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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"We have discovered the secret of life.", December 26, 2003
By P.J. PersadUnlike most dreary, dull science films, Race for the Double Helix is a dramatic rendering of intellectual competition for the structure of DNA in the 1950s. Throughout the exploits of the [relatively young] American James Watson (Jeff Goldblum) and the Englishman Francis Crick (Tim Piggot Smith) of Cambridge University, science is shown to be more than just picture perfect labs and school textbooks. There are blunders once in while-Watson recalls the incorrect amount of water in each cell while they construct their first model, which makes them look like a pair of fools in front of Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and other fellow scientists-and stealth is at times desperately required as illustrated in the scenes where Watson nips a view of the remarkable x-ray diffraction photo of DNA taken by Franklin (this aided in the proposition of a double-helical form) and where Crick attempts to scribble down Chargaff's base pairing rules on his hand of A-T and G-C. A man has to do what a man has to do, I guess. A passion and thirst to make it to the finish line (and the desire for fame, glory, and money), along with the "fear" of a renowned scientist like Linus Pauling getting to it first, is also welcome. Social interaction must not be forgotten, but this seems be an exception for Watson. (Goldblum as Watson almost reminds me of James Stewart in his voice's tone of slight stammer/stutters.)
The second half of Race for the Double Helix seems to have more thrills to boot. Where should the sugar-phosphate chains go? On the inside or perhaps on the outside? There is also an emotional confrontation between Franklin and Watson on racing for the gold; she stresses that this is not a game and they are not on a playground. Notable discoveries are evident here in this part including the fact that the strands of DNA must be oriented in opposite directions. (One must also remember to thank Crick for thinking of hemoglobin during times of exasperation.) However, one of the most enthralling moments of the film has to be when Watson is positioned at a desk with cutouts of the bases adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. As he turns them around like puzzle pieces, it dawns on to him after a few tries that purines pair with pyrimidines and not like with like. Then more realization brightens his features as he widens his eyes. He reaches over, lifts up the guanine-cytosine pair, and places it over the adenine-thymine pair. Both pairs match each other perfectly! Here is where I wanted to emit an "aha!" exclamation. Goldblum plays this magical scene so realistically with great appreciation for DNA's structure.
This film has sparked my interest in the history of science and my curiosity in research. In fact it has totally enlightened me that I am persuaded to grab a copy of Watson's The Double Helix, along with Maddox's Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA, for further insight and revival of one of science's fascinating races to reveal the ultimate model of beauty and truth: DNA.
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DVD ~ Nova
DVD ~ Robert Krulwich
DVD ~ Kate Burton
DVD ~ Ethan Hawke
DVD ~ Dilly Barlow
DVD ~ Mark Haville
DVD ~ Jeff Goldblum.
DVD ~ Artist Not Provided
