Eddie Redmayne, though, as Stephen Hawking, in "The Theory of Everything," surpasses Simmons as far as making me forget that I was watching an actor's portrayal. As Stephen Hawking, Redmayne flawlessly invokes all of the physical decline of Hawking while still invoking Hawking's sense of humor and early anger about his motor neuron disease which rendered him unable to speak and walk at a very early age. The joy of watching director James Marsh's film, based on Jane Hawking's book, "Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen Hawking," is watching Hawking and his young wife continue to pursue his theories, not allowing his illness to impede his intellectual progress. This easily sounds like the plot of one of those 1970's and 80's "Disease of the Week" made-for-tv movies, as Siskel and Ebert would refer to them, however, "The Theory of Everything" excels not only with the performance of Redmayne, but also with a finely tuned deftness in storytelling. One of many aspects of the film I enjoyed was the fact that, before any instrument was developed to assist Hawking in communicating, no character in the film that I can remember, utters any words expressing doubt that Hawking could continue on with his work, despite the fact that he could no longer walk or speak easily. It is as if he did not have a malady of any kind. His brilliance and his steadfastness overtook how he looked in the minds of his colleagues. I also appreciated the fact the the film does not ignore the fact that, despite his illness and declining condition, Hawking is still a sexual creature as are we all. As he states in the film with a wonderfully wry smile when asked by one of his college friends if he still can function, "It's a different system."
Their marriage ended in divorce after 30 years, however, one may surmise in the film that it was not an easy decision for either party. The scene in the couple's bedroom during which the subject of their separation is broached is very well done and displays the awkwardness and difficulty of ending an established relationship, something of which, in the best of circumstances, is always difficult to explain to outside parties and cannot be easily summed up or capsulized. This is part of the depth of this film. It is not simply a tour of the life of Stephen Hawking and his achievements, but it is a deeply emotional journey we take (yes, that's a cliche--sorry) with these two characters. While the film is more of an "English major" movie than a "Physics major" movie, meaning that more focus is on his relationship with his wife than on his achievements in physics, there is enough time devoted to his work in physics to satisfy me.
"The Theory of Everything" is a powerful, emotionally involving film, yet not at all sappy. The emotions emoted by the actors in the film are genuine. The performances are outstanding. The script is well-paced and never gets bogged down in one thing or another. Marsh, whose documentaries, the vastly overrated "Man on Wire" and "Project Nim" were both annoying and frustrating in their lack of subtlety, creates a film here which is a remarkable achievement in subtlety in filmmaking. "The Theory of Everything" was the cinematic equivalent of somebody I could get along with very easily--subtle, intelligent, funny at times, and honest. If you have some time, I recommend you see this wonderful film.
No comments:
Post a Comment