Film – Creation – directed by Jon Amiel
Star rating – 6/10
This beautifully shot film about tells how Charles Darwin’s grief at the loss of his beloved daughter Annie at the age of 10 inspired him to write his masterpiece ‘On the Origin of Species’. Paul Bettany is very impressive as the troubled and grieving Darwin, and his wife Emma is also sensitively played by Bettany’s real life wife Jennifer Connolly. We learn a lot about how tortured Darwin was about his scientific research, which put him into direct conflict not only with the beliefs of the society around him, but put him at odds with the deeply held religious views of his own wife.
This potentially very interesting tale is, however, somewhat spoilt here by an overly sentimental telling of it. The treatment of Annie’s deathbed scene, and the way she reveals herself as a ghost to her father felt a little too mawkish and unnecessary.
But the on screen chemistry between Charles and Emma is touching, as is the confident and commanding portrayal of their daughter Annie, played here by Martha West, daughter of Dominic. The film features beautiful autumn scenes and creative shots of fauna and flora. But it does not really major on what could have been a more interesting central theme enough – the research of Darwin itself. It is moving in parts but could have been even more moving if it had not tried so hard to be in keeping with the Victorian over sentimentality which it reflects.
Star rating – 6/10
This beautifully shot film about tells how Charles Darwin’s grief at the loss of his beloved daughter Annie at the age of 10 inspired him to write his masterpiece ‘On the Origin of Species’. Paul Bettany is very impressive as the troubled and grieving Darwin, and his wife Emma is also sensitively played by Bettany’s real life wife Jennifer Connolly. We learn a lot about how tortured Darwin was about his scientific research, which put him into direct conflict not only with the beliefs of the society around him, but put him at odds with the deeply held religious views of his own wife.
This potentially very interesting tale is, however, somewhat spoilt here by an overly sentimental telling of it. The treatment of Annie’s deathbed scene, and the way she reveals herself as a ghost to her father felt a little too mawkish and unnecessary.
But the on screen chemistry between Charles and Emma is touching, as is the confident and commanding portrayal of their daughter Annie, played here by Martha West, daughter of Dominic. The film features beautiful autumn scenes and creative shots of fauna and flora. But it does not really major on what could have been a more interesting central theme enough – the research of Darwin itself. It is moving in parts but could have been even more moving if it had not tried so hard to be in keeping with the Victorian over sentimentality which it reflects.
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