EINSTEIN, CHURCHILL AND THE QUEEN

Much of my time outside of work is spent at home studying or “just” watching TV. Of the latter, I am often not distracted since I still live alone. Lately, three movies that I have seen on TV have caught my imagination enough that I have decided to write this post. They are movies about the true life characters of Albert Einstein, Winston Church and Queen Elizabeth II.


First is Into the Storm, a biographical account of Winston Churchill’s life and career as British Prime Minister during World War II. In the film, Churchill is in France after the war and reflects through the finest hour of a country despite the blood, toil, tears and sweat that described his reign as Prime minister. His personal struggles are laced with scenes of an almost magical spell with which he inspired a country at war.

Second is Einstein and Eddington, a British drama about Sir Arthur Eddington and Albert Einstein. It tells of the relationship of the two scientists, the frank personality of Einstein along with his quizzical temperament that led to the introduction of his theory of relativity. Einstein’s aloofness towards religion, societal norms and nationalism (which pervaded Europe at the time) is acted out with an almost reckless abandon that it catches the intrigue of the viewer.

While the plot of the above two movies were set in middle of the last century in Europe, The Queen is a cast from the eve of this millennium. The film depicts an account of the immediate event following the death of Princess Diana of Wales; portraying the differing views on how the death would be handled. While the Royal Family sees her death as a private affair which is not to be treated as an official royal death, the newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair is aligned to the public wish for an official expression of grief. Matters are further complicated by the media. The Queen is left to manage the mixed feelings at expressing genuine humanness at the death of the woman who bore her heir while she tries to stay unattached at what she sees as an apparent betrayal of the royal institution by her former daughter-in-law.

For me, these films tell of the personal struggles in high places. I am reminded that the rich and famous are flesh and blood too, that greatness does not infer perfection.

 
EXTRA THOTS
Did you know that in August 2010, there are 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays and 5 Tuesdays! This happens only once every 800 years! (culled)