Einstein and Eddington

Slowly and carefully!

Keep it coming.

Gently now.

Ver careful.

Careful with the telescope.

Dyson! What are you doing?

We need some help here!

All right, men, come on,

put your backs into it.

Nearly there.

Come on now, just one more push.

Nearly.

All right, men, not far to go.

Another foot.

- And up.

- That's it!

It's bad news, I'm afraid.

The photographic plates,

they've been damaged.

It's the heat.

They weren't stored properly.

All of them?

There are only eight

which will work.

Then we have eight photographs.

We won't have any at all if this

weather doesn't lift by tomorrow.

If the cloud breaks

at quarter past two tomorrow...

and we look up into the heavens,

take photographs of the eclipse...

...we will be scientists at our work.

We'll be looking at

the poetry of existence.

And if Einstein's right, the universe

will never look the same again.

Well, it had better stop

raining then, hadn't it?!

Got it!

Match points.

This is it. Three years, we've been

playing this pair, we've never won.

Seize the moment, Eddington.

Out!

We've won. We've won.

Well played.

Well played, old boy.

Well played.

William, I think it was in.

What?

I think the ball was in.

The sun was in your eyes,

you couldn't possibly see.

You've taken five years of defeat

with impeccable politeness, Eddington.

- Accept this victory with good grace.

- No, the ball was in.

Let him have his moment.

He's off to fight.

Don't spoil this.

He didn't tell me.

I don't consider it a victory.

I think you've made that very clear.

- Sorry, I'm being...

- What? Pig-headed?

- Yes.

- And stubborn.

You're very fond of William,

aren't you?

I could see at the tennis.

You should tell him.

What's that?

Some of the committee had

doubts about appointing you

on account of your youth.

- Sir Oliver.

- You must be the sister.

Know what I said? I said

there have been nine directors

of the Cambridge Observatory

since Isaac Newton was here.

Each of them have slept where

you'll sleep, eaten where you'll eat

and each of them was as damned sure

about Newton as the man before.

Tea would be nice.

And cake.

Winnie.

I told them, "You listen to me,

what is there to do after Newton?"

We have the truth,

we know how the universe works.

We need a director who can measure

and describe what we know to be true.

We need Arthur Stanley Eddington.

Bugger theory. Give me

the best measuring man in England.

The jam's home-made.

Excellent.

I'll leave you men to talk,

shall I?

Perhaps there'll be

a Mrs Eddington soon.

There's a minimum height of 5' 7".

For astronomers' wives?

My son Raymond is 5ft 6in.

You know what they did?

The recruiting officer

measured him in his shoes.

Oh, I see, the army.

Which, um...?

Cambridgeshires.

We're damned proud of the boy.

I know you're a Quaker

and won't fight.

I've no quarrel with that.

But you're worried.

Because you're an Englishman,

you feel your patriotism

is in conflict with your faith.

I can help.

The University of Berlin

is gathering together

the best German scientists.

For reasons obvious.

German science is putting itself

at the right hand

of German military ambition.

I see.

There's one man they want

very badly. We don't know why.

We don't see the point of him.

What does this have to do with me?

I want you to look at this

man's work and give a lecture.

We need English science to remind

everyone just how strong we are.

Newton's truth is

a great strength to us all.

Good man.

What's his name?

Albert Einstein.

What are we doing?

I'm steering the boat.

Rate this script:(0.00 / 0 votes)