Across The Universe
Film: The Theory Of Everything
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones
Directed by: James Marsh
Duration: 2 hrs 5 mins
Rating: * * * 1 / 2
Based on the book by Jane Hawking, the erstwhile wife of the
illustrious Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything is about the triumph and
tribulations of one of the greatest cosmologist and physicist of our times.
Directed by James Marsh (his documentary Man on Wire won an Academy award in
2008) it tells us the extraordinary story of Hawking, the broader details of
his life are well known but Marsh gives us a detailed insight on what the man
went through to achieve what he has.
The film is a triumph for actor Eddie Redmayne – his
portrayal of Hawkings will be etched forever in the history of cinema. Credit
also goes to director James Marsh for keeping you engaged throughout the film
without slipping away.
Since it is based on the book by Jane (Felicity Jones), it
opens with the meeting of her and Stephen (Redmayne) at a party. He is a
student of astrophysics while she is studying literature at Cambridge. The two hit it off instantly. Even
though Stephen is not sure of his Ph D thesis, his professor (David Thewlis)
knows that the young man is extraordinarily bright.
Tragedy strikes when Stephen discovers that he is suffering
from motor neurone disease which gradually starts paralyzing him. He tries to
avoid Jane but she refuses to part with him, eventually they get married with
his conditioning worsening with every passing day.
They have a couple of children (the disease affected most
parts of his body not all) and Stephen gets confined to a wheelchair when he
comes up with his groundbreaking theory of Black holes. Meanwhile life becomes
frustrating for Jane and she strikes a friendship with the church choir master.
As is known now, Stephen had tracheotomy which rendered him
speechless till he started using a voice synthesizer and that is how he wrote
and published his bestseller, The Brief History of Time.
The screenplay moves swiftly without getting caught in a
muddle constantly moving to the next episode in his life. It also serves as an
inspirational story of a man who could do so little physically but has survived
to do so much otherwise. At one point, doctors give him two years to live,
today the professor is 72, still alive and kicking. A large part of the film hinges on Jane’s and Stephen’s
relationship which was quite steady for a long time but not without its shares
of ups and downs.
The story stays true to his scientific beliefs, he has “a slight
problem with the whole celestial-dictator premise,” but given their contrasting
beliefs (she is the church going types) it never delves into an argument. Last
year in fact, he declared himself as in atheist.
It also opens the doors of science and free thinking, later
in his career, Hawking worked on a hypothesis to disprove one of his own
theories.
With top class production values and an impressive music
score, the film hits the right notes on the technical front. When it comes to
acting, it excels. Felicity Jones as the woman who stands by his side is first
rate. But ultimately, this film belongs to Eddie Redmayne who has delivered an
extraordinary performance. The physical transformation, right from the way he
slumps in the chair, moves his hands, it is all very impressive.
For his performance and a film as whole, The Theory of
Everything is eminently worth a watch.
Published in The Navhind Times on 18th January 2015
