There have been times where I watch little television. I normally avoid anything smacking of a series where I must remember its times to stay with the story. Saturday I got into a series that ran one after another on National Geographic Channel-- Origins: The Journey of Humankind. Fascinating and because it was a marathon, I only missed the first two (I think).
That led to reminding me that I wanted to see [Genius] about Albert Einstein's life. So Saturday night I watched the first of what is to be a 10-part series (airing on Tuesday nights). The story (so far) delves heavily into not only Einstein's brilliant mind, his personal relationships, but also what that meant at the time the Nazis and Hitler were rising to power.
To be honest, as a young man (the film skips around in his life), he's obnoxious to watch, uncaring of what he does to others, and with the arrogance of genius, always sure he's right. As an old man, Geoffrey Rush plays him and he's always fantastic. It has him at 1933 when he's trying to leave Germany.
As happens often to me with such a program, I turned to the internet to see how accurate the show was going to be. It's based on a critically acclaimed book, Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.
There are so many stories about Einstein as he lived an astounding life on levels many never risk. Years ago, I read one such story in the memoir of Shelly Winters, who had been a roommate and remained a close friend of Marilyn Monroe. Winters wrote that Marilyn had a list of men with whom she wanted to have sex. Einstein was on the list. Later she told Winters they had done it.
After watching the first two episodes, I could believe they did it even if stories about a Fire Island affair might have been imaginary (i.e. early fan fiction). As possible evidence he might've wanted to have sex with a gorgeous woman, consider this quote from Einstein--
The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein
The series makes much use of his imagination in how it worked for him to come to his scientific theories. Of course, as a writer of romances and fantasy, obviously I agree on other levels :).
The politics of Germany in the early 1930s are ones both parties in the US will claim as belonging to the 'other' side. Whatever the case, to be a Jew and a scientist, it does add tension to the series-- also frustration. Now my question is-- did Marilyn make it into the book/series? My guess is she didn't. Too bad... *s*
2 comments:
We are also recording this series. I do tend to like stories that are more linear but this jumping around seems to be the fad these days!
I was disappointed there wasn't more of 1933 in the last one. I like Geoffrey Rush so much. The weird part is I found myself dreaming about E=mc2 lol
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