Wittgenstein

1993

Action / Biography / Comedy / Drama

11
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 83% · 6 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 76% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.9/10 10 3248 3.2K

biography lgbt gay gay theme

Please enable your VPΝ when downloading torrents

If you torrent without a VPΝ, your ISP can see that you're torrenting and may throttle your connection and get fined by legal action!

Get Guard VPΝ

Plot summary

A dramatization, in modern theatrical style, of the life and thought of the Viennese-born, Cambridge-educated philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose principal interest was the nature and limits of language. A series of sketches depict the unfolding of his life from boyhood, through the era of the first World War, to his eventual Cambridge professorship and association with Bertrand Russell and John Maynard Keynes. The emphasis in these sketches is on the exposition of the ideas of Wittgenstein, a homosexual, and an intuitive, moody, proud, and perfectionistic thinker generally regarded as a genius.

Director

Derek Jarman Photo
Derek Jarman

Top cast

Tilda Swinton Photo
Tilda Swinton as Lady Ottoline Morrell
Michael Gough Photo
Michael Gough as Bertrand Russell
John Quentin Photo
John Quentin as John Maynard Keynes
Kate Temple Photo
Kate Temple as Cyclist
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
615.28 MB
1192*720
English 2.0
Not Rated
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 12 min
Seeds 1
1.15 GB
1776*1072
English 2.0
Not Rated
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 12 min
Seeds 9

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

Told by way of some theatrical style sketches

Told by way of some theatrical style sketches, this quite engagingly depicts not only the life of the acclaimed philosopher but it also shines an entertaining light on just what “philosophy” actually might be. I say might be because what is clear between himself (latterly Karl Johnson), Bertrand Russell (Michael Gough) and John Maynard Keynes (John Quentin) is that nothing is definite. His thrust centres around the limitation of language as a means of expression, and though I’ll admit to most of the theories going six feet over my head, it’s presented in quite an intriguing fashion. Is it all substantial or just emperor’s new clothes? On the personal front, he is gay and has what appears to be a shared relationship with “Johnny” (Kevin Collins) - a man always dressed in what appear to be primary coloured jump suits (I’ve no idea if that is significant, philosophically or to Derek Jarman). The episodic structure of this drama allows us to present bullet points from his life, but not necessarily in chronological order and so we get to see a little of Tilda Swinton overdoing it marvellously as Lady Ottoline and plenty from the scene-stealing Clancy Chassay as a younger Wittgenstein with an attitude that made me smile. Michael Gough was ever-around in British cinema through the sixties and seventies, and though perhaps not terribly versatile, he does have some good lines and eyebrow-raising expressions as he and his friend see a parting of their ways as inevitable. Maybe only Jarman could conceive of a dramatisation of an Austrian-born, Cambridge scholar that mixes cerebral debate with homosexuality (though with very little sex and no nudity), flamboyance and that left me feeling just a bit intellectually inadequate. I found this to be one of this director’s more accessible watches, and I enjoyed it.
Reviewed by

Reviewed by tobydale 8 / 10

An eclectic and engaging journey

This is a charming quirky little piece from Jarman at somewhere near his best.

Light, engaging and entertaining, the director has made far more difficult and challenging films than Wittgenstein. This is to the good - as the philosopher was undoubtedly a highly complex personality. He needed simplifying.

Jarman treats his subject with great love and sensitivity. The care and attention extends to ensuring that things are kept easy and simple. Wittgenstein's philosophical outpourings are exceptionally hard to access, but we are given just enough so that we appreciate the genius. It's cleverly done.

The craft extends from Wittgenstein's early life and subsequent work right through to scenes on his deathbed. Via this device we catch glimpses of the whole person. We come to learn a lot about our subject through Jarman's deft and sympathetic treatment.

Don't watch this expecting the surreal grit of Jubilee or high art of Caravaggio. Instead, ready yourself for an eclectic journey through the life and works of one of the world's greatest minds. Your guide is Jarman. He clearly cares about Ludwig Wittgenstein and by the end so do we.

Read more IMDb reviews

1 Comment

Be the first to leave a comment