Film analysis: The Theory Of Everything

Film analysis of The Theory of Everything 

Production Background

The Theory Of Everything is a Working Title film. Its initial release date was the 

26th of November 2014. 
Director: James Marsh
James Marsh is known for The Theory of Everything (2014), Man on Wire (2008) 

and Shadow Dancer (2012). This is quite rare having an unknown director with a 

limited track record for high budget films directing this film. Another example of 

this is in the film Elizabeth which was directed by Shekhar Kapur. This is quite 

unusual as the director was Indian and the film is a traditional British film but 

they did this as they wanted the directer to have a fresh and new view on the history.

Box Office
Budget:

  $15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

  $208,763 (USA) (7 November 2014)

Gross:

 $29,055,497 (USA) (23 January 2015)

World Wide:

 $81.8m

Budget and Implications

The budget for this for was $15 million. By having quite a low budget for the size of

 the marketing this meant that they could of got a bigger star. Eddie Redmayne was

 their main star. Being a british actor that isn't well known in british film it was a massive 

risk for Working title getting him for the starring role as they may not get box office in

 England never mind America.

Distribution and Marketing

This is The Theory Of Everything'sFacebook page. This page has over 300,000 likes which is a lot for a film that has only recently been released. 

Twitter Page

This is the poster for the film and also the DVD cover. The way he is looking at her signifies that she isn't of has fallen out of love with him even though this is a romance. It is also a two shot which also signifies romance.

• two shots
• sci-fi
• about her in small text

The Theory of Everything has got different distributors for different countries. In the UK it was distributed by Universal but in the USA it was distributed by Focus Features. This information also shows where they have already planned to release the film on DVD as well as cinema. This is quite interesting as working title had a 7 year cycle with NBC universal that said anything under $25m had the green light so seeing focus features distributing the film in the US is interesting. This is because NBC 

universal thought that there would only be a niche market for this film in the USA

 therefore letting Focus Features (who are owned by NBC Universal) distribute this

 film in the US. This is because Focus better at distributing art house films for a small 

audience, but the massive proportion of hype and awards for this film, intrigued a larger

 audience in the US than expected therefore opening up the niche market into an 

extremely big one. The main reason for this is the amount of awards they got nominated

 for at The Oscars including all of the main ones you can receive. 

Theory Of Everything just has an International trailer.

 This is quite interesting that they only made an international trailer as it shows they 

were trying to get their film released wherever they could.

Critical Reception

This is part of the Guardian's film review

It stands or falls, of course, on its central performance. But Redmayne towers: this is an astonishing, genuinely visceral performance which bears comparison with Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. His Hawking starts askew – the glasses, maybe the shoulders a touch – and over the course of two hours contorts and buckles into a figure at once instantly familiar and fresh. This is more than just skilful impersonation – it's inhabitation. To look on as his face and body distort is to feel, yourself, discomforted, even queasy.
The film's emotional punch, however, comes from the trauma the disease wreaks on Hawking as one half of a couple. It manages that rare thing in any movie, least of all a well-upholstered biopic, and that is a realistic relationship, with grace notes, and a 

bedrock of respect and affection. Jones makes for a formidable opposite number; she's a consistently brilliant actor who needs a breakthrough.
It's a film to leave you reeling but cheered, too. It's about battling love, as well as illness. 

A universal story, extracted from a unique one.Perhaps this may prove to be the movie. Though Redmayne will deservedly hoover up a great swagbag of awards, Jones shouldn't go home empty-handed. One beautifully underplayed scene between the two near the end hits with such choking force the viewer is left almost giddy.

Overall it has a very good review with their rating out of 4 out of 5 stars and the IMBD rating

 of 7.8 out of 10 makes this review a good watch.

Media Language - Genre + Audience
The Theory of Everything is a hybrid of a documentary and a romance. It's primary audience 

is both older woman and men as his best known by older people although young people are

 also a key part of the audience as they may look up the the main protagonist and want to be

 like him when they are older.
Media Language - 'British'
This film has all southern British characters set in the south of England. It is mainly set

 in the heart of cambridge and at the well known Cambridge University. This is easily

 identified by a US audience by the arcitecture and mise-en-scene. The main protagonist

 who plays Steven Hawking  is also British making it authentic and more realistic. If we

 compare this to 4 Lions which took a more stereotypical approach as it was set in Bradford 

in the middle of a city with muslim characters 

• Compared to 4 Lions which is set in britain it is the more steriotypical approach
• Commutation test and set it in bradford not the south of england wold get a totally 
• different view

Typical WT Film?
On one hand this is a typical Working title film as it is set in southern britain and also

 has british actors but on the other hand focusing on the genre, its not as working title 

don't usually do a documentary genre but this film is not a typical Working title film. The 

budget for this film is quite a low budget for working titles standards with no A list-stars in the

 film at all. The main reason it isn't is the director. The director is very unknown and they

 have only ever picked an unknown director once before in Elizabeth. They have also 

taken a very artistic approach to this film not a commercial approach which is unusual

 with Working title as the budget for an Artistic film is very high making it hard to get 

mass box office results compared to a commercial approach.