The movie was beautifully done and the acting done by Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife Jane was beyond superb. I have not cried so much during a movie since The Reader (2008). I mean, I was crying for at least an hour and a half and the movie is only two hours long. *Phew* I was exhausted by the end. Not just because of the crying, but the movie is very emotional due to all of the challenges they face due to his disease.
Often dubbed 'one of the smartest people in the world' in his time; Hawking's theories on time, the beginning of the universe and black holes was visionary and revolutionary to the fields of physics and cosmology. I will not even pretend to know or understand his theories. He has been awarded many honours in his time for his work and contributions despite everything his disease put limits on: his movement and speech, but it did not - and he did not let it - put a limit on his mind. This fact alone is beyond inspiring.
The Theory of Everything film is based on the memoir of his wife Jane Hawking and their life together.(1) A quick Google search shows that most reviews of the movie detail it as pretty fact-based and very close to the actual life events. Hawking himself, after a screening of the movie, called it "broadly true" and "surprisingly honest" in portraying their marriage and life events.(2) The movie also sped-up the timeline in which events happen for dramatic effect. (For more info on the movie vs reality, see footnote 3 and 4 at the end of the post.)
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| (Left) Redmayne and Jones portraying Hawking and Jane in the movie. (Right) Stephen and Jane Hawking on their wedding day in 1965. (2) |
The casting choice of Jones and Redmayne was dead on for me. Particularly of Redmayne as Hawking. It is no wonder his portrayal of the celebrated physicist won him a nomination and win for the Academy Award for Best Actor.(5) Jones also did an outstanding performance as Jane Hawking; her struggles with caring for Stephen, raising their children, coping with his disability all while trying to complete her own PhD.
Hawking's passing affected me more than I thought it would. I have since done a lot of reading on his life and works, plus watched this emotional movie. Maybe that is why I cried so much? Either way, the more I read and learn, the more I can't fathom how unbelievably optimistic Hawking was about life, his condition and the future of science. He was always touted as witty and having a really good sense of humour. He tried to never let his disease get in the way of his pursuit of finding the one single equation to explain everything we know. He was an author, supervised 39 successful PhD students, was a director of research at Cambridge and numerous other notable feats during his life time.(6) He even wanted to go space! Was there no limit to his ambitions?
I recommend watching The Theory of Everything, but be prepared for a crying, snot-fest of emotional upheaval. Also, read about Stephen Hawking and get yourself a little familiar with his work. I'm sure his theories will continue to have an effect on the world of science for quite sometime to come.
(2) http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/theory-of-everything/
(3) http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/11/07/the_theory_of_everything_how_accurate_is_the_new_stephen_hawking_movie_starring.html
(4) http://ew.com/article/2014/11/14/theory-of-everything-fact-check/
(5) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519666/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
(6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking
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