A Brief History of Time
by Errol Morris
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Errol MorrisPrimary Contributor: Stephen Hawking
Primary Contributor: Isobel Hawking
Primary Contributor: Janet Humphrey
Primary Contributor: Mary Hawking
Primary Contributor: Basil King
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown)
Running Time: 50 unknown-units
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Movie Reviews of A Brief History of Time
Movie Review: Educational, dignified, human, touching, mind-expanding
Summary: 5 Stars
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Stephen Hawking is an astrophysicist and quantum mechanic and has contributed numerous works now seminal to theories on the origins of the universe. He is widely regarded a genius; he considers this to be balderdash. Hawking himself has said, "They needed somebody to fill the role model of disabled genius. At least I'm disabled."
I hope this film didn't leave any hardcore physicist types behind when it actually presented the story of Hawking as a person and not an educational lecture on the specifics of quantum mechanics; of course this was never the goal of the film. It's about Hawking. Not QM.
The film is not a technical masterpiece: basic documentary techniques are used. Few to no frills. Talking heads, basic photograph slideshows, b-roll, and a tiny, tiny handful of mood shots. The filmmakers have called attention to the edits on the interviews by leaving a split second of blackspace between the cuts. I consider this a sign of respect to the audience's intelligence. (That comment might not make much sense unless you've cut interviews).
The Philip Glass soundtrack is beautiful and perfect. It is, if anything, too minimal... but layering drama strings over the telling of these stories too much would probably be trite. It's not outside the realm of possibility, in my mind, that more soundtracking of the interviews might have been attempted and it was decided that it was cheapening the film.
I kind of suspect--and this is completely reckless, baseless speculation; I could be completely wrong on this--his real question is not "how" or "when" did the universe begin... but "WHY" did the universe begin--that is, if it "began" at all. I might regret going out on that limb and have to retract the statement, but it's just this feeling I'm starting to get having familiarized myself with his works and now, thanks to this film, a glimpse of who he is as a person.
To me, Hawking's true genius lies mostly in his ability to give the ideas of quantum mechanics to everyone. This film is amazing and uplifting, and Hawking is triumphant on many levels.
Summary of A Brief History of Time
For the first time on DVD, take a provocative look at world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and his theories on life and the universe in this thoughtful program based on the best-selling book of the same name. Interspersed with anecdotes about his climb to the top of the world's scientific ladder, the man many consider the world's leading analytical mind explains his ideas about the origins and destiny of the universe, fate, time and the existence of God. A professor at the University of Cambridge where he holds the same chair that Sir Isaac Newton held 300 years ago Hawking has become one of the few serious scientists with mainstream appeal and enjoys a popular reputation for illustrating complex problems and supreme questions in a clear, entertaining manner. Documentarian Errol Morris has a knack for finding the fascinating quirks of his subjects, and this brings Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time to sparkling life. Through interviews with family and colleagues of the brilliant theoretical physicist, as well as Hawking's own synthesized readings and reminiscences, we learn of his early life, his struggle with the degenerative disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and his wide-ranging contributions to our knowledge of time, black holes, and the origin of the universe. The science is never downplayed; between Hawking's prose and Morris's visual wizardry, important concepts such as entropy and singularities jump from the screen in memorable vignettes. (Hawking believes a truly universal theory of physics will be understood by "scientists, philosophers, and just ordinary people.") Philip Glass's music, subdued and minimal, balances the alternately somber and hilarious moods of the film. The viewer is left with a sense of awe at the joyous spirit of a man trapped in the world of the mind, occasionally letting the rest of us in on his discoveries. --Rob LightnerEducational DVD Video
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