When someone leaves an undeniable mark on history, a biopic is always likely to come along at some point or another. With the upcoming Selma following Martin Luther King (I say upcoming, I live in the UK so we have to wait) and recent hits like The Imitation Game following Alan Turing, someone like theoretical physicist Steven Hawking was all but guaranteed a film of his own. James Marsh took up the intimidating challenge of bringing the problems of Hawking's personal life to the big screen with The Theory of Everything. How does the life of one of Earth's most iconic minds translate to the world of cinematic storytelling?
The film follows the relationship between Steven hawking and his first wife Jane Wylde, who's autobiography the film is based on. Jane and Steven's struggle of dealing with the physical deterioration he is put through due to Motor-Neuron Disease is the film's main focus, with brief glimpses into Steven's scientific accomplishment. The main challenge with a film like this is showing something as serious as motor neurone disease and not inadvertently coming across as offensive or inaccurate. Marsh did a lot of research into the life of hawking before shooting the film, as did screenwriter Anthony McCarten before writing a script. The result is an exceptionally realised depiction of the man, though not without some shortcomings.
First and foremost, the absolutely extraordinary performance of Eddie Redmayne as Steven Hawking is utterly awe striking. The realism of the make up and facial prosthetics are merely an underlying part of the transformation that Redmayne had to undergo to bring this man to life. The honesty with which he brings the personality of Hawking to the audience is very moving, and his adoption of the physical/vocal difficulties Hawking had never lean towards parody or exaggeration. A truly remarkable performance from an actor who is merely stretching his legs in major film roles. I can not say if he is guaranteed the Best Actor oscar, but it would be a crime for him not to get nominated and, fresh off his Golden Globe win for Best Actor, it would not be remotely surprising.
Felicity Jones is fantastic as Jane Wylde. Her role is a difficult one, both as an actor and as a challenge. As an actor she has a lot of responsibility to act as the guide to the audience, putting us in her shows and showing the difficulties anyone would have in Jane's situation. As a challenge she has the taxing job of simply avoiding getting overshadowed by the powerhouse performance of Redmayne. Jones however lives up to every expectation and she definitely stands alongside Redmayne's Hawking as the voice of reason but also the voice of the audience. The whole supporting cast are excellent as well with funny, intriguing and touching performances.
The soundtrack is outstanding as well. Jóhann Jóhannsson presents us with a beautiful score that utilises arpeggios and a minimalist style that is given plenty of time to breathe is multiple scenes. The music is not exactly original, nor does it stand out with memorable motifs, but it is a truly lovely sound that captures the emotional angles exactly as it should be, giving us tragedy, joy and hope through haunting piano melodies that tug at the heartstrings. While the Birdman soundtrack is being shunned from the oscar table for some ridiculous reason, this soundtrack is definitely deserving of a nomination and a potential win.
One of the film's most common criticisms is one that I do almost agree with. While Steven's brilliance in his scientific exploration is touched upon, there is a little too much focus on the romantic side of his life. While it is a very interesting part of Hawking's journey, his truly remarkable accomplishments are deemed nowhere near as important as they could have been. I understand that a purely scientific film would not appeal to a lot of people, and his achievements are addressed a little bit, but an additional 15 mins of film to balance Hawking's romantic life with his active physicist career, all in spite of his condition, would have been a truly remarkable thing to witness on screen.
James Marsh's direction is superb, with a beautiful rendition of Steven and Jane's wedding feeling truly at home on the big screen. Nothing visually is wasted, though a couple of random dutch angles that stand out a mile do take away from the flow a little bit. When beautifully smooth direction suddenly gets thrown on its side to admire a beach diagonally, it is a little surprising and off-putting to say the least.
Anthony McCarten's screenplay is amazing, with some truly outstanding pieces of dialogue and absolutely hilarious moments that showcase Hawking's sense of humour with a real flare. In spite of this life changing/threatening condition, Hawking remained supremely witty and still does to this day. McCarten has realised this fantastically with a funny, memorable and hugely enjoyable script.
Overall this film is hugely enjoyable, with outstanding performances from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, along with a great supporting cast and a brilliant soundtrack. While a couple of visual stumbles do briefly distract and the focus is a little too heavy on the romance, rather than what the title suggests, this film is still a fitting tribute to Hawking as a person and his emotional strength to live with such a debilitating illness. This film demonstrates a true fondness and a solid understanding of Hawking, along with his attitude towards how precious life is. As the man himself once said:
'One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away'
The film follows the relationship between Steven hawking and his first wife Jane Wylde, who's autobiography the film is based on. Jane and Steven's struggle of dealing with the physical deterioration he is put through due to Motor-Neuron Disease is the film's main focus, with brief glimpses into Steven's scientific accomplishment. The main challenge with a film like this is showing something as serious as motor neurone disease and not inadvertently coming across as offensive or inaccurate. Marsh did a lot of research into the life of hawking before shooting the film, as did screenwriter Anthony McCarten before writing a script. The result is an exceptionally realised depiction of the man, though not without some shortcomings.
First and foremost, the absolutely extraordinary performance of Eddie Redmayne as Steven Hawking is utterly awe striking. The realism of the make up and facial prosthetics are merely an underlying part of the transformation that Redmayne had to undergo to bring this man to life. The honesty with which he brings the personality of Hawking to the audience is very moving, and his adoption of the physical/vocal difficulties Hawking had never lean towards parody or exaggeration. A truly remarkable performance from an actor who is merely stretching his legs in major film roles. I can not say if he is guaranteed the Best Actor oscar, but it would be a crime for him not to get nominated and, fresh off his Golden Globe win for Best Actor, it would not be remotely surprising.
Felicity Jones is fantastic as Jane Wylde. Her role is a difficult one, both as an actor and as a challenge. As an actor she has a lot of responsibility to act as the guide to the audience, putting us in her shows and showing the difficulties anyone would have in Jane's situation. As a challenge she has the taxing job of simply avoiding getting overshadowed by the powerhouse performance of Redmayne. Jones however lives up to every expectation and she definitely stands alongside Redmayne's Hawking as the voice of reason but also the voice of the audience. The whole supporting cast are excellent as well with funny, intriguing and touching performances.
The soundtrack is outstanding as well. Jóhann Jóhannsson presents us with a beautiful score that utilises arpeggios and a minimalist style that is given plenty of time to breathe is multiple scenes. The music is not exactly original, nor does it stand out with memorable motifs, but it is a truly lovely sound that captures the emotional angles exactly as it should be, giving us tragedy, joy and hope through haunting piano melodies that tug at the heartstrings. While the Birdman soundtrack is being shunned from the oscar table for some ridiculous reason, this soundtrack is definitely deserving of a nomination and a potential win.
One of the film's most common criticisms is one that I do almost agree with. While Steven's brilliance in his scientific exploration is touched upon, there is a little too much focus on the romantic side of his life. While it is a very interesting part of Hawking's journey, his truly remarkable accomplishments are deemed nowhere near as important as they could have been. I understand that a purely scientific film would not appeal to a lot of people, and his achievements are addressed a little bit, but an additional 15 mins of film to balance Hawking's romantic life with his active physicist career, all in spite of his condition, would have been a truly remarkable thing to witness on screen.
James Marsh's direction is superb, with a beautiful rendition of Steven and Jane's wedding feeling truly at home on the big screen. Nothing visually is wasted, though a couple of random dutch angles that stand out a mile do take away from the flow a little bit. When beautifully smooth direction suddenly gets thrown on its side to admire a beach diagonally, it is a little surprising and off-putting to say the least.
Anthony McCarten's screenplay is amazing, with some truly outstanding pieces of dialogue and absolutely hilarious moments that showcase Hawking's sense of humour with a real flare. In spite of this life changing/threatening condition, Hawking remained supremely witty and still does to this day. McCarten has realised this fantastically with a funny, memorable and hugely enjoyable script.
Overall this film is hugely enjoyable, with outstanding performances from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, along with a great supporting cast and a brilliant soundtrack. While a couple of visual stumbles do briefly distract and the focus is a little too heavy on the romance, rather than what the title suggests, this film is still a fitting tribute to Hawking as a person and his emotional strength to live with such a debilitating illness. This film demonstrates a true fondness and a solid understanding of Hawking, along with his attitude towards how precious life is. As the man himself once said:
'One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away'