.....and really enjoyed it.
The Link
Excellent acting, an interesting story and fine overall movie making make this film stand out.
In my personal listing of this cinematic year's product, this movie ranks only slightly behind "The Imitation Game," but others' opinions are certainly welcome to differ.
I suspect (because I haven't had the pleasure, yet) that Jane Hawking's memoir, "Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen," upon which this film is based is a very good and quite worthwhile, but perhaps a more linear read.
Describing one's life experiences in a sequential format within a book would be a natural way to do it.
However, this movie skilfully uses flashbacks to increase our interest and heighten the drama of its storytelling and I guess I have the screen writer and the director to credit and applaud for taking this approach.
When each of us thinks back on the events of our lives, our memory usually does so in measured flashbacks.
So, the film makers use of this technique can help the viewer visualize from within the Hawking couples' point of view and this hopefully better personalizes their story for us.
Flashbacks can indeed complicate and confuse a good tale, but here I believe it worked very well.
A linear biodrama of this story could have been more depressingly tragic and I don't believe Stephen and Jane Hawking think of it that way.
So this is a satisfying flick which I'm happy to recommend to viewers who enjoy good and thoughtful movies.
It's a relationship story, rather than an explanation of Stephen Hawking's brilliant theories.
There are other books and DVDs which do that.
The acting is great.
Eddie Redmayne's boyish smile, his auburn hair and freckles are seen to age and distort as his well-portrayed subject wastes away and is twistingly crippled by Lou Gehrig's progressive disease.
But his mind and purpose remain whole.
Eddie was born to portray this part much as Shelley Duvall was the very best choice to play Olive Oyl.
Daniel Day-Lewis was probably proud to see Redmayne engaging and then devouring such a demanding role.
And Felicity Jones very nicely balanced her co-star's soaring downturn with her very strong and steady thespian delivery.
Good music also.
This retrospective biopic's sincere nostalgic style made me favorably recall Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were," but here there is more real import and much greater tragedy.
I meant that as a sincere compliment.
No kidding, film fans.
This is a movie not to be missed by discerning moviegoers.
The only problem I had was understanding every word Hawking said when his speech became slurred,
Your thoughts?
The Link
Excellent acting, an interesting story and fine overall movie making make this film stand out.
In my personal listing of this cinematic year's product, this movie ranks only slightly behind "The Imitation Game," but others' opinions are certainly welcome to differ.
I suspect (because I haven't had the pleasure, yet) that Jane Hawking's memoir, "Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen," upon which this film is based is a very good and quite worthwhile, but perhaps a more linear read.
Describing one's life experiences in a sequential format within a book would be a natural way to do it.
However, this movie skilfully uses flashbacks to increase our interest and heighten the drama of its storytelling and I guess I have the screen writer and the director to credit and applaud for taking this approach.
When each of us thinks back on the events of our lives, our memory usually does so in measured flashbacks.
So, the film makers use of this technique can help the viewer visualize from within the Hawking couples' point of view and this hopefully better personalizes their story for us.
Flashbacks can indeed complicate and confuse a good tale, but here I believe it worked very well.
A linear biodrama of this story could have been more depressingly tragic and I don't believe Stephen and Jane Hawking think of it that way.
So this is a satisfying flick which I'm happy to recommend to viewers who enjoy good and thoughtful movies.
It's a relationship story, rather than an explanation of Stephen Hawking's brilliant theories.
There are other books and DVDs which do that.
The acting is great.
Eddie Redmayne's boyish smile, his auburn hair and freckles are seen to age and distort as his well-portrayed subject wastes away and is twistingly crippled by Lou Gehrig's progressive disease.
But his mind and purpose remain whole.
Eddie was born to portray this part much as Shelley Duvall was the very best choice to play Olive Oyl.
Daniel Day-Lewis was probably proud to see Redmayne engaging and then devouring such a demanding role.
And Felicity Jones very nicely balanced her co-star's soaring downturn with her very strong and steady thespian delivery.
Good music also.
This retrospective biopic's sincere nostalgic style made me favorably recall Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were," but here there is more real import and much greater tragedy.
I meant that as a sincere compliment.
No kidding, film fans.
This is a movie not to be missed by discerning moviegoers.
The only problem I had was understanding every word Hawking said when his speech became slurred,
Your thoughts?
