A. Einstein: How I See the World [VHS]
This biographical treatment of Albert Einstein accurately portrays him not as a detached physicist, but rather as a man deeply concerned with social and political ideas. Newsreel footage shows him soon after he relocated to the United States after fleeing the Nazis in his native Germany. He became active in social causes (and is even seen at some lighthearted social events), and those who knew him reminisce about his development as a social thinker. The film notes how Einstein's fear of Hitler's harnessing the potential destructive power of the atom altered his pacifism to some degree and led him to urge President Roosevelt to start what would become the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb. The depth of Einstein's mind as it stretched into areas outside the realms of math and science is covered well, and this film, which is eloquently narrated by actor William Hurt, provides an insightful look into one of the most fascinating characters in history.--Robert J. McNamara