What is 101 Studios The Current War?
101 Studios is a production company that was responsible for the release of the historical drama movie, 'The Current War.' The movie was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and depicts the story of the technological rivalry between two of the greatest inventors in history, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.
Set in the late 19th century, 'The Current War' is a tale of the intense business and personal competition between Edison and Westinghouse, as they attempted to create and control the future of electricity generation across America. The film takes place during the years leading up to 1893's World Fair in Chicago, where the two giants competed ferociously to secure their position for providing the electrical power that would light up the fair.
The movie's star-studded cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, Michael Shannon as Westinghouse, and Tom Holland as Samuel Insull, Edison's faithful assistant. The film also features Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla, the brilliant engineer who worked for Edison before leaving to work with Westinghouse.
'The Current War' was initially released for festivals in 2017, but its general release was delayed by almost two years due to the bankruptcy of its former distributor, The Weinstein Company. The film was later acquired by 101 Studios, who re-edited and released it in theaters in October 2019 as 'The Current War Director's Cut.'
Although 'The Current War' received mixed reviews upon its release, there is no doubt that the film provides a fascinating glimpse into a crucial moment in the development of modern society. It also exposes the deep philosophical and moral questions surrounding the age-old debates about inventors and innovators, who struggle to create and control new technologies that change the course of human history.
Frequently Asked Questions about 101 studios the current war
Set between 1880 and 1893, The Current War centers on the rivalry between Edison - at the film's opening, a major celebrity for developing light bulbs - and Westinghouse, a mogul with his own ideas about how to bring artificial light to America.
Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla – brilliant inventors and industrialists who battled in the early days of electricity to power humankind into the 20th century and beyond, a conflict committed to film in 2017's The Current War.
Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse -- the greatest inventors of the industrial age -- engage in a battle of technology and ideas that will determine whose electrical system will power the new century. Backed by J.P. Morgan, Edison dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan. But Westinghouse, aided by Nikola Tesla, sees fatal flaws in Edison's direct current design. Westinghouse and Tesla bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current.The Current War / Film synopsis
Contextual analysis is analysis of the film as part of a broader context. Think about the culture, time, and place of the film's creation. What might the film say about the culture that created it?
War of the Currents
The movie fictionalizes the rivalry between Thomas Edison (the “Wizard of Menlo Park”) and industrialist George Westinghouse in the “War of the Currents” in the late 1880s and early 1890s.
The Current War is a 2017 American historical drama film inspired by the 19th-century competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which electric power delivery system would be used in the United States (often referred to as the "war of the currents").
Beginning in 1880, the story centers on the rivalry between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) as they race to wire American cities for electricity. Edison is a proponent of direct current, while Westinghouse pushes alternating current.
Films were used to encourage enlistment, train troops, bolster morale, document the war, and inform troops and the American people about what was happening in Europe and the Pacific.
A theme is the film's central, unifying concept. A theme evokes a universal human experience and can be stated in one word or short phrase (for example, “love,” “death,” or “coming of age”).
A concept is the very basic idea of the film which gives you an outline of the final story for the main character in your movie.
User reviews243. "The Current War" is a Biography - History movie in which we watch the fight between the two electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to light up the modern world. This fight will last many years since electricity is something new and unknown.
Yes. In researching The Current War true story, we learned that Edison teamed up with Harold P. Brown, a New York electrical engineer, to push for legislation that would remove and limit the use of AC electrical current systems, claiming that they were a threat to public safety in part due to shoddy installation.
After being snubbed by Edison, Westinghouse sets out to prove alternating current (AC) is the better technology, as it can work over greater distances and at significantly lower cost. Edison and Westinghouse compete to get cities across the United States to use their system.
