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Darwin's Anguish on Screen

Sep 09, 2009

In the New York Times, Olivia Judson writes that though the year of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On the Origin of Species" is winding up, there are still Darwin-related events to attend. The two major ones left are a London production of "Inherit the Wind" with Kevin Spacey and David Troughton and a new film, called "Creation", with Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly on the life of Darwin. Judson writes that the movie centers not around Darwin's work, though it is featured, but around the death of his daughter, Annie. Judson sums the film up:

"Creation" thus takes on two main themes. The first is the difference in religious outlook between Darwin and his wife — and, more broadly, between Darwin and much of Victorian society. This is inevitable in any account of Darwin's life. The second, and more unusual, theme is the mental hell of guilt and anguish that the death of a loved one can bring, and how that can fracture a family.
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