The Professor and the Madman
2019 · Movie · Not Rated · 124 min · ★ 7.1 · 34% critics
In the mid-19th century, a professor begins compiling entries for the Oxford English Dictionary and receives thousands from a patient in a criminal asylum. Their unlikely connection drives a battle between dedication to knowledge and the emotional strain that comes with mental illness and institutional care.
Based on The Surgeon of Crowthorne
Also known as Le Professeur et le Fou
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Details
- Years
- 2019
- Release date
- 2019-03-07
- Language
- English
- Rated
- Not Rated
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 34/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (1,289 votes)
- Budget
- $25,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this word-focused period drama if you’re drawn to true-story scholarship and heartfelt character bonds; Not for you if you want non-stop action or lighter topics, and it may not suit fans of Snowden or Richard Jewell.
Pros: powerful dedication story; strong performances; moving humanity | Cons: slow pacing at times; feels overly long; heavy mental health focus
Themes
- based on novel or book
- professor
- lunatic asylum
- biography
- based on true story
- mental patient
- dictionary
- 19th century
Cast & crew
Mel Gibson
as James Murray
Sean Penn
as Dr. William Chester Minor
Natalie Dormer
as Eliza Merrett
Eddie Marsan
as Muncie
Jennifer Ehle
as Ada Murray
Jeremy Irvine
as Charles Hall
David O'Hara
as Church
Anthony Andrews
as Benjamin Jowett
Ioan Gruffudd
as Henry Bradley
Stephen Dillane
as Dr. Richard Brayne
Directed by Farhad Safinia