“The Professor and the Madman” is a 2019 Irish-American biographical drama film directed by Farhad Safinia and written by Safinia, John Boorman, and Todd Komarnicki. The film is based on the book “The Surgeon of Crowthorne” by Simon Winchester and tells the true story of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary.
“The Professor and the Madman” movie follows Professor James Murray (Mel Gibson) and Dr. William Minor (Sean Penn), a convicted murderer and former Civil War surgeon, as they work together to create the Oxford English Dictionary. The unlikely partnership between the two men proves to be fruitful, but as their work progresses, Dr. Minor’s mental illness becomes increasingly apparent and threatens to disrupt their collaboration.
Despite its talented cast, “The Professor and the Madman” received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised the performances of Gibson and Penn, others criticized the film for its slow pace and lack of depth in character development.
“The Professor and the Madman” movie was also marred by controversy regarding the production and distribution of the film, with a dispute between Safinia and the production company leading to legal action and delays in the release of the film.
Overall, “The Professor and the Madman” is an interesting and engaging story with some strong performances, but falls short in execution and fails to fully explore the complex characters of Murray and Minor.
| Directed by | P. B. Shemran |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Nicolas Chartier Gastón Pavlovich |
| Screenplay by | Todd Komarnicki P. B. Shemran |
| Based on | The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester |
| Starring | Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Marsan, Jennifer Ehle, Jeremy Irvine, David O’Hara, Ioan Gruffudd, Stephen Dillane, Steve Coogan, |
| Music by | Bear McCreary |
| Cinematography | Kasper Tuxen |
| Edited by | Dino Jonsater |
| Production companies |
Fastnet Films Voltage Pictures Fábrica de Cine |
| Distributed by | Vertical Entertainment |
| Release date | May 10, 2019 (United States) |
| Running time | 124 minutes |
| Countries | United States Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $6.2 million |
