Professor Marston & the Wonder Women
Original title: Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
30K
YOUR RATING
The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and his polyamorous relationship with his wife and their mistress who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman.The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and his polyamorous relationship with his wife and their mistress who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman.The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and his polyamorous relationship with his wife and their mistress who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman.
- Awards
- 8 nominations total
Christopher Jon Gombos
- Fred Stewart
- (as Chris Gombos)
Gabriella Nail
- Student
- (as Gabrielle Nail)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
To all the people saying that this movie is inaccurate - DUH!! It's a feature film, NOT a documentary!! Do you know what a feature film is? It means it has a script writer - someone who writes the story... who comes up with the lines... based on their own imagination. Of course 90% of the stuff in that movie didn't happen. None of us were there at that time!! They have to make that stuff up. Otherwise, how else are they supposed to make an interesting movie?? If they don't come up with an interesting story you'll complain about how boring it was. If they come up with something interesting that's even slightly fictional the history police goes nuts with their crazy "the movie is inaccurate!!!" comments. Give it a break for once, will ya??
The movie was incredible. It was so tastefully done. The acting is superb. The cinematography is breathtaking. The pacing is spot on and moves the story along so well. Not a single dull moment in this movie. I was captivated from the first second to the last. I could watch movies like this non stop. It's brilliant. Yes, I understand it's not what actually happened. I don't care. For an hour and a half I lived in a beautiful fantasy world and watched an amazing story unfold in the most magnificent way possible. And if that isn't the real reason why people make and watch movies then you need to wake up and get real. This one is a MUST SEE!
The movie was incredible. It was so tastefully done. The acting is superb. The cinematography is breathtaking. The pacing is spot on and moves the story along so well. Not a single dull moment in this movie. I was captivated from the first second to the last. I could watch movies like this non stop. It's brilliant. Yes, I understand it's not what actually happened. I don't care. For an hour and a half I lived in a beautiful fantasy world and watched an amazing story unfold in the most magnificent way possible. And if that isn't the real reason why people make and watch movies then you need to wake up and get real. This one is a MUST SEE!
With some exception, Hollywood pretty much makes two distinct kinds of biopics. The first kind are the ones that almost seem obligatory – your Gandhi's (1982), your Lincoln's (2012) and the upcoming Darkest Hour (2017); movies about historical giants who did truly incredible things with their lives, incredible things that should be projected (and even embellished) on the silver screen for the world to see. Then there are the ones about the others – your oddballs, your misfits – the characters that history books often ignore but are nevertheless important in the way our world is shaped.
Professor Marston is certainly one of the latter folk. Outside of DC comic devotees and the odd discredited crime scene investigator swearing by the validity of the lie detector, William Moulton Marston is not a name people know. But believe me when I say that after watching this movie, you'll want to read up on him and his equally fascinating partners Elizabeth Marston and Olive Byrne. For not only is he the originator of Wonder Woman, the most famous female comic-book hero ever, he's quietly the most fascinating academics to steer the sexual proclivities of modern society since Albert Kinsey.
He, Elizabeth and Olive I should say. The film starts with the three of them bouncing around the psychology department of Tuft University working on research and fine-tuning William's (Evans) latest invention. Olive (Heathcote), the Marston's graduate assistant becomes enamored with the two of them, binding the three in a love triangle that turns into a healthy polyamorous relationship. It being the puritanical state of Massachusetts in the 1920's however, the three couldn't be insulated by the academic bubble for too long before The Marstons are quickly forced out and move to New York City. From there, they hide their double lives with Olive assuming the role of homemaker and "widow" while William and Elizabeth (Hall) find work where they can as "the couple".
As the narrative slowly ebbs towards the inevitable formation of the first Wonder Woman comic-book, the film occasionally diverts from its primary story and uses a red-baiting comic-book committee as connective tissue to William's complicated past. We've seen this kind of framing before. In fact, apart from the decade's long love story involving three people in a committed and loving relationship, we've seen all of this before which may be the point. Instead of treating the subject matter as salacious or radically divergent, it treats it as another day in dramatic romance-land. Even when the trio develops an interest in the virtually criminalized BDSM subculture, there's a normalcy there that could potentially bore the one couple in the movie theater looking for their unicorn.
What makes Professor Marston ultimately work is director/writer Angela Robinson decision to make the tension largely external. It's never a question of whether all their goings-on will work but if the world will openly allow it. That concern is personified in Rebecca Hall's inner struggle that has the duel burden of her trying to be a smart, capable, 20th century working girl while also being madly in love with two people. One of whom is a woman.
As the brash, irascible Elizabeth, actress Rebecca Hall is an absolute revelation. She bursts onto the screen, all but announces she's smarter than everyone else in the room and easily proves it with her wit and pragmatism. While Heathcote displays the mirage of idyllic feminine beauty, it is Elizabeth's radical feminism that makes the punchy title worth the watch. Seriously though, if Hall doesn't get an Oscar nom by years' end I may have to boycott (#hall&Oscars).
Less successful is Luke Evans who, while certainly displaying the outward charm of a 1920's lad-about-town just has a knack for putting too fine a point on things. Every time we return to Connie Britton and her committee of comic-book hating cronies, Evans lectures like he's explaining particle physics to a freshman undergrad. Perhaps, given Marston's private life, Robinson may have figured the only way out of being questioned by a HUAC analog would be to be so soporific that they'd just move on to Superman or something.
All in all, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women may not be reverential enough to induce comic-book fans to check it out. The film spans decades ultimately treating the creation of Wonder Woman as an afterthought. Yet for those looking for a decently paced, boiler-plate great biopic it may just be the right ticket for you. Additionally because it smuggles in a few liberalizing tidbits about love and modern feminism (Luke Evans's goofy grin notwithstanding), Professor Marston may even be worth a detour to a theater ballsy enough to play it.
Professor Marston is certainly one of the latter folk. Outside of DC comic devotees and the odd discredited crime scene investigator swearing by the validity of the lie detector, William Moulton Marston is not a name people know. But believe me when I say that after watching this movie, you'll want to read up on him and his equally fascinating partners Elizabeth Marston and Olive Byrne. For not only is he the originator of Wonder Woman, the most famous female comic-book hero ever, he's quietly the most fascinating academics to steer the sexual proclivities of modern society since Albert Kinsey.
He, Elizabeth and Olive I should say. The film starts with the three of them bouncing around the psychology department of Tuft University working on research and fine-tuning William's (Evans) latest invention. Olive (Heathcote), the Marston's graduate assistant becomes enamored with the two of them, binding the three in a love triangle that turns into a healthy polyamorous relationship. It being the puritanical state of Massachusetts in the 1920's however, the three couldn't be insulated by the academic bubble for too long before The Marstons are quickly forced out and move to New York City. From there, they hide their double lives with Olive assuming the role of homemaker and "widow" while William and Elizabeth (Hall) find work where they can as "the couple".
As the narrative slowly ebbs towards the inevitable formation of the first Wonder Woman comic-book, the film occasionally diverts from its primary story and uses a red-baiting comic-book committee as connective tissue to William's complicated past. We've seen this kind of framing before. In fact, apart from the decade's long love story involving three people in a committed and loving relationship, we've seen all of this before which may be the point. Instead of treating the subject matter as salacious or radically divergent, it treats it as another day in dramatic romance-land. Even when the trio develops an interest in the virtually criminalized BDSM subculture, there's a normalcy there that could potentially bore the one couple in the movie theater looking for their unicorn.
What makes Professor Marston ultimately work is director/writer Angela Robinson decision to make the tension largely external. It's never a question of whether all their goings-on will work but if the world will openly allow it. That concern is personified in Rebecca Hall's inner struggle that has the duel burden of her trying to be a smart, capable, 20th century working girl while also being madly in love with two people. One of whom is a woman.
As the brash, irascible Elizabeth, actress Rebecca Hall is an absolute revelation. She bursts onto the screen, all but announces she's smarter than everyone else in the room and easily proves it with her wit and pragmatism. While Heathcote displays the mirage of idyllic feminine beauty, it is Elizabeth's radical feminism that makes the punchy title worth the watch. Seriously though, if Hall doesn't get an Oscar nom by years' end I may have to boycott (#hall&Oscars).
Less successful is Luke Evans who, while certainly displaying the outward charm of a 1920's lad-about-town just has a knack for putting too fine a point on things. Every time we return to Connie Britton and her committee of comic-book hating cronies, Evans lectures like he's explaining particle physics to a freshman undergrad. Perhaps, given Marston's private life, Robinson may have figured the only way out of being questioned by a HUAC analog would be to be so soporific that they'd just move on to Superman or something.
All in all, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women may not be reverential enough to induce comic-book fans to check it out. The film spans decades ultimately treating the creation of Wonder Woman as an afterthought. Yet for those looking for a decently paced, boiler-plate great biopic it may just be the right ticket for you. Additionally because it smuggles in a few liberalizing tidbits about love and modern feminism (Luke Evans's goofy grin notwithstanding), Professor Marston may even be worth a detour to a theater ballsy enough to play it.
First, I must confess that I am little acquainted with the Wonder Woman comic books. I loved the Wonder Woman series with Lynda Carter and I absolutely loved and am obsessed with the movie starring Gal Gadot. I watched this movie at once because I was curious about the background of the comic book author and because it stars two actors I really admire, Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. The pacing was right, I felt, for the story. I loved how the story was about him but the main focus was always, rightly so, on the two amazing and powerful women who shaped Wonder Woman as much as they influence and shaped the man who created the character from what he saw as the best of both women. The nudity/love scenes in this movie were not graphic and were done, again, my opinion, tastefully and with reverence to the story. I highly recommend this movie to everyone. I loved Wonder Woman before, I now understand why.
Yesterday I saw the movie Proff. Marston and Wonder Women. I am from India and I never read any comics of Wonder Women, but I saw recently released film Wonder Women directed by Patty Jenkins, character played by Gal Gadot then I became aware of Wonder Women.
After few months, I saw this Proff. Marston and Wonder Women, thinking that a new film of Gal Gadot. But to may dismay, this film came out something else, a biography of Proff. Marston who created the comics of Wonder Women.
But after watching this film, I am really thankful to the director Angela Robinson for bringing out the story of Proff. Marston with such a deep understanding of his personal life and roles played by his wife Elizabeth and partner Olive in the creation of Wonder Women.
The film made a profound impact on me, I tried to find out why is it so, then I realized that the director made the use of DISC Theory that Proff. Marston used in all his life and applied it to his comics character of Wonder Women. Really hats off to the director for this.
I am really amazed by the meticulously crafted screenplay that not only captured the deep psyche of all the characters but also of the audience who do not want to miss a single scene or dialogue. Such a profound work! The script is so alive and written with emotion that we can feel the real characters playing the role.
The actors of the film are really praise worthy, whether it is Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall or Bella and others. They actually lived the script on the screen.
Nonetheless, the film's editor Jefferey Werner is the real hero of this film who brought the whole narrative to its life. He is an impeccable craftsman who has deep understanding of the film structure and montage theory. It requires some special skills to understand these complex characters and bringing their story to life without boring the audience.
I liked the camera work of cinematographer Bryce Fortner, there are no camera gimmicks but just simple and effective framing, no unnecessary emotive angles. The director and cinematographer gave all the freedom to the actors to portray deepest emotion that brings out a great dynamics to the screen. I really admire the scene where Bella wears the Amazonian dress; no special lighting but simple chiaroscuro that brings out all the mood and emotion.
The music by Tom Howe and background score is so effective that it keeps us rooted to our emotional journey. And one of the plus point of this film is its Make up, Costume and Art Direction. These areas are very well managed by the respective departments.
I am really moved by the story and life of Proff. Martson the creator of Wonder Woman. Once again my thanks to Angela Robinson for creating such a beautiful film. I wonder why this film is not nominated for Oscers?
After few months, I saw this Proff. Marston and Wonder Women, thinking that a new film of Gal Gadot. But to may dismay, this film came out something else, a biography of Proff. Marston who created the comics of Wonder Women.
But after watching this film, I am really thankful to the director Angela Robinson for bringing out the story of Proff. Marston with such a deep understanding of his personal life and roles played by his wife Elizabeth and partner Olive in the creation of Wonder Women.
The film made a profound impact on me, I tried to find out why is it so, then I realized that the director made the use of DISC Theory that Proff. Marston used in all his life and applied it to his comics character of Wonder Women. Really hats off to the director for this.
I am really amazed by the meticulously crafted screenplay that not only captured the deep psyche of all the characters but also of the audience who do not want to miss a single scene or dialogue. Such a profound work! The script is so alive and written with emotion that we can feel the real characters playing the role.
The actors of the film are really praise worthy, whether it is Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall or Bella and others. They actually lived the script on the screen.
Nonetheless, the film's editor Jefferey Werner is the real hero of this film who brought the whole narrative to its life. He is an impeccable craftsman who has deep understanding of the film structure and montage theory. It requires some special skills to understand these complex characters and bringing their story to life without boring the audience.
I liked the camera work of cinematographer Bryce Fortner, there are no camera gimmicks but just simple and effective framing, no unnecessary emotive angles. The director and cinematographer gave all the freedom to the actors to portray deepest emotion that brings out a great dynamics to the screen. I really admire the scene where Bella wears the Amazonian dress; no special lighting but simple chiaroscuro that brings out all the mood and emotion.
The music by Tom Howe and background score is so effective that it keeps us rooted to our emotional journey. And one of the plus point of this film is its Make up, Costume and Art Direction. These areas are very well managed by the respective departments.
I am really moved by the story and life of Proff. Martson the creator of Wonder Woman. Once again my thanks to Angela Robinson for creating such a beautiful film. I wonder why this film is not nominated for Oscers?
Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadger
The film shows the story of how Wonder Woman became to be. It is a story that should seem mundane, but Angela Robinson makes it exciting and real. The story is full of extremely sexual dialogue, moments, and visuals. The film is a great character study and also has a good amount of humor spattered throughout.
The acting is the best part of the film. Rebecca Hall, Luke Evans, and Bella Heathcote all perform phenomenally. Rebecca Hall delivers probably the best performance of her career as a narcissistic woman who is also brilliant.
The pacing is mostly good. The runtime is also a little overlong.
Pros: Exciting and real story, great character study, some good humor, amazing acting by Rebecca Hall, good overall acting, and a good ending
Cons: Some slow pacing and an overlong runtime
Overall Rating:.7.3
The film shows the story of how Wonder Woman became to be. It is a story that should seem mundane, but Angela Robinson makes it exciting and real. The story is full of extremely sexual dialogue, moments, and visuals. The film is a great character study and also has a good amount of humor spattered throughout.
The acting is the best part of the film. Rebecca Hall, Luke Evans, and Bella Heathcote all perform phenomenally. Rebecca Hall delivers probably the best performance of her career as a narcissistic woman who is also brilliant.
The pacing is mostly good. The runtime is also a little overlong.
Pros: Exciting and real story, great character study, some good humor, amazing acting by Rebecca Hall, good overall acting, and a good ending
Cons: Some slow pacing and an overlong runtime
Overall Rating:.7.3
Did you know
- TriviaA very close friend of the Marston family is Lynda Carter, the star of Wonder Woman (1975).
- GoofsIn a scene set in the 1920's, Prof. Marston says that he was "in the OSS" during World War I. But the OSS didn't exist until 1942. In the twenties, "in the OSS" would have been meaningless. During 1917-1919 each branch of the military and several executive departments had their own intelligence units. Marston might have been affiliated with U.S. Army intelligence in some capacity.
- Quotes
William Moulton Marston: She is beautiful, guileless, kind, and pure of heart. You are brilliant, ferocious, hilarious, and a grade A bitch. Together, you are the perfect woman.
- Crazy creditsPhotos of real-life William Marston, his wife Elizabeth, and Olive Byrne are shown at the end of the movie.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Midnight Screenings: Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)
- SoundtracksThe Speakeasy
Written by Tom Howe
Performed by Jill Barber & Tom Howe
Courtesy of Feature Production Music Ltd
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- El profesor Marston y la Mujer Maravilla
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,584,759
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $736,883
- Oct 15, 2017
- Gross worldwide
- $1,899,615
- Runtime
- 1h 48m(108 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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