No one knows for sure what transpired when German physicist Werner Heisenberg met with his Jewish Danish counterpart, Niels Bohr, in Copenhagen -- the event became the stuff of modern scientific mythology. Director Howard Davies puts his spin on the momentous meeting that occurred one night in September 1941, during which the longtime friends entered into a dangerous discussion about physics and politics.
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Reviews
Absolutely Brilliant!
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
This is a fascinating character study, it raises so many questions about Heisenberg, and questions his motives for research, self indulgence, search for greatness, or simply because he was subjugated by Hitler.As a film it kept my attention from start to finish, it's a truly fascinating story, so incredibly interesting. The three lead performances from Craig, Rea and Annis are incredible, they made the film so believable, each so truthful. The way the story is told is very different, almost unique.After watching this you can't help but ask the question, can you imagine what would have happened if.....I loved it, would love to see it on the stage one day. This is an exceptional film. 9/10
Occupied Copenhagen during the second world war is the stage for the meeting of colleagues Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. Young Werner has come to talk to Niels. The former is leading the faltering German research programme into nuclear energy while the latter is the acknowledged as the leading expert in nuclear fission by the physics community. Years after the event this play brings Niels, Werner and Margrethe Bohr back together again to discuss their different interpretations of their meetings and their relative roles within the development of the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.Although this is not the most accessible play or subject, it is still a rather engaging film. My knowledge of the development of nuclear theory physics could be comfortably fitted onto the back of a postage stamp (and not one of those bigger, commemorative ones either) and I had never heard of any of these people or the theories they discussed in this film. But yet I understood the majority of it and found myself easily carried along by the dialogue. I imagine it would have been more interesting if I had had this knowledge but as it was it was still interesting. But it wasn't gripping or that engaging. By having the characters look backwards together the script does a good job of explaining the discussions and their wider ramifications to a degree. I say "to a degree" because I thought it could have done it better for someone like me, someone who knows nothing about anything when they press play for the first time.The dialogue is well written though, varying between explaining the theory and debating the morals well without ever making it seem forced again a strength of the "looking back" approach. Craig and Rae impress in their delivery but I would have liked more feeling to run through them. Annis stands up well with both the men and she is used well to provide insight from outside of the two main characters. Davies' direction is pretty good and retains the feel of a play without restricting the locations too much or making it feel stage bound.Overall then an interesting film but one that will have limited appeal and I understand why. It does well to make it accessible to viewers not familiar with the subject, although it still does have room for improvement as I wanted it to impact me more than it did. Worth a look though as something different which is well written and pretty interesting.
This is well done and thoroughly enjoyable portrayal of the moral hesitation and dissembling that go hand and hand with Heisenberg and his efforts with respect to the bomb. It is well acted with informative and intelligent dialogue that brings two of the leading scientists of the 20th century to life while examining all facets of the issues surrounding Heisenberg's visit to Copenhagen and the consequences of his efforts to develop a bomb for Nazi Germany.
What a great film. I was blown away by the questions this film asked. I had always assumed that Heisenberg was basically a Nazi and really was developing the atom bomb for Hitler only to fall short because he did not have the time or ability or support. But this play and film draws that totally into question. Regardless of whether that speculation is valid, it is a wonderful look at the ethics of science. After seeing this film on PBS last year, when I saw it was going to be a play at a local theater, I had to go see that version as well. Both versions have their strong points and both were enjoyable. If you're a scientist or interested in science, I highly recommend seeing either the play, the film or both.