SimpleWeblog

Movie Review: A Brief History of Time (Morris)

This was the first Errol Morris movie I had ever heard about, and the last that I have seen (until he makes more!). I wasn't quite sure what to expect, since he usually focuses more on the people he interviews than the supposed subject of the movie, and Stephen Hawking didn't seem like a particularly charismatic interview subject.

How foolish of me to doubt Mr. Morris!

The first section of the movie was simply a biography of Stephen Hawking's life, and his achievements seem even more profound to me when I can appreciate his human side. The stories of his friends realizing just how smart he really was were particularly entertaining. The onset of his disease brings a particularly tragic tone, although it was interesting to discover he decided to study theoretical physics because it could be studied without having to write as much. What could his brain have discovered if he had devoted himself to another field?

The movie then describes some of the more social aspects of his discoveries while giving a small amount of explanation of what they were. He would certainly come across as arrogant if it weren't for the fact that it seems like he is justified in believing that he really is smarter than other people.

I know the movie doesn't make any attempt to explore any negative aspects of his life beyond the disease, even though the movie was released the same year he got divorced. But I don't think that ultimately matters much, even though his first wife was probably what got him through much of the early years of coping with the disease. Exploring those topics would take away from the movie's desire to show the excitement and enthusiasm of his research, and the abilities he has that make him unique.

Don't expect a film version of the book; instead you should expect a exploration into Stephen Hawking's life story.