Einstein and Eddington
| Einstein and Eddington | |
|---|---|
 BBC DVD cover, featuring Andy Serkis as Einstein (top) and David Tennant as Eddington (bottom) | |
| Written by | Peter Moffat |
| Directed by | Philip Martin |
| Starring | Andy Serkis David Tennant Lucy Cohu Jim Broadbent Rebecca Hall |
| Theme music composer | Nicholas Hooper |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Mark Pybus |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 22 November 2008 |
Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by
It was first broadcast on BBC Two on 22 November 2008.[1]
Plot
The prelude is set in 1919 on
A
Eddington finds his research into Einstein's work obstructed by a British ban on the circulation of German scientific literature. Realising that
At the same time, Eddington grieves over Marston, among the 15,000 killed by German use of chlorine gas at the Second Battle of Ypres, causing doubts in his faith, but leading him to fight all the more loudly against an expulsion of German scientists from the Royal Society. The expulsion has been initiated by Lodge, whose son was also among the killed and who clings to Newton as a consolation of "order in the universe", but Eddington is unable to admit to Lodge that he too is grieving for a loved one.
News of the gas attack also leads Einstein to an outburst against his fellow scientists, which leads to his being cut off from the university, and—overworking—he falls sick and Elsa leaves him. Even so, he manages to complete his work on
The action returns to the Príncipe expedition, delayed by bad weather until the last moment, while Einstein briefly returns to his ex-wife and children. Bringing back two photographs from the eclipse to compare to photographs of the night sky in normal conditions, Eddington compares them in public, with Lodge and Winifred in attendance, and not only proves Einstein right but also finds this confirmation reaffirming his faith—as he states, "I can hear God, thinking". News of his vindication reaches Einstein, and crowds of press arrive at his door just as Elsa returns to him. A year later, in the closing scene, Einstein visits Cambridge and meets Eddington. The closing credits remark on both scientists' later work, Einstein's celebrity and Eddington's obscurity.
Cast
Germany
- Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein
- Mileva Einstein
- Jodhi May as Elsa Einstein
- Donald Sumpter as Max Planck
- Callum Williams as Hans Einstein
- Jacob Théato as Eduard Einstein
- Anton Lesser as Fritz Haber
- John Bowe as Leopold Koppel
- Kika Markham as Aunt Fanny
- Philip Whitchurch as Uncle Rudolf
Britain
- Arthur Eddington
- Sir Oliver Lodge
- Rebecca Hall as Winnifred Eddington, Arthur's Sister
- Richard McCabe as Frank Watson Dyson
- Lucy Briers as The Librarian
- Paul Brooke as H.H. Turner
- Oliver Hall as Boy Throwing Stones
- Patrick Kennedyas William Marston
- Christopher Campbell as Herr Muller
- Caroline Gruber as Frau Muller
- Eleanor Tomlinson as Agnes Muller
- Ben Uttley as First Tennis Player
- Richard Graham as Man With White Feather
Production
Einstein And Eddington is written by Peter Moffat and directed by Philip Martin, who both collaborated for the production of Hawking, a BBC biopic about the physicist. It is produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, with HBO and Pioneer Pictures, Hungary.[2]
Location filming occurred at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, St John's College, Cambridge, and on the Adriatic Coast of Croatia. Walter Isaacson acted as consultant (with Francisco Diego as eclipse advisor).
References
- ^ BBC website for Einstein and Eddington
- ^ "David Tennant and Andy Serkis to star in BBC drama Einstein And Eddington" (Press release). BBC. 21 May 2008.
