"The Current War: Director's Cut" is, in a word, gripping. Even though I am deeply familiar with the subject matter and the great inventors and industrialists involved in the tale of how the alternating current propounded by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse prevailed over the direct current system of Thomas Edison, I was held absolutely rapt and engaged from beginning to end of this "based on a true story" historical offering.
Leading a stellar cast is Benedict Cumberbatch as T.A. Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park. Cumberbatch captures perfectly every overt thing we've heard about Edison's drive, his passion, his need for attention and his hatred of rivals and patent thieves. Despite having to play a man whose moods and volatility are legendary, he does a glorious job of infusing Edison with a sense of pathos and humanity not captured in any other film I've seen with Edison as a character.
His primary foil is George Westinghouse, just beginning to parlay his success with train air brakes into something much more grand, much more impactful. Played as a humanitarian who cares more for improving the world than for mere dollars by Michael Shannon, his calm and measured demeanor beautifully offsets the more edgy and vain Edison.
Show throughout is the love that both men have for their wives, who are played as much as partners as spouses (as evidence, when Mrs. Westinghouse is introduced early on, the accompanying identifying text describes her as "wife and partner"). The film clearly invites us to see everyone as human beings first, and icons of technology, invention and entrepreneurialism second. Historical efforts are often rather dry and factual, and it is refreshing to see an effort made to humanize those involved. When the unthinkable happens to Mrs. Edison, Thomas' grief is inconsolable, his melancholy palpable and enduring.
As the competition to be *the* electrical standard that will serve the world, Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) enters the scene, and IMHO, he is not actually given as much attention as he deserves in all of this (he essentially made practical the theoretical and unfulfilled promise of alternating current). The fact that Edison was involved in trying to supply power to the world for lighting is basically forgotten by us at this point in history, so superior was AC and Tesla's invention of the AC motor.
The competition comes to a head when Edison and Westinghouse offer their bids to see who will illuminate the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago...The White City, as it would come to be known. Will the World's Fair committee choose Edison's less efficient system with its inherent inefficiencies, but with built in name recognition and draw potential, or Westinghouse/Tesla's cheaper and infinitely more expandable and functional AC system? Of course we know how that works out, because we live in that future now.
A simple drama would end with Edison walking away to lick his wounds and disappear into obscurity, but he was in fact brilliant and unparalleled as a brute force creator, and so the film ends with us being firmly reminded that Edison created the first practical motion picture technology, and so the film winds up neatly, properly, and respectfully on all counts.
I would be terribly remiss if I didn't mention the incredible soundtrack music that moves through this film. My viewing partner said that "it was like another character", and that is spot on. Heavily oriented in bass synth notes with sparse yet perfect strings above, the insinuation of the music is always at the exact right time, always with the exact right amount of both intensity and reserve. Major kudos to composers Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran. I will be seeking out their other work together. The CGI is absolutely seamless and perfect, the sets, costuming, and period appropriate lighting spot on. A beautiful film visually, auditorially and emotionally. On one final note, those who enjoy popular mainstream action and superhero films will be pleasantly surprised to see Tom Holland in a substantial supporting role.
A solid 9 out of 10 for me. YMMV.
Leading a stellar cast is Benedict Cumberbatch as T.A. Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park. Cumberbatch captures perfectly every overt thing we've heard about Edison's drive, his passion, his need for attention and his hatred of rivals and patent thieves. Despite having to play a man whose moods and volatility are legendary, he does a glorious job of infusing Edison with a sense of pathos and humanity not captured in any other film I've seen with Edison as a character.
His primary foil is George Westinghouse, just beginning to parlay his success with train air brakes into something much more grand, much more impactful. Played as a humanitarian who cares more for improving the world than for mere dollars by Michael Shannon, his calm and measured demeanor beautifully offsets the more edgy and vain Edison.
Show throughout is the love that both men have for their wives, who are played as much as partners as spouses (as evidence, when Mrs. Westinghouse is introduced early on, the accompanying identifying text describes her as "wife and partner"). The film clearly invites us to see everyone as human beings first, and icons of technology, invention and entrepreneurialism second. Historical efforts are often rather dry and factual, and it is refreshing to see an effort made to humanize those involved. When the unthinkable happens to Mrs. Edison, Thomas' grief is inconsolable, his melancholy palpable and enduring.
As the competition to be *the* electrical standard that will serve the world, Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) enters the scene, and IMHO, he is not actually given as much attention as he deserves in all of this (he essentially made practical the theoretical and unfulfilled promise of alternating current). The fact that Edison was involved in trying to supply power to the world for lighting is basically forgotten by us at this point in history, so superior was AC and Tesla's invention of the AC motor.
The competition comes to a head when Edison and Westinghouse offer their bids to see who will illuminate the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago...The White City, as it would come to be known. Will the World's Fair committee choose Edison's less efficient system with its inherent inefficiencies, but with built in name recognition and draw potential, or Westinghouse/Tesla's cheaper and infinitely more expandable and functional AC system? Of course we know how that works out, because we live in that future now.
A simple drama would end with Edison walking away to lick his wounds and disappear into obscurity, but he was in fact brilliant and unparalleled as a brute force creator, and so the film ends with us being firmly reminded that Edison created the first practical motion picture technology, and so the film winds up neatly, properly, and respectfully on all counts.
I would be terribly remiss if I didn't mention the incredible soundtrack music that moves through this film. My viewing partner said that "it was like another character", and that is spot on. Heavily oriented in bass synth notes with sparse yet perfect strings above, the insinuation of the music is always at the exact right time, always with the exact right amount of both intensity and reserve. Major kudos to composers Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran. I will be seeking out their other work together. The CGI is absolutely seamless and perfect, the sets, costuming, and period appropriate lighting spot on. A beautiful film visually, auditorially and emotionally. On one final note, those who enjoy popular mainstream action and superhero films will be pleasantly surprised to see Tom Holland in a substantial supporting role.
A solid 9 out of 10 for me. YMMV.