The history of the creation of Oxford Dictionary
In 1872, American surgeon William Mainor, who lived in London, shot a stranger, accepting him for the pursuer. The Maynora was tried, but recognized as a madman and sent to the clinic located in Berkshire. A little later, a talented, but who did not manage to fit into the academic community, Philologist James Murray took up the compilation of the Oxford dictionary of English, deciding to attract the work on the directory of all interested. He turned to the native speakers with a request to send him letters with words and selected for them quotes from literature. Mainor joined the correspondence with Murrey; His contribution to work on the dictionary is difficult to overestimate. Alternally a half century, after the events described about them, they were filmed with a tape with Mal Gibson and Sean Penn in Murray and Mero's roles.
Although the dictionary on which the main characters work together is formally a key character of the film, as a whole "Mind games" (so in the Russian box office, the original title "The Professor and the Madman") - Cinema is not about the book. And for the Maynora, and for the Murray Dictionary becomes a salary symbol. The first work and immersion in the printed publications, which he supplies the treatment of the hospital, allows you to feel like a free, not cut walls of the camera, and also to believe in the possibility of redemption: William is a sharp feeling of guilt in front of Elise (Natalie Dormer), a widow of the person killed by him. The second hopes to finally get rid of the dismissive relationship from colleagues - and dives into vocabulary with his head, completely shifting all the concerns about the life and children on the wife of Adu (Jennifer El).
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In other words, the didactic story about the compilation of the Oxford dictionary, in primeval form available, for example, in Wikipedia, was dramatized and enriched with elements designed to attract the mass spectator to the screens. It was added to her elements of Horror (the hero of Penna sees the ghosts, he is engaged in membership), clarifying flashbacks (during the US Civil War, Mainor served as a surgeon) and melodrama. The latter, perhaps, in this case seems the most inappropriate. The widow of the Mainor's man really visited William in the hospital and brought him books; In the "Games of Minds" of these relationships, they tried to grow a whole love line - unconvincing, unnecessary sentimental and not giving an even account of any fruits.
The good news is that not all components came out as unsuccessful. Let's say, the scenes from the family life of Murreyev turned out to be much warmer and humane; Despite the fact that the heroine El is spelled out in the scenario, directly say, not very detailed, the actress is a few remarks and Mimicika revive the hell, makes it a secondary, but also a very important member of the events. As a result, the "Games of Minds" looks like a strong costume drama that can cause respect even when the viewer's interest in what is happening on the screen is slightly fading.
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Respect is addressed primarily to Gibson who speaks in this case and as an artist leading role, and as a co-producer. It was he who became interested 20 years ago by the book "Surgeon from Crowutor: a story about murder, madness and love for words" and decided to transfer her events to the big screen, probably, realizing that this is not the most cinematic plot. It is a pity that in Gibson and his colleagues on the project did not find sufficient respect against the audience - they, apparently, considered that today's viewers do not have enough brains or patience on a two-hour story about the book, if not to dilute him with melodrama.