Ok, the movie is about a competition of Thomas Edison, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and George Westinghouse, played by Michael Shannon, to bring us best current and most cash to them. They are main characters in The Current Wars, an upcoming historical drama that will hit theatres on November 24. We are longing for a good, big-budget movie about Nikola Tesla and it seems we will have to still wait. Magical Tesla from Prestige (2006) doesn’t count as serious effort.
The trailer doesn’t bring us good stuff. Apparently, Thomas Edison is portraited as good guy and inventor and not as sleazy businessman. Tesla, played by Nicholas Hoult, looks more like a problem-solving nerd from sitcoms than a world best scientist. Furthermore, we get only a glimpse of him. There will be no lack of drama; in the trailer, we hear “only” two times that who controls that current, controls the future.
The Current Wars history
In 1878 Thomas Edison saw a market for a system that could bring electric lighting directly into a customer’s business or home. His direct current systems (DC) would be sold to cities throughout the United States, making it a standard with Edison controlling all technical development and holding all the key patents. Edison biggest weak point was relatively short useful transmission range. Plants ware situated in the middle of population centres and could only supply customers less than a mile from the plant.
In 1884 George Westinghouse entered the electric lighting business and soon begun to develop an alternating system (AC) which could transfer electricity to very long distances. The Current Wars lasted about a decade and ended with AC win. In meantime, there were few dead people and a dozen electrified animals.
