulton Marston has campaigned to destroy the film, enlisting the support of conservatives and anti-gay people (of which there are many) to spread the word about how the movie is "fake." But what's fake? It's a fictional retelling, not a documentary, based on a true story. Fake is the show, Fargo, which claims to be based on actual events, but is completely made up. But no one seems to make a big deal about that. Why? No BDSM or lesbian content in it -- so it's perfectly fine? I think certain people need to acknowledge their own prejudice.

Anway, I thought the actors were solid. The director did a great job telling an unconventional story. This is a movie for adults, obviously. I could see this film as a theater piece -- a Broadway play -- actually -- particularly those dress-up scenes with the Frenchman, Charles Guyette, the "G-String King." Very theatrical indeed.