The bulk of humanity know the name Stephen Hawking, yet what he does is so engaging and fascinating. There is a universal appeal to this documentary but will only truly connect with those that wish to learn. It is indeed brief, but in that time is a grand account of a gifted man. But that is the beauty of A Brief History of Time. Huge questions asking about the origins of the universe are used as filler, rather than a feature. It implements the Morris style better than his other works. A Brief History of Time is a fundamentally good documentary. That is founded with a strong finality from Morris and the talking heads that feature throughout.Ī good picture of a great scientist is presented. His talents stretch far beyond many, but he is still just someone wandering the Earth. What Morris gets so right with A Brief History of Time is through understanding that Hawking is just a man. Humanising great achievements from pioneering individuals is a harder fought battle than first expected. Moments of deliberation and honest discussion about his impact and his value as not just a scientist, but a person. Intense close-ups as Hawkings talks through his condition and the effect it has had on him. It is the tone A Brief History of Time gets so right. Despite his efforts in beautifying the surroundings, he holds no punches with the frank and open observations of Hawking found throughout A Brief History of Time. It is a poignant image that Morris never has time to dedicate himself to all that fully. Instead, he is focused on painting a picture of the subject. A larger than life setting for ordinary people. It adds nothing to the strong divulgence of information audiences receive, but it works wonders in some strange way. What could have been a very straightforward and cheap collection of cut and paste talking heads is made a bit more accessible, even a bit fancier, by this decision to have unique backgrounds. Specially designed sets house these interview portions. He is in the business of making interesting topics seem wider, larger and far more profound than the subject would ever give credence or credit to. Keen Morris may be to profile Hawking, it can never be straightforward. Interviews with those that know him best, adaptations of his autobiography and a keen desire to understand the man at the heart of this documentary steer the feature well.

Loosely based on his autobiography of the same name, used more as a guide than anything else, the work provided by documentarian Errol Morris is a sincere account of Hawking’s life and work. A biographical piece on the life and times of Stephen Hawking, up until 1991, that is. Clips, interviews and lectures are the pieces of the puzzle A Brief History of Time looks to put together.

A brief history of time review