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DocumentaryYear2013Duration1h 26mIMDb7.3

Hawking

DocumentaryBiographyComedy

Hawking is the extraordinary story of the planet's most famous living scientist, told for the first time in his own words and by those closest to him. Made with unique access to Hawking's private life, this is an intimate and moving journey into Stephen's world, both past and present. An inspirational portrait of an iconic figure, Hawking relates his incredible personal journey from boyhood under-achiever, to PhD genius, to being diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease and given just two years to live. Despite the constant threat of death, Hawking manages to make many remarkable scientific discoveries and rises to fame and super-stardom. Hawking - a remarkable man, and a remarkable movie.

Trailer

Cast

SF

Stephen Finnigan

Director

Stephen Hawking

Self

AP

Arthur Pelling

Stephen Hawking (child)

FM

Finlay Macrae

Stephen Hawking (teenager)

NC

Nathan Chapple

Stephen Hawking (young adult)

MJ

Martin John King

Stephen Hawking (adult)

JL

Joe Lovell

Stephen Hawking (adult)

TL

Tina Lovell

Jane Hawking

TO

Tanya O'Regan

Jane Hawking

Buzz Aldrin

Self - Astronaut, Apollo XI & Gemini XII

Gordon Berry

Self - Oxford University Friend

Richard Branson

Self - Virgin Group Founder, Virgin Galactic

BJ

Bernard J. Carr

Self - Stephen's PhD Student 1972-1975

Jim Carrey

Self - Actor & Comedian

JC

Judith Croasdell

Self - Stephen's Personal Assistant

Benedict Cumberbatch

Self - Actor

PD

Pete Denman

Self - Interaction Designer, Intel Labs

JF

Judy Fella

Self - Stephen's 1st Secretary

KF

Kitty Ferguson

Self - Stephen's Biographer

Stephen Hawking

Writer

SF

Stephen Finnigan

Writer

BB

Ben Bowie

Writer

Comments

10 Comments

IamlucyedetMay 29, 2023

source: Hawking

Naeem doryaMay 19, 2023

ابولووي الشاويNov 22, 2022

Interesting little sketch of Hawking. Very much a talking head documentary, but interesting story. And I love the way Jane Hawking speaks; she's full of beautiful phrases.

Abuzar KhanNov 22, 2022

He narrated his own story in his own voice, the voice of the DECtalk speech synthesizer, was actually Dennis Klatt's voice.. although, it does not cover the facts that actually made him genius but a good watch ..

Peggy LampteyNov 22, 2022

I had seen the documentary film A Brief History of Time, and the Oscar winning Eddie Redmayne movie The Theory of Everything, so I was most interested to see a new documentary with much more detail about the life and career of a great man and mind. English theoretical physicist and cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous scientists in history, and this documentary focused on all aspects of his life and career, from his youth to the present day, told by himself and those closest to him. Starting from his study of astrophysics in Cambridge University, his slow progression and deterioration from motor neurone disease, or ALS, his graduation and PhD degree, and his marriage to first wife Jane. Then it continues to his rise to fame, discovering new theories of black holes, the beginning of the universe, space and time and many more, and the writing of his book A Brief History of Time, which became a worldwide best seller. It also explains his life-threatening pneumonia and the tracheotomy that ended his ability to speak, the details of his speech synthesiser, and how despite these setbacks he continued his work, including at Cambridge University, and became the famous genius he is. It also includes footage of his appearances in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Simpsons, his appearance at the London 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony, his experience of a zero gravity flight, and the information that he has been invited to be a guest on the first flight into outer space. With narration by Hawking, using his copyrighted Equalizer computerised voice, featuring actors playing him and his friends and family for reconstructions, with contributions from Buzz Aldrin, Sir Richard Branson, Jim Carrey, Benedict Cumberbatch (who played Stephen in the 2004 TV movie Hawking), Jane Hawking, Mary Hawking, and many of Hawking's friends, colleagues, students and care workers who love and admire him. Hawking is a great man who has struggled through many challenges, not just his disability, but in his personal life and career as well, this film, co-written by Hawking himself, really gives you an incite into his world, you are in awe of his dedication to his work, his continued sense of humour and his human endeavour, an extraordinary story and most watchable documentary film. Very good!

LaMaman D'ephraNov 22, 2022

This is the second documentary that I have seen about Stephen Hawking, the Errol Morris film, A brief history of time from the early 1990s was the first one. To me this really is about Hawking since then. A worldwide celebrity, still lecturing and writing about Astrophysics and more importantly still alive. He has since the Errol Morris film been divorced twice, had several dramatisations of his life. This film features interviews with his first wife but his second wife and children are absent. You get a recount of his life, his childhood, his university days and being struck down by Motor Neuron disease at an early age. We see all the emergency medical equipment he has at his adapted house where he has 24 medical care in case he stops breathing and needs to be revived. As he has gotten older we can see the effects more graphically that his disabilities has on him. Still Professor Hawking soldiers on, travelling around the world and gets greeted like a rock star. He has the ability to make difficult scientific concepts sound simple and he seems to be comfortable with his celebrity status and his fans. It is a story about triumph over adversity and Hawking is a remarkable man but very little here was new to me.

MeryteshNov 22, 2022

Basically just a modern, lesser remake of A Brief History of Time. Not as artistically enriching or hypnotizing, though perhaps more accessible, and still respectably covers the incredible life of an incredible man.

MuQtar MustafaNov 22, 2022

Hawking was well-received in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film is a biopic about Stephen Hawking the celebrity physicist who has become an emblem of science, a medical miracle, and a hero to everyone struggling with a disability. Hawking has survived for fifty years with ALS when he was expected to die within a few years. Hawking has become an icon in popular culture both because of, and in spite of, his severe disability. In a sense, he has demonstrated the power of the mind can triumph despite the limitations of the physical body. His artificial computerized voice has become symbolic of his triumphs over his disability. Hawking captures this eloquently. The film mentions his scientific discoveries, but focuses on his remarkable life story and presents it in an accessible way to the general public. Stephen Hawking is one of the few celebrities who truly deserves the great acclaim that he receives in popular culture. Fittingly, Stephen Hawking narrates his story in his own famous electronic voice. The film is a moving tribute to a man who has made great scientific discoveries, helped to popularize scientific ideas to the general public, and brought hope to millions through his persistence and refusal to surrender to his disease.

nathanramos241Nov 22, 2022

This is a BBC produced movie/documentary that is more detailed about the development of Hawking's scientific thinking than one would see in other science biography movies. It starts with Hawking at 21 and covers his ALS diagnosis and how he and his family reacted to the news. The movie captures the look and feel of the times very well. It captures the environment in Cambridge where Hawking worked on his PhD, the influences on him, and the world of theoretical physics. The movie mostly focuses on the period from 1963 to 1980, so it is rather sparse on Hawking's later life and his later theories. This is a well made movie well worth watching especially if you have an interest in science in general, but also worth watching as a inspirational story of Hawking's tenacity and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.

_imyour_joyNov 22, 2022

Filmed with the full cooperation of its subject, HAWKING tells the life- story of a great scientist, global celebrity and courageous fighter against debilitating disease. From an early stage Stephen Hawking was always destined to be different; he grew up in an unconventional household, and throughout his university career he found the workload almost too easy. It was only when he discovered he had motor neurone disease, while completing his doctoral thesis, that he discovered the urgency of his research; he never knew when he was going to die or not. The film charts Hawking's meteoric rise to fame, while at the same showing how he became less and less able to move any part of his body. He has always been a great fighter, even though living with him proved difficult for his his ex-wife Jane. The film has some interesting omissions; we do not hear anything from his children or his second ex- wife. Nonetheless it pays tribute to Hawking's unique ability to render difficult scientific concepts accessible to mass audiences. This is someone who thoroughly deserves the recognition he has achieved. HAWKING can prove difficult to watch at times; it does not shy away from discussing Hawking's medical disabilities in graphic detail. On the whole, however, it is an optimistic piece, celebrating the strength of the human spirit.

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