Product Details

• Actors: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones
• Directors: Jon Amiel
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Lionsgate
• DVD Release Date: June 29, 2010
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003GSLVX8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,249 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Creation" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

More than 150 years after its publication, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species and its theory of natural selection remain the subject of much debate; the divide between those who accept Darwin's ideas as incontrovertible science and those who consider them blasphemous may be wider now than ever. Released in 2009, director Jon Amiel's Creation goes right to the heart of the matter--indeed, right to the heart of Darwin himself. As portrayed by Paul Bettany, the Darwin who has returned to England following his voyage aboard HMS Beagle is a man for whom "deeply conflicted" is a barely adequate description. Well aware his theory is "perhaps the most powerful idea ever to occur to a human mind," he is caught between the scientists who insist that he has "killed God" and the religious conservatives, including his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly), who counter that his very soul will be in peril if he finishes and publishes his book. What's more, he is haunted, sometimes literally, by the death of his favorite child, Annie (seen in frequent flashbacks), and its effect on his marriage--in fact, it is this personal angle that dominates the film. But while the toll his work has taken on his health, his faith, his family, and his very sanity is obvious, he also knows that it is far too important to ignore. Creation is not a documentary; liberties have been taken, and there are multiple sequences, including Darwin's nightmarish fever dreams, that are clearly the invention of the filmmakers. But Bettany and Connelly, who are a real-life couple, are both superb; the cinematography is gorgeous; and various scenes illustrating the notion of "survival of the fittest" in nature are riveting (there won't be a dry eye in the house when Darwin tells his dying daughter about the fate of an orangutan captured in Borneo). And while the tone of the film would seem to favor science over religion, the DVD includes numerous bonus features in which both sides have their say. This one is not to be missed. --Sam Graham

Stills from Creation (Click for larger image)

Product Description

From director Jon Amiel ("The Singing Detective," ENTRAPMENT) and writer John Collee (MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD) comes CREATION. A psychological, heart-wrenching love story starring Paul Bettany (A BEAUTIFUL MIND, MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD) as Charles Darwin, the film is based on “Annie’s Box,” a biography penned by Darwin’s great-great-grandson Randal Keynes using personal letters and diaries of the Darwin family. We take a unique and inside look at Darwin, his family and his love for his deeply religious wife, played by Jennifer Connelly (A BEAUTIFUL MIND, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM), as, torn between faith and science, Darwin struggles to finish his legendary book “On the Origin of Species,” which goes on to become the foundation for evolutionary biology. The film co-stars Toby Jones (FROST/NIXON, INFAMOUS) and Jeremy Northam (GOSFORD PARK, AMISTAD), and was produced by Jeremy Thomas (THE LAST EMPEROR, SEXY BEAST) at Recorded Picture Company with BBC Films and Ocean Pictures.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This movie is amazing March 25, 2010

By Neil S. Rieck

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have a standing rule not to pay more than $23 for any Blu-ray movie (no need to encourage Hollywood marketeers). That said, I broke that rule for this movie after hearing an interview with the writer and producer on NPR (National Public Radio) then discovered that this disc was worth every penny. One thing you will come away with is the fact that there were many similarities between life in 1859 and today. For example, people of both times were split between theism, deism, and atheism. (Contrary to popular belief, Darwin was somewhere between deist and theist). So does "Darwin's Theory do away with God" as Huxley said, or does it "replace the Genesis story with something more pragmatic"? I prefer to believe that later but you should make up your own mind.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars High Point for the Darwin Year Celebration April 10, 2010

By Mike Heiney

Format:Blu-ray

Of the many fine books, movies, video productions and museum displays produced last year, this one certainly takes the cake. Magnificent production and direction as well as "A-list" acting make this a total delight. And let's not forget the book that it is based on: written by a great, great, grandson of the Darwins with access to private, family materials. What's not to love?
I am today ordering the blu-ray version, but this review is based upon the theatrical release which I happened to catch in New York City in February. I don't believe it was released generally in the US, which is a shame.
I can't recommend the movie (and book) highly enough!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing - Purchase the DVD "Darwin's Darkest Hour" Instead July 20, 2010

By Gerard D. Launay TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

I wanted to enjoy "Creation" more than I did. Certainly, the focus upon Darwin's private life - as a husband and a father - is an interesting way to portray the man. Yet, Toby Jones' electrifying portrayal of Thomas Henry Huxley - even though brief - had more moment in the drama than anything the actor did as Darwin. What I did not like about the film is that it made the tremendous genius look like a hallucinating madman in the same way that Vincent Van Gogh is often described as a mentally disturbed artist rather than show these men as the thoughtful intellectuals both of them truly were. It is true that Darwin was emotionally wounded by the deaths of his daughters and that he did worry about the effect of his great idea on contemporary Christian understanding as well as his wife's profound religious views. But actually his wife was far more supportive of his enterprise than is shown in the film...and Charles Darwin's sudden rush to publish the "Big Book" after 1858 was probably spurred by the fear that another scientist would take the credit for the insights he had developed for decades. In summary, see "Darwin's Darkest Hour" for a far more balanced view of the critical year before publication of "On the Origin of Species." Alternatively, there is a very, very good "biography" of Darwin on DVD entitled "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" which is the opening movie in the 7 part "Evolution" series from PBS.

But I will say that the scenes of Darwin interacting with a zoo Orangutan are magical. Now that's something to marvel at.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! February 21, 2010

By S. Nakajima

Format:DVD

The film is a marvelous masterpiece of a great theme and artistry. All actors are very successful. I am so glad that a film is now available for all of us to see the human side of Darwin and his extraordinary endevour.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding movie -- NOT about proving the Theory of Evolution (despite what some reviewers are posting) July 4, 2010

By Brian Ingram

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

As stated in the title, this movie does not attempt to provide any grounds for the Theory of Evolution. Instead, it depicts a realistic story of Darwin's personal struggle that occurs when his faith, his knowledge and his grief over the death of his daughter collide.

The move is rich with imagery. The scenes are beautiful and the acting by Bettany and Connelly are brilliant.

The movie is, at times, dense with flashback scenes and information and requires either the use of "playback" for review or "pause" for discussion. I love films such as these.

Keep up the good work BBC.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Creation vs. Darwin's Darkest Hour May 8, 2010

By Tero

Format:DVD

I own both of these movies and I now like both. I did not initially like Creation for all the drama. But it does focus on the family events and the ethical issues...has he killed God?....quite well.

If you have to watch only one, I would go for Darwin's Darkest Hour. The family drama is there, but the science is there too. Plus it maintains a cool scientist in the background, whereas the Creation Darwin has severe psychological problems.

The book Creation is based on seems to be more factual than the movie. Annie in fact died of a form of tuberculosis.

Creation does outline how far science leaped just then, but how backward medicine still was. Of course, the stimulus to research evolution and biology helped medcicine along as well, at least by 1900.

I have not reviewed Darkest Hour, but I give it 4 as well. Emma Darwin comes out more like the Dr Who sidekick girl in parts of the movie. So the acting was better in Creation, although the script is more fictionalized.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars OSCAR WINNING QUALITY! July 21, 2010

By A. Kole

Format:DVD

Sad, Beautiful, Torn, and yet humble. I cried, I laughed, I was moved. The story was fantasticlly written, and Paul Bettanys performance was awesome. Saw it at the cinema, came home and had to buy it immediately. Pauls performance is definately worth an Oscar. A fantastic movie, you must have.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent historical film July 3, 2010

By A. Halperin

Format:DVD

Many of the reviews I had seen suggested this film was slow moving, but I thought it was excellent. It was nice to see an historical film about a truly important person that yet told a satisfying personal story. When there are scenes giving some of the scientific background, they were filmed in a particularly striking way -- I almost wish there had been more of them. This was a very satisfying movie. (One interesting thing is that Paul Bettany got to play a hallucinatory character in A Beautiful Mind, while in this movie he gets to play a character who spends a good bit of the movie interacting with a hallucinatory character. An interesting turnaround.)