Hawking (2013)
Hawking is a very is a very intimate film. Co written and narrated by the man himself, the narrative, such as it is, follows a conventional chronological path from his early days slacking off at Oxford, to his Motor-Neuron Disease diagnosis and parallel scientific breakthroughs right through to his current standing as global science superstar.
This kind of thing is the usual preserve of BBC 4 or late night channel 4 , so the fact that it has a cinematic release at all shows the high regard with which he is held. Indeed his fame is one of the key focus points here, and Hawking is admirably frank about his fondness for the limelight, he himself raising the question (but never answering it) of whether he is famous just as much for his disability as for his breakthroughs in science.
Although much time is given to trumpeting these achievements, mainly through stories recounted by his contemporaries (Caltech legend Kip Thorn is one of the more interesting talking heads), there's not much time for anything more than shallow simplistic descriptions of the theories, which is a bit of a shame if, like me, you were hoping for a bit more nitty gritty science.
Where the film really shines is in the more intimate moments, either showing the deep affection his assistants have for him, or in the interview with ex-wife Jane who was there from his time as a student right through to the early days of his stardom that destroyed their marriage. It's also hard not to feel admiration for the man in allowing some of the less than flattering aspects of his dayly routine to be filmed. It humanises and gives a depth to a man who is often seen as a mystical figure from decades of exaggerated reporting.
In the end, it's a compelling and sometimes heartwarming portrait of a remarkable man, lacking a bit in the finer details, but admirably honest.
4/5
*Originally written for York Vision
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