Einstein Revealed

In a brief time (which is, of course, relative), we learn a great deal about a modern genius, the man that TIME magazine called the "Man of the Century."

The narrations, the impersonation of Einstein, and the illustrations are all very well done. What I find particularly enlightening and touching is a short sequence I use in teaching a class on study skills aimed at making students more likely to succeed in college. Einstein explains why he was what others considered a genius. He very simply points out that he kept the mind of a child and asked the simplest questions.

What is space? What is time? Why is the grass green? Why is the sky blue? These are questions children ask. Adults don't bother with such questions either because they think the questions are silly or because they think they know the answer or because they think there are no answers. Yet childlike minds such as Einstein's work on such questions. All human beings could use their minds to such purposes instead of for greed, killing, and destruction.

The world might be a better place if people used childlike qualities to seek enlightenment rather than mundane dreck.

I happen to be a scientist, and have always been an admirer of Albert Einstein, but I really knew little about him outside his contributions in Special Relativity and General Relativity, plus of course his most famous equation, E=Mcc. This film is mostly a biography, and it includes explanations that everyone can understand of his main discoveries. A German actor, Andrew Sachs, plays Albert Einstein, and in full makeup looks remarkably like him. The two hour NOVA film, now in two parts on DVD, includes still photos of Einstein as a child, as a student, as a young man, and at various stages through his adult life. The filming often cuts to the actor, who either muses about various events in his life, or reads from old letters and journals, as if Einstein himself were looking back upon his life and commenting. All in all a superb film, and one that can be appreciated by scientists and non-scientists alike. Einstein was a remarkable man, and his contributions opened up the study and understanding of our universe like no one had before him. It makes one stop to think, where would we be if he hadn't come along?

This great documentary not only explains the various theories using animation & graphics; but it also does a fine job describing Einstein's life. I was especially struck with his solitariness throughout his adult years. His miserable domestic record was also noteworthy. Everything was well done & I rated it a 9.