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The Professor and the Madman

The Professor and the Madman

History · Drama · Mystery · 2019

Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.

Movie details

The Professor and the Madman

“The incredible true story that defined our world.”

2019 History · Drama · Mystery 2h 4m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Professor and the Madman?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Farhad Safinia

Written by

Todd Komarnicki · Farhad Safinia · John Boorman

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson

James Murray

Sean Penn

Sean Penn

Dr. William Chester Minor

Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer

Eliza Merrett

Eddie Marsan

Eddie Marsan

Muncie

Jennifer Ehle

Jennifer Ehle

Ada Murray

Jeremy Irvine

Jeremy Irvine

Charles Hall

David O'Hara

David O'Hara

Church

Court is in session

Put The Professor and the Madman on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.