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Tesla(2020)
IFC Films Aug 21, 2020 | Limited
A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.
Releases
Original Release | Aug 21, 2020
Box Office
Results
$42,165
$93,147
$365,904
$459,051
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Summaries
Plot Summary
- In 1893, Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) and a female companion are roller skating. A narrator explains that Tesla was inspired as a young boy when he was petting his cat and saw static electricity.Nine years prior, in 1884 New York City, Tesla is working for Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan), who disregards Tesla's suggestions of using alternating current, and not want to pay him for the invention. Their co-worker explains that Edison's disapproval was partly because of the death of his wife, when they smash ice cream cones on each other, the narrator interrupts and says that isn't how it happened. She explains how Google searches on Tesla show very few photographs and usually the same head-shots. She goes into Tesla's childhood (Born in 1856 in a small village in Croatia. His father was a Serbian priest. His mother was brilliant, and Tesla had the gift for maths) and schooling (He studies Engineering in Prague), and also that he tried to start his own company (The Tesla Lighting Company) but failed (when his investors swindle him) and ended up having to dig ditches (phone lines for Western Union). Edison, on the other hand, has more popularity, twice as many search results, but lives a lavish lifestyle and married and widowed young with his first wife Mary (who died of a morphine overdose) (they met when she was 15 and died when she was 25).Edison meets Mina (Hannah Gross), his second wife (her father made his fortune in lawnmowers, and she was engaged to a preacher). In 1885, Tesla pitches his work on his magnetic induction motor to investors Brown (Ian Lithgow) and Peck (Michael Mastro). Edison paid him $!5/month. Brown and Peck sat up a lab for Tesla and pay him $250/month. Edison has 121 power stations across the US and Tesla plans to wipe him off. Tesla and his assistant Anthony Szigeti (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) impress Professor Anthony (James Urbaniak), who suggests he break up the invention into several patents. He meets Anthony's daughter Evelyn (Emma O'Connor); and Anne Morgan (Eve Hewson), the daughter of J.P. Morgan (Donnie Keshawarz) and the film's narrator. JP Morgan is a Banker, and is pouring millions into Edison's General Electric company, installing DC current based systems in several cities in America.George Westinghouse (Jim Gaffigan), an inventor (he invented the air brakes for the railways and got rich as all the railways needed it) and businessman, buys Tesla's patents and fund production where the latter would get a royalty ($2.5 per horsepower) for every product installed in a home. He shares a rivalry challenge from Edison who claims that direct current is superior, and that alternating current is dangerous. Edison shows the Westinghouse invention as a capital punishment tool on William Kemmler (Blake Delong), who had killed his wife. Meanwhile, Tesla demonstrates his invention to an audience using two induction sticks that glow. Edison testifies in court that Westinghouse Alternator produces 3000 V of electricity and is 3 times more than what is necessary to kill any human being. The lawyer, hired by Westinghouse, proves that Edison has no proof to suggest if the killing with be humane and hence should not be deployed for capital punishment cases.Szigeti invents a compass apparatus, but Tesla tells him it has already been invented, so Szigeti abandons his pursuits and seeks his fortune in South Africa. The execution itself is a messy affair with Kemmler requiring multiple doses of electric current to be killed. It was much worse than hanging. Edison loses credibility when it is revealed that he advised the Govt on the design of the electric chair itself. Anne gets to know Tesla more. Anne tries to get close to Tesla but wonders if any woman can achieve that as he still idolizes his mother. Anne tries hard to get close to Tesla, but he keeps pushing her away. Tesla's invention is used to power's the World's Fair in 1893 in Chicago. 28 MM people walk through its pavilions and see that AC current is beautiful and safe. Edison meets with Tesla and admits he was wrong about alternating current, and then he offers to partner with Tesla. Anne clarifies that this meeting never happened: Edison neither apologized nor offered to join forces.Westinghouse tells Tesla that to keep his business going, he needs to do a merger, but has to cancel Tesla's contract regarding his horsepower royalties. Tesla tears up his contract as to him it was never about the money. Tesla didn't have a hustler on his side and was taken advantage of, in giving up his commercial interests. He didn't even consult his lawyers. Sarah Bernhardt (Rebecca Dayan), a celebrity actress, records for Edison's gramophone. She meets Tesla at her event, but Edison is envious of Tesla and escorts her away.Later, Tesla oversees the design of the Niagara Falls hydroelectric power plant. J.P. Morgan asks Anne if she thinks Tesla is interested in romancing her. Anne talks with Tesla about it, but finds he has plans for another invention, but unfortunately, he is moving far away to Colorado. In 1899 Colorado Springs, he sets up his Tesla coil to harness and to transmit the power of the lightning storms. His experiments were trying to use Earth as a medium for power transmission and thereby free and unlimited energy for everyone, across the globe.Tesla meets up with Bernhardt who is touring the area. She shows interest in him, and invites him to attend her performance, but he does not show up. J.P. Morgan invests in his invention, giving him a check for 150,000 dollars (in 1901), which Tesla accepts. In 1901, Edison's mining venture (To extract low grade iron ore from crushed rock) fails and he loses four million dollars. Tesla has not shown much progress in his work either, and even though Marconi has used Tesla's patents to transmit wireless signals, Tesla seems to be more interested in receiving and decoding signals he believes are from Mars. Anne tries to tell Tesla that he is trying to democratize energy and that idea is too revolutionary for how the current world is built. He asks J.P. Morgan for more funding but is declined.There's a scene of Tesla singing to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", along with montage stills from the film. Realizing she has no future with Tesla, Anne moves to France to work with an organization helping children. She explains how Tesla outlived his peers but dies alone at 87 years old on Jan 7th, 1943. She reflects that today's world might be what he had imagined.
Storyline
- A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.
