From: "eric walker" <eric.walker@channel1.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies
Subject: brief history of time
Date: 27 Sep 92 14:58:48 EST
Reply-To: "eric walker" <eric.walker@channel1.com>
Distribution: rec
Organization: Channel 1 Communications

         In addition to presenting Hawking's vast intellect for us, we
     also see that he is a very religious man.  The question of God is
     always present here, and Hawking is very concerned with the fact
     that if Mankind learns how the Universe was created, we might learn
     that God does not exist.  This question permeates Hawking's book,
     and it's here in the movie as well, as Hawking tells us how the
     Church persecuted the great minds of the past, like Galileo, and how
     he was nervous when he was granted an audience with the Pope.  Few
     other movies have the courage to tackle such cosmic ideas, and
     "A Brief History Of Time" deserves credit for doing so without
     overwhelming us.
          As a presentation of Hawking's life, the movie is entertaining
     and informative.  In fact, the wealth of detail that Morris gives
     us makes us hungry for the knowledge that Hawking has accumulated
     through the years.  It makes us want to go out and learn about black
     holes and the Universe.  This brings me to the movie's one fault:
     While the movie paints an engrossing picture of a man whose mind has
     travelled into realms of the Universe where no man has gone before (to
     coin a phrase), it only gives us the briefest of synopses when
     outlining Hawking's theories for us.
          What it does describe for us is intriguing and interesting.
     As Hawking's computer-generated voice tells us that time might
     flow backwards when the Universe eventually collapses in upon itself,
     we see a teacup crashing down upon a linoleum floor - and then
     the teacup reverses itself, comes back together, and rises again to
     the top of the screen where it came from.  It's a striking image, and
     it perfectly completements Hawking's description of the reversability
     of time.  There are several other related images throughout the
     movie, as Hawking summarizes the Big Bang for us, along with the
     reasons why particles can escape a black hole, and why time slows down
     as we approach one.  But it's not enough; these lessons in quantum
     physics only serve to whet our appetites, and the movie leaves
     us hungry for more.
          The book "A Brief History Of Time" is a fascinating piece, and
     its major advantage is Hawking's gift for writing about complex
     subjects in clear, concise, easy-to-understand grammar.  Perhaps it's
     a natural development of his illness; since it takes him so long to
     phrase his statements, he must choose his words carefully and presents
     them in a fashion that gets the point across with the greatest impact
     as quickly as possible.
          I couldn't put the book down when I began reading it, even though
     some of the subjects presented in it made my head swim.  It's a
     simplification, meant to explain the complex cosmologies of the
     Universe for us in plain and simple terms.  At this it succeeds
     admirably, and I would have loved to see even more of the book
     presented in the movie.  Perhaps Morris was afraid that long segments
     of techno-speak would turn off audiences and put them to sleep.  When
     I saw the film, however, I heard people wishing that there was more
     of the book in there.  What we see is merely the tip of the iceberg,
     and even though a ninety-minute documentary can only give us the
     simplest of lessons in science, I believe that Morris should have
     delved into Hawking's theories with more detail.
          "A Brief History Of Time" is certainly a triumph for Errol
     Morris.  He could have turned Hawking's book into a cold, dry
     essay on the structure of the Universe, but by making it into
     the story of the life of a great man, he gives his movie a
     humanity and a warmth rarely seen in character portraits of this
     type.  But he does so at the expense of the scientific data, making
     much of the film a case of style-over-substance.
          You will certainly be entertained, informed, entranced, and
     fascinated when you see this movie.  It's a terrific piece of work,
     and in an age where 90 minutes can seem like an eternity at some
     movies, here's one film that's not long enough.  I've had a taste of
     "A Brief History Of Time," and I want MORE!
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  SLMR 2.1a  Modemac was here!
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Channel 1 (R)   Cambridge, MA

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