The Theory of Everything

Director: James Marsh James Marsh

Overview

James Marsh's biopic of the celebrated scientist Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything, stars Eddie Redmayne as the famous figure. Enrolled as a graduate student at Cambridge, Hawking establishes himself as one of the leading minds of his generation, and begins to win the heart of Jane (Felicity Jones). After one of his earliest breakthroughs, Hawking is diagnosed with ALS, and he becomes less and less able to control his own body. With the loyal Jane at his side, he continues his work. However, as the years progress, Jane starts to feel more like a nurse than a wife, and Hawking begins to have feelings for a woman who is hired to care for him. The Theory of Everything screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/17/2015
UPC:	0025192249785
Original Release:	2014
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	40,260

Special Features

Deleted scenes; Becoming the Hawkings; Feature commentary with director James Marsh

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Eddie Redmayne	Stephen Hawking
Felicity Jones	Jane Wilde
Emily Watson	Beryl Wilde
Charlie Cox	Jonathan Hellyer Jones
David Thewlis	Dennis Sciama
Simon McBurney	Frank Hawking
Maxine Peake	Elaine Mason
Harry Lloyd	Brian
Alice Orr-Ewing	Diana King
Thomas Morrison	Carter
Michael Marcus	Ellis
Gruffudd Glyn	Rees
Paul Longley	Barman, Rowing Club
Guy Oliver-Watts	Watts-George Wilde
Lucy Chappell	Mary Hawking
Charlotte Hope	Philippa Hawking
Abigail Cruttenden	Isobel Hawking
Nicholas Gerard-Martin	Physicist 1
Brett Brown	Physicist 2
Anthony Skrimshire	Physicist 3
Christian McKay	Roger Penrose
Adam Godley	Senior Doctor, Cambridge Hospital
Nicola Sloane	Bedder
Lottie Hamilton	Robert Hawking
Enzo Cilenti	Kip Thorne
Rufus Taylor	Robert Hawking (Age 2)
Delilah Sexton	Lucy Hawking (Newborn)
Eileen Davies	Eileen Bond
Simon Chandler	John Taylor
Georg Nikoloff	Khalatnikov
Oliver Payne	Robert Hawking (Age 8)
Raffiella Chapman	Lucy Hawking (Age 6)
Sam Houston	Timothy Hawking (Baby)
Victoria Emslie	Sarah (Geneva Student)
Frank Leboeuf	Swiss Doctor
Will Barton	Technician
Tom Prior	Robert Hawking - Age 17
Marsh Chamberlain	Actor
Lucy Challenger	Female Fan
Jóhann Jóhannsson	Composer
Johan Johannsson	Composer
Johann Johansson	Composer

Technical Credits

Anthony McCarten

Jane Hawking

James Marsh	Director
Anthony McCarten	Screenwriter,Producer
Tim Bevan	Producer
Eric Fellner	Producer
Lisa Bruce	Producer
Liza Chasin	Executive Producer,Producer
Amelia Granger	Executive Producer,Producer
David Kosse	Executive Producer,Producer
Nina Gold	Casting
Glenn Freemantle	Sound/Sound Designer
Ben Barker	Sound Editor
Sylvia Parker	Script Supervisor
Niv Adiri	Sound Effects
Mark Appleby	Sound Effects
Dillon Bennett	Sound Effects
Lucas Webb	Producer
Jane Hawking	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

When people throw around the phrase "Oscar bait", everybody knows they're usually talking about audience-pleasing, middlebrow, triumph-over-adversity tales that are often based on the lives of real people. Oscar bait shouldn't have a negative connotation -- these films can be good or bad -- but they always leave you with the unshakable feeling that they were made by people with one eye on awards glory. James Marsh serves up a quintessential example of this trend with The Theory of Everything, a biopic of renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, widely regarded as one of the leading scientific minds of his time. Tellingly, Marsh and screenwriter Anthony McCarten are far less interested in teaching the audience about Hawking's work than in shaping an unconventional love story. They do this with ease in the film's opening passages, in which a young, brilliant, and fully healthy Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) is the most promising student at Cambridge under the guidance of Prof. Dennis Sciama (David Thewlis). While working on a thesis that will eventually revolutionize the concept of time, Hawking falls in love with fellow student Jane (Felicity Jones), who is as impressed by his mind as she is by his wit. After a nasty fall on campus, however, Hawking is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a condition that steadily weakens the human body to the point of total incapacity. As he and Jane try to raise a family, she becomes his nurse as much as his wife -- this development leads to an incredible strain on their relationship, which causes Jane to feel both regret and resentment. Eddie Redmayne does an admirably credible job at portraying the vocal and physical limitations of Hawking's condition. It's the kind of performance that will get plenty of awards attention because of the physical transformation required, but he's also a pleasingly awkward charmer in the movie's first act as he establishes Hawking's playfulness and impish wit. When he cracks jokes later, we remember the face he would have made along with them. Felicity Jones is the perfect foil for him during their courtship, but there's an odd quirk about her performance as the film unfolds -- she doesn't seem to grow any older. At one point their son is 11, yet she appears exactly the same as when she was a student at Cambridge. Her acting is absolutely fine, but she looks so young for so long that it becomes a credibility problem. After all, how could the man who knows more about time than any human being alive not notice that it seems to have no effect on his spouse? That would be a minor complaint if the movie went somewhere unexpected. The best moments are found at the end of Jane and Stephen's marriage, when his handicaps add a layer of poignancy to scenes that are familiar from many other well-intentioned dramas about a doomed marriage. Otherwise, Marsh and company follow the Oscar-bait manual to the letter. This is a handsomely produced, sensitively acted picture, one that's eager to have you wipe away a tear with one hand while handing over gold statues with the other.