The Current War
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA, 2019o
Famous inventor Thomas Edison seems on the verge of bringing electricity to Manhattan with his radical new direct current technology. But his plans are upended by charismatic businessman George Westinghouse, who believes he and his partner, upstart genius Nikola Tesla, have a superior idea for how to rapidly electrify America: with alternating current. As Edison and Westinghouse grapple for who will power the nation, they spark one of the first and greatest corporate feuds in American history.
High- and low-tech ignoramuses, don't worry! The Current War tells of the neck-and-neck race between Edison and Westinghouse in the electrification of America. And of all people, the technical genius Edison, relied for a long time on the safe but in terms of transportability hopeless direct current and was pushed to the limits of capitulation by the alternating current proponent Westinghouse and his adviser Tesla. Nevertheless, The Current War is much more than cinema for tech nerds, namely a business crime thriller that grippingly dramatizes the triumphs and defeats, the sunny and dark sides of free enterprise. In addition, the film is lovingly equipped and photographed, and is beautifully cast with the adversary team Cumberbatch-Shannon. Beaten in the cinema miles below its value, strongly recommended to catch up online!
Andreas Furler
Regisseur Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) inszeniert diese bestimmende Episode am Beginn des elektrischen Zeitalters in atemberaubendem Tempo. Dazu liefert ihm der südkoreanische Kameramann Chung-hoon Chung (Oldboy) fantastische Bilder. Unglaublich dynamisch und voller Energie ist das.
Gregor Schenker
Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) erfindet die Glühbirne, und schafft es doch nicht, Amerika zu elektrifizieren - weil er den Massenmarkt unterschätzt. Der Lichtgestalt Edison dreht dann ein Gegner den Strom ab, George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), ein viel weniger begabter Erfinder - aber ein besserer Geschäftsmann. Ganz einfallsreich gedrehte Filmbiografie von Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, mit zu viel pathetischer Idealisierung des amerikanischen Traums. Und: Einer der letzten Filme aus der Oscar-Schmiede des gefallenen Produzenten Harvey Weinstein. Man kann hier noch einmal sehen, dass dessen Preisgala-Kino zuletzt eine wirksame Inspirationsbremse für wirklich begabte Filmemacher war.
Susan VahabzadehGalleryo
