CREATION

Again, good movies go back to the screenwriter using his tools correctly. Especially in creating characters and their motivations, their wants and needs, and their world views and their personal philosophies. A screenwriter has to begin with an understanding that everyone is – on an emotional level – the same: we all feel the same things, no matter our language, or our profession, or our time period. Confusion. Love. Loss. Etc. This movie’s lack of commercial success ($513,000 total worldwide box office; yes, you read that figure right, only half a million bucks total) stems from the unmarketable perception that you’re sitting down to see basically a dramatized version of a documentary – Charles Darwin writing his penultimate work. Sure, that’ll attract a few eggheads, but what kind of date movie is that going to be? He doesn’t fight battles, woo the ladies, or rule a country. He’s a scientist living in Victorian England. How exciting can that be? Nevertheless, what you get on an emotional level, is one of the most successful and well crafted screenwriting efforts in years. The screenwriter goes straight to the emotional core of a character, knowing exactly what kind of sinking ship topic he’s dealing with and creates a man driven to torment , struggling with the same things we all struggle with: being true to ourselves without compromising the people we love the most , and facing the bitter obstacles of life and random horrible events with a sense of dignity and purpose. Gut wrenching and unforgettable. It’s not an INHERIT THE WIND kind of debate movie about the pros and cons of evolutionary theory; instead, the screenwriter personalizes the debate within the character himself while simultaneously visualizing the internal conflict of the main character’s suffering, a very complex and difficult thing to do.