The Professor And The Madman

I have a confession to make. My review is based on having read the book a couple of years ago. It is also based on R. Padilla's sensible review (considering he isn't a fan of Mel G. and can still rave about the movie.). I have the movie on order, but haven't watched it yet. Perhaps that seems odd, and I confess, it would strike me so if someone else wrote that. Let me just say that the book was fantastic, and I appreciate M. G.'s and S. P. 's acting talents. There is a reason I couldn't wait to watch the movie before leaving a review. I will, if the movie is not good, come back and revise my review from five stars. It will hopefully only drop to four stars. The movie is never as good as the book. Here is the reason I felt I couldn't wait: I want to dispel immediately any notion that this book, at least, had anything whatsoever to do with religion. Here are the facts: It is about a man's life. This man commits murder. This man is incarcerated and found to be severely mentally ill. It is the fascinating tale of the man's substantial contributions to the OED despite his mental illness. It is about Mental Illness! Now, if someone tried to turn it into a tale of religion, I will be sorely disappointed, and my review will change to reflect that. I will now be completely distracted while watching the film (due to a misleading review on here) to see if someone tried to turn the book into a religious "Christian" film. Hoping not. Like I said, I will change my review if so. I had hoped to see this film on the large screen and am very disappointed that it wasn't widely distributed and got very little attention. I hate when the powers that be make bad decisions. And yet, maybe they do save us from bad movies sometimes. More often than not, they make the wrong choice. I have to tout another movie that went under the radar a few years back: Out of the Furnace. Anyone who appreciates good acting by an ensemble cast will appreciate this movie. It stars Christian Bale, Zoe Soldana, Forrest Whitaker, Woody Harrelson, among others. You want to talk about good acting. This is superb acting. All actors walked right up to the line. Had anyone taken a step over, it would have been overacting. They did not! Out of the Furnace -- check it out.Now, to get back to Professor and the Madman, I say read the book. All I can say about the person seeing it as a religious movie is that it is like watching a western and seeing the bad guy shooting at the good guy and the good guy running up a hill. Good guy stumbles on a rock which rolls into other rocks and these rocks result in a landslide that traps the bad guy. A guess a person could walk away thinking that it is a movie about a landslide. And what if the good guy then helps pull that bad guy free of the rocks and tends to his wounds, would that make it a religious movie simply because the good guy did a decent thing? I guess some people could perceive that if they let their personal beliefs insinuate into everything in their lives, even movies. I would simply call it a good story. A western, not an avalanche/disaster movie, and probably not a movie about religion. I apologize for leaving the review before watching the movie, and if my opinion of it changes once I see the movie, I will certainly come back and revise my review so it will not be misleading. If someone tried to turn this true tale of mental illness into a story of religion (and I pray not) then I will definitely drop a couple of stars.

I did not look into this film much before renting it. I went into it with no expectations. I was very pleasantly surprised.My primary motivation for watching this was an interest in the historical facts that was apparently based on with regard to Sir James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), as I am a bit of a "history buff" aka history nerd. I think the film effectively covers these events in a very entertaining way and with a fair degree of historical accuracy. The pacing felt appropriate and I didn't find myself becoming bored. So there was a pay off, for me at least, in that aspect and that expectation was met.The unexpected part was how the historical background, upon which the plot was based, was used in such a beautiful way, to convey a deeper message, at least in my view. I think film can be used as an effective medium for allegory and this is a prime example. Inspired by actual events, this is a story of perseverance, compassion, forgiveness, and redemption. I really enjoyed it. This is why I watch films. I got a lot out of this one and I hope you do as well.I wanted to write something about the critical reception of this film. I looked at the rotten tomatoes score after finishing the film and was a little surprised to see it rated at 43%by critics and 73% by the general audience. I read a few of the critical reviews and what they had to say did not line up with my experience in watching this film..One of the words used to describe the performances of Mel Gibson and Sean Penn was 'sanctimonious', meaning 'making a show of being morally superior to others'. I do not understand this perspective. The acting was excellent in my opinion and both actors disappeared into the roles quite effectively (as you would expect from either actor). I'm not an emotional person and I find poorly acted scenes especially cringe inducing. The acting here was top notch and it helped to deliver the message of the film with a kind of sharpness that I actually felt quite deeply.I did not perceive any 'sanctimoniousness' in either performance and I am lead to imagine that the critics are not viewing this film objectively. I give it an 85%.

The experience of watching the story on the screen is more intense than reading the book. However, Mr. Winchester is a brilliant author and I prefer the book. Even so, I enjoyed the movie.

I had to get this for a class project, but I am glad I had to. The group chose The Professor and the Madman primarily due to its remarkable cast, a decision that was fully validated after watching the film. The actors delivered compelling performances, offering an intense and nuanced portrayal of mental illness, friendship, and loyalty. Dr. William Chester Minor's descent into madness is powerfully conveyed in the scene where he despairingly mutters, "I've killed him again in your heart" (The Professor, 01:19:58). Despite Minor's inner turmoil, his bond with James Murray deepened, both quietly and fervently. Murray repeatedly demonstrated his loyalty, standing by Minor at critical moments, such as when he declared, "We were at our darkest moment. He gave us life" (01:38:38) and "But this is the life of a man!" (01:38:58). Among the many expressions of loyalty, perhaps the most poignant was Ada Murray's solemn reflection: "Yet, two such men found each other in our time. My husband and his friend, the murderous madman" (01:46:56). This quiet plea stands as one of the film's most masterful moments. The film showcases friendship and the nuances that can test that friendship in an enlightening way.