The Origin of Thesis
CREATION gives a human face to the man behind the book which called God’s existence into question. It seems Charles Darwin’s home life was as controversial as his professional life.
Directed by: Jon Amiel
Produced by: Jeremy Thomas
Written by: John Collee
Cast: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Martha West, Toby Jones, Jeremy Northam, Benedict Cumberbatch
Release date: 25 September
Cert: TBC
Running Time: 108 mins
You might expect a movie about Charles Darwin to be based on one of the books that he had published – The Origin of Species or The Descent of Man maybe. In fact, this film is based on Randal Keynes publication, Annie’s Box. Charles Darwin is renowned for being the man who first conceived the concept of evolution. Him sitting and thinking about why monkeys look like us would be quite a dull affair. Creation instead focuses on the man behind the theory. It depicts Darwin’s relationships with his wife and children and how they influenced his work. Paul Bettany gives a charming performance as Darwin. Jennifer Connelly is equally impressive as the wife.
The film gives Charles cranial credentials, not by telling of the respect he earned within academic circles, but by showing him explaining technology and sociology to his children through stories aimed at their level. He is a doting father. Flashbacks of his big discoveries often occur while he is playing with his children. Annie especially, is the apple of her father’s eye and tries to follow in her father’s footsteps in every way.
It’s not all rosey in the garden though. Charles’s marriage is on the rocks. The superficial explanation for his marital troubles is that his wife, Emma, is deeply religious, and therefore does not like the idea of her husband publishing a book that will “kill God”. In essence, this is only the thin end of the wedge. There are several external factors putting strain on the marriage. The onscreen marriage is given extra electricity by the fact that Bettany and Connelly are married in real life.
Visually, this film is amazing. It feels like having your hair stroked. Elegant moving photography, noiseless costumes and understated lighting separate Creation from other period pieces. We are somewhere in between Jane Austin ostentatiousness and Charles Dickens dourness. It is all kept at just a low enough key to keep the visuals from impinging on the story. The colours are deep and every once in a while a flare of light will sneak onto the screen. It’s probably not an accident that this tends to happen when emotions are flaring also.
The real key to this film is not the top-notch acting or the beautiful cinematography. It is the complex writing that affords Creation a tapestry of a time line that seems 3 dimensional. The film contemporises itself around 1858, when Charles was compiling his notes on his research that would become The Origin Of Species. There are however, several flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks. Also nightmares and hallucinations create a sort of smoke and mirrors effect that plays your chronological consciousness. This may sound confusing, but you don’t miss out on the heart of the story if you’re not quite up to speed with what time it is. It’s an enjoyable little puzzle if you are though.
And just in case great acting, beautiful cinematography or a script with complex simplicity are not enough to get you into a theatre, there is a baby oragutan dancing around in pajamas. She’s a like a hairy little ballerina.
It’s a shame that American audiences won’t get to see Creation due to the fact that no distributor in the land of free speech is willing to go near a film that suggests we aren’t all decended from Adam and Eve for fear of backlash from religious groups.
Don’t squander an opertunity that isn’t afforded to the cousins across the pond. This emotional rollercoaster is about as good as period pieces get.
