Creation beliefs challenged in BBC film

By Ashley Bradley/ne news editor

Charles Darwin didn’t just make a good scientist but also a good father.

Creation is based on the true story of Charles Darwin, portrayed by Paul Bettany. In the film, he fights illness while trying to write his book On the Origin of Species.
Photo courtesy BBC Films

The BBC film Creation tells the true story of Darwin’s life. Paul Bettany (Wimbledon, The Da Vinci Code) does not only portray the brain Darwin had but how much he cared about his family and its reputation.

Before Darwin published his book outlining the theory of evolution, On the Origin of Species, he fought the internal obstacles that made him seriously ill. Knowing the theory would challenge God and the Bible, he knew his family would be in critical positions because society centered on the worship of God.

“You have killed God, sir,” says Thomas Huxley, played by Toby Jones (Frost/Nixon, W.). “Science is at war with religion.”

Nudged by his peers to finish his book, he was repeatedly reminded of how he would change the world of religion.

“We are a society held together by the church,” Darwin says in the movie.

As Darwin researched his book, his wife and first cousin Emma, played by Jennifer Connolly (A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream), frequently reminded him of her faith. She constantly worried about their being separated for eternity because the theories Darwin proposed wouldn’t allow him into heaven.

On top of fighting the constant struggle of truth versus religion, his first daughter Anne, played by Martha West in her film debut, had died recently of pneumonia. In the film, he starts to hallucinate seeing the daughter and remembering conversations he had with her.

Having a father full of interesting stories, his daughter Anne had become inquisitive and adventurous, hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps. Upon her death, Darwin began to ignore his other children and question whether marrying his cousin was a good idea.

“Perhaps we should have never married,” Darwin tells Emma in the film. “Our blood is too close.”

The relationship between Darwin and Emma began to travel in separate directions. The two mourned Anne separately, and Emma started to resent Darwin for the theories he proposed. If they were true, then Anne wasn’t in heaven because there wasn’t one.

The film is moving, educational and suspenseful. Though the history of Darwin is known, audience members still sit on the edge of their seats, rooting for Darwin.

This movie is not only for Darwin fans but also for Christians who want to learn why a man might propose theories against their beliefs. This movie allows individuals to peek into Darwin’s mind and understand how and why he came up with such ideas.

The acting, the lighting, the camera angles, the script — they are all wonderful aspects of art that have a hand in the creation of this movie.