“The loss of religious faith is a slow and fragile process, like the raising of continents,” writes Darwin to his wife. That one line from the film resonates greatly with my personal philosophy and is perhaps one of the few reasons I enjoyed this rather ponderous study of Darwin’s struggle with faith and evidence.
The more I think about the film, the more glaring the flaws seem. The film seems conflicted about what caused Darwin’s inability to complete his treatise, On the Origin of Species – the death of his daughter or his accommodationist views on Christianity.
Creationists have long argued, albeit with no documented evidence that Darwin recanted on his death bed. Creation, based on the book, Annie’s Box by Randal Keynes dispels the myth and portrays Darwin as a man with strong convictions even if he occasionally questioned them.
I found it quite ironic that Bettany stars in The Legion as well as Creation. Don't you?
I want to catch this movie in the theater. The film struggled with finding a US distributor. I will feel terrible if I did not do my part in creating a box office market for such films.
Nothing to do with the post, but it's insanely brilliant how much reading you're doing lately. I'm envious. Last year, I think I read the most on planes. Ugh.
Watched this last night and liked though I did think it brought on the shmaltz by the second half.
That "You've killed god, sir" line by Huxley was a bit much.
The Road this weekend? Let me guess, you're busy.
(Also, I have news!)