The Current War
The Current War is the epic story of the cutthroat competition between the greatest inventors of the industrial age over whose electrical system would power the new century. Backed by J.P. Morgan, Edison dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan. But Westinghouse, aided by Nikola Tesla, has seen fatal flaws in Edison's direct current design. Igniting a war of currents, Westinghouse and Tesla bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current.
Director:
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Cast:
Benedict Cumberbatch. Tom Holland, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Macfadyen, Katherine Waterston
Screenplay:
Michael Mitnick
Screening Date:
Sep 21, 2019
Studio:
Bazelevs Production, Fourth Floor Productions, Film Rites
Running Time:
1 h 47 min
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.7% | 23.8% | 28.5% | 4.7% | 7.1% |
“Very dramatic rendering of history of electric power.”
“An interesting story about some brilliant fascinating people.
The use of darkness throughout most of the movie was apt
metaphor for this completion. Really exceptional acting.”
“A beautiful looking film from frame one when we see
Cumberbatch standing surrounded by white which we later
discover is the mist of the Falls. It really becomes a thriller
often knowing the outcome of the CURRENT WAR with the
struggle today for scare resources and integrity. The desire for
genius to be the top dog is sometimes the enemy of true genius
and inspiration. Period continuity costumes were exquisite.”
“Would have been superb if he had given credit the black
inventor Latimore who a complete movie could have been
made about. The film didn’t even have the decency to mention
his name and that is unacceptable!”
“One of the best films I’ve seen in a very long time. Clever
screenplay, a narrative often more poetic than expository,
painting portraits rather than photographs, and about a story I
knew nothing about. I loved every minute of it.”
“A brilliant exploration of the roles played by individual genius
and social forces in creating one of the defining technologies of
our world. None of the three inventors featured in this film
was motivated by money, but the question of who would profit
from the wonder of electricity dominated its development in a
way that was frequently destructive.”
“Historical portrayal of what we take for granted. Values are
more a part of story than I ever knew. Period portrayal was
fabulous!”
“This film was fascinating and splendidly filmed and directed
and costumed and scored. But the screenplay and
development of the plot was muddy. The crux of the war
between Edison and Westinghouse was more dramatized than
explained. We needed to understand more about the AC vs. VS
AC/DC core issues.” Jeanne K
“Enlightening film about the history of the electric light and
electricity. Fascinating. My dad would have loved this film
creating science projects as a child, my dad would always help
me and I’d choose a project involving electricity. He would
explain how it all worked. He never wanted one blown bulb to
blow the system. AC, DC Series and parallel are in my brain
forever due to him. Thanks for the film!”
“A greatly subject poorly told. Too choppy and the music too
loud. Could have used more clear explanations of AC and DC.
Visually gorgeous.”
“I have one more thing to hate Harvey Weinstein for – he
delayed the release of this wonderful film for two years. Put
him in prison for that too.”
“The cinematography a bit overwrought. The story fascination
but unclearly told. The acting was good.”
“This is an undeniably a fascinating story ruined by a horrible
screenplay. It is a jumbled mess and a waste of acting talent.”
“Well done but too dark. Very jumpy. Interesting story I knew
nothing of this competition of Westinghouse who won the
war.”
“The ominous and foreshadowing soundtrack was needlessly
unpleasant.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
Interview with Benedict Cumberbatch and Tuppence Middleton. They discuss what it was like to portray their characters in the film and the inspiration behind their portrayals. Benedict speaks eloquently and in detail about Thomas Edison and the war of the currents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2J05jSP-2o
Biography of Thomas Edison. Mentions a few facts not included in the film, including his second marriage that occured two years after the death of his first wife, Mary. https://www.biography.com/inventor/thomas-edison
Interview with Michael Shannon and Benedict Cumberbatch. Michael Shannon comments on how his character, George Westinghouse, was a very concsientious man, who cared about society at large, and how he was eager for audiences to see this and find it valuable, especially for today's current climate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe3ijBIs-ug
Top Five Westinghouse Inventions: https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/5-george-westinghouse-inventions.htm
Biography of Nikola Tesla. Goes into more detail about the end of his career and life. Also lists a few films that were made about him. https://www.biography.com/inventor/nikola-tesla
