MediaVillage in Prague with Nat Geo’s “Genius”

amp8220We felt that Albert Einstein was perfect to launch the series because as much as people know about him thatamp8217s a snapshot an impression an imageamp8221 Howard told me amp8220His life is so full of drama You could not pack his life into a movie It was reductive and now we get to share it in a compelling and engaging wayamp8221A feature film had been executive producer Gigi Pritzkeramp8217s original goal when she optioned Walter Isaacsonamp8217s book Einstein His Life and Universeamp160amp160After years of searching for the right script however she realized it needed to be serialized and presented in a way that found the humor the adventure and the passion behind the physicistamp8217s lifeamp8220There will be people who say amp8216Yeah it sounds dry and boringamp8217amp8221 Pritzker said amp8220I think the way National Geographic is positioning it and putting an ad on the Super Bowl the ad was brilliant and funny and lowbrow and highbrow and for meamp160they have absolutely the right sense of how to have fun with this and not get bogged downamp8221amp8220National Geographic has been very ebullient about busting open their brandamp8221 Rush declared amp8220They are very keen that they are now exploring not just the chronicles of the natural world but the story that goes around itamp8221The executive producers made it quite clear this is not a documentary but a factbased series in which they use cinematic magic to illustrate how one of the greatest physicists changed the way people thinkamp8220We were fortunate to pilot that in A Beautiful Mindamp160and we found a way to do that which was quite accessible in movies or televisionamp8221 Grazer explained amp8220You have to create the cinematic experienceamp8221Keeping with the seriesamp8217 dedication to accuracy Rush spent months perfecting his Germantinged English accent and learning the violin That really was him playing Lady Gagaamp8217s amp8220Bad Romanceamp8221 during the nowfamous Super Bowl commercialHours after Rush had sat so stone still finally freed of the halo of crazy Einstein hair and trademark mustache the 65yearold actor relaxed over a double Chivas and divulged how he achieved that level of Zen while controlled chaos swirledamp160around himamp8220I like to go on an app and listen to show tunesamp8221 Rush revealed amp8220I went onto comedy and musicals and today I was listening to endless remakes of amp8216Anything Goesamp8217amp8221Rush and Johnny Flynn who plays Einstein from his teen years to mid30s when Rush takes over spent time together to match their mannerisms so their performances would meld Taking deep dives into research they discovered that Einstein was quite the loverWomen it seemed adored the disheveled professor and despite having two wives he loved many of them back Often His second wife was his cousin Elsa portrayed by Emily Watson marking her third time playing Rushamp8217s spouse while Samantha Colley plays Mileva Mariamp263 Einsteinamp8217s first wifeA brilliant mind in her own right the spirited Mariamp263 was an early sounding board for her husbandamp8217s theories although she eventually grew frustrated catering to the distracted genius amp8220He needed propping up and cheerleadingamp8221 Colley explainedTheir eventual divorce was something the scientist never quite got over said the actress who studied the letters between the couple amp8220He often said amp8216Mileva will always remain a severed limbamp8217amp8221 Colley notedThe couple lived together in Prague in a nondescript apartment building now bearing a plaque On these worn cobblestones Einstein walked to a friendamp8217s salon in the old town center and taught in the university where his classroom overlooked an insane asylum The exquisite city stands in for other European cities of Einsteinamp8217s timeDirectors producers stars and crew canamp8217t help but reflect on how the xenophobic turbulence of Einsteinamp8217s era and the increasing violence against minorities is on the rise today Einstein a Jew who was out of Germany when Hitler became chancellor never returned to his homelandAt the time FBI Director J Edgar Hoover convinced Einstein was a spy tried to keep him out of the country TR Knight of Greyamp8217s Anatomy is unrecognizable as Hoover under layers of prosthetics Over breakfast he recalled studying these men and that period and shook his head over todayamp8217s parallelsamp8220People did say then that it wouldamp160never happen again and it didamp8221 he said amp8220It is uncomfortable and very disturbingamp8221amp8220Undeniably one of the obstacles Einstein faced was a rise in a kind of nationalism that was threatening to him and to his work and to his existenceamp8221 Howard said amp8220And it was emerging out of a time of struggle and this political rush toward nationalismamp8221As the world tunes in to learn about Einstein the lover the immigrant and of course the thinker those behind the series are doing a bit of thinking of their own Who will be the subject in the next seasonamp160of Geniusamp8220The qualifications are so highamp8221 Grazer mused amp8220It has to be proven that that person has done remarkable things on a global basis and also has a dynamic enough life that will engage audiences Did that human being create a movement of any kind Ultimately we want to surprise peopleamp8221Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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MediaVillage in Prague with Nat Geo’s “Genius”

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