Main Cast: Topol, Colin Blakely, Georgia Brown, Clive Revill
Release Year: 1975
Country: UK
Run Time: 145 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Filmed in England, Galileo is based on Charles Laughton's 1947 adaptation of the play by Bertolt Brecht, which, like this 1975 film, was directed by Joseph Losey. Israeli film-star Topol plays the 17th century Italian astronomer, whose theories run contrary to the edicts of the Catholic Church. Forced to renounce his ideas about planetary movement, Galileo nonetheless holds fast to those beliefs to the end of his days, certain that time will vindicate him. Brecht's trademarked "alienation" technique, wherein the audience is constantly reminded that it is watching a play, is muted by Losey's cerebral direction. Galileo was one of producer Ely Landau's American Film Theatre presentations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Bertolt Brecht's treatise on the responsibilities of scientists to the societies in which they operate and upon which their work can have uplifting or devastating consequences receives a decent, but muted, adaptation under Joseph Losey's direction. Brecht's theater-of-alienation techniques didn't survive the translation to the screen, which is probably a plus, and Losey does a fairly good job of making the material work as cinema (something which is not always true of other titles in the American Film Theatre series). Still, there's an almost inevitable talkiness to the affair which causes the film to drag in places. In the title role, Topol is good, but the part demands much more than good. Possibly wishing to instill audience sympathy, Topol fudges Brecht's view of Galileo as a weak traitor who betrays both himself and the larger society, opting instead to go the route of the unappreciated and misunderstood man of science. Still, Topol does deliver the goods in his big scenes, and the supporting cast, especially Georgia Brown, John Gielgud, and Clive Revill, is outstanding. Though less than perfect, Galileo still captures enough of the play's strengths to be worth viewing. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Ruth Myers - Costume Designer, Joseph Losey - Director, Reginald Beck - Editor, Richard Hartley - Composer (Music Score), Richard Macdonald - Production Designer, Michael Reed - Cinematographer, Ely Landau - Producer, Otto Plaschkes - Producer, Henry T. Weinstein - Producer, Henry T. Weinstein - Supervisor/Manager, Joseph Losey - Screenwriter, Barbara Bray - Screenwriter, Hanns Eisler - Featured Music, Bertolt Brecht - Play Author
In 1609, Galileo Galilei is a mathematics professor in Padua, Italy. While his salary is inadequate, he possesses the freedom to pursue controversial scientific studies under the protection of the Venetian republic. Part of his work involves the use of a telescope, a relatively new scientific instrument brought from the Netherlands. Using the telescope, Galileo seeks to test the theories put forth by Nicolaus Copernicus that place the sun – and not the Earth – at the center of universe. As his research progress, Galileo accepts a more prestigious academic position in Florence, Italy. But his new position does not come with the government protection he enjoyed in Venice, and his friends in the higher echelons of the Roman Catholic Church refuse to come to his aid when he is summoned before the Inquisition. [1]
Production
Joseph Losey, the director of the film, also directed the first U.S. theatrical production of Galileo in 1947.[2] In his cinematic adaptation, Losey maintained several theatrical concepts that appeared in the theatrical version, including the use of a chorus of young boys who advance parts of the plot and the staging of Galileo’s recantation against a shadow-filled white screen. Losey’s opening shot, an overhead view of the film sound stage, also calls attention to the theatricality of the production.[2][1]
Release
Galileo was the initial offering of the American Film Theatre’s second season.[2] At the time of the release, most critics reacted negatively to the performance by Topol as Galileo. Vincent Canby, writing in the New York Times, complained: “There is one problem with the film, and it is a major one; the casting of Topol in the title role…although he's a big man he imparts no sense of intellectual heft.”[2]Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times, echoed the sentiment by noting: “The film's biggest weakness is the inexplicable casting of the Israeli actor Topol as Galileo. He acts in a fundamentally different tone from the other cast members, who are largely British and generally more capable.” [1]Jay Cocks, reviewing the film for Time, added: “Topol misses the role's strength, both in character and intellect. Most of the actors around him, however, are superb: John Gielgud, Margaret Leighton, Edward Fox, Patrick Magee, John McEnery.” [3]
