Genius - General Discussion

[raven]

On 6/21/2017 at 0:52 PM, Pegasaurus said:

I wonder if Einstein really did consider Mileva to be the love of his life?

I don't know; at the end when he tells the little girl he was curious, I think he was also curious about relationships yet didn't want to be too close.   I think he probably regretted the way their marriage ended and the effect it had on his children.  From what I've read, he was very attached to Elsa but cheated on her several times (not just what we saw in this show) but she knew about and lived with it.   For someone who was so forward thinking in so many ways, the fact that he didn't seem to understand how difficult it would be for Mileva to work on science and to raise two boys alone, one who ended up being institutionalized, shows that though he was progressive and compassionate in so many ways, he seemed clueless about the gender gap and opportunities available.  

So much I didn't know about Einstein so I thought this was very interesting and well done.  

21 hours ago, Amethyst said:

Co-sign on Tesla.  I think he would be a great subject.

I think so too, though he didn't have much of a personal life so I don't know if they could get 10 episodes out of it.   With Einstein, there's a lot of letters as well as Isaacson's biography to pull information from.  I don't know if there's correspondence of Tesla's around, though he did write his own autobiography.

[Drogo]

"Your mother was the blood in my veins, and I was the thorn in her side."   Just fantastic. 

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, raven said:

From what I've read, he was very attached to Elsa but cheated on her several times (not just what we saw in this show) but she knew about and lived with it. 

I couldn't tell you the name of the book, but a long time ago I read a bio of Einstein that basically said his marriage to Elsa was mostly  platonic.  He just wanted someone who would cook and take care of him and she was happy with the fame that came from being "Mrs. Einstein".  Even if the Genius version is more accurate, you can see still aspects of that interpretation.

[kindredlaugh]

I thought everyone would have seen the announcement.  It's Pablo Picasso for Series 2. http://tvline.com/2017/06/21/pablo-picasso-genius-season-2-natgeo/

[Snarklepuss]

2 minutes ago, kindredlaugh said:

I thought everyone would have seen the announcement.  It's Pablo Picasso for Series 2. http://tvline.com/2017/06/21/pablo-picasso-genius-season-2-natgeo/

Hoo boy, now THAT's going to be an interesting series!  Thanks for posting that.

[Drogo]

Season 2's subject had been announced as Pablo Picasso.

Anticipate here!

[shksabelle]

Looking at IMDB, it appears Season 2 will be about Picasso. 

Can someone tell me who played the adult Hans Albert? He doesn't seem to be listed in the cast section on IMDB.

Thanks

[Drogo]

Season 2 has its own thread.  Please keep this thread about Season 1/Einstein. 

[Ina123]

I was excited when I saw Einstein advertised. Have no interest in Picasso. I won't be tuned in.

[kindredlaugh]

On 6/24/2017 at 1:08 PM, shksabelle said:

Can someone tell me who played the adult Hans Albert? He doesn't seem to be listed in the cast section on IMDB.

It is there now.   Ed Stoppard

[shksabelle]

Thank you, kindredlaugh. I KNEW I knew that face. He was also in The Crown. 

[12catcrazy]

Picasso was a great artist but a shit as a person.  His life could make for some very interesting tv drama, but I hope to God that they ditch the terrible accents and when they do young Picasso and old Picasso, they actually get actors who resemble each other! 

[12catcrazy]

Finally got around to watching the last (double) episode.  I have to give Geoffrey Rush credit - he really managed to bring out Einstein's humanity.  I felt so sad when he died! 

All in all I enjoyed the show but felt the accents were too intense and the time jumps could be very jarring.   I wonder if they did the time jumping because the show was about Einstein, or if they will be doing it in the next show as well.

[12catcrazy]

Not alot of chat on this thread yet!  Okay, so we know Season 2 is going to be Picasso, but I'm going to throw out another "genius" whose life is tailor-made for a show like this: Oscar Wilde.   I read a bio of him back in the late 80s, and then a bio of his wife a few years ago and the books made interesting reading.  I'm currently reading a book about Oscar Wilde's family, including his parents and his brother, and if the show was made right, there would be plenty there to mine.   Wilde's father was probably a genius himself - a renowned doctor and polymath who was also a womanizer and the focus of a scandal that almost ruined his reputation.  Oscar's mother was a member of Ireland's Protestant Anglo/Irish gentry but was a radical who was a supporter of Irish Nationalism and rights for Catholics.  She was also a published writer and poet and hosted a Salon attended by some of the most important intellectuals of the era.  Oscar's wife, Constance, was a sheltered beauty with an inheritance, and became involved with clothing reform (i.e. more natural and comfortable ways for women to dress) and social activism and she stayed loyal to Oscar almost to the end.  She was only around 40 years old when she died, probably from an infection after having surgery. 

[ProudMary]

Genius picked up three Emmy Award nominations today:
Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie - Geoffrey Rush 
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special - Ron Howard 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Full list of Emmy nominations for Genius:

OUTSTANDING PERIOD/FANTASY COSTUMES FOR A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE (NON-PROSTHETIC)

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

[ProudMary]

@ElectricBoogaloo  Good job going down that entire list.  My eyes started to glaze over!  I just posted the three that were on the Genius IMDb page.  :P   I did like the theme music.  I'm glad that got a nod.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

@ProudMary I initially made the mistake of trying to look through the lists of nominees posted at the NY Times and Variety, foolishly thinking that the headlines screaming "FULL LIST OF EMMY NOMINEES" would mean they actually listed all of the nominees. Then I noticed that one of the lists was missing all of the guest star categories, so I finally just went to the Emmy website which allows you to view the nominations by show as well as by category. That was so much easier than scrolling through the list by category and looking for specific shows!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Golden Globe nomination:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Geoffrey Rush

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SAG award nomination:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series - Geoffrey Rush

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics Choice Award nomination:

Best Supporting Actor in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series - Johnny Flynn

[Nessie]

I am just catching up on this forum now.  Hollywood and it's awards are really something aren't they?  Johnny Flynn played Einstein in all but one episode, and Geoffrey Rush in only 5, and yet Geoffrey Rush gets the leading actor nominations, and Johnny Flynn one supporting actor?  

I thought Johnny Flynn (an actor I had never heard of before) did an excellent job, and as nice as it is for him to get any recognition, I think he deserved a leading actor nomination (at least one).

[raven]

Premiere date April 24!  Antonio Banderas as Picasso.  Production values again are going to be outstanding.

[Drogo]

Pablo Picasso confronts the threat of fascism in Spain; young Pable rejects traditional painting to search for his own voice.

[Drogo]

Pablo Picasso refuses to leave Paris during the war, straining his relationship with photographer Dora Maar.

[Razzberry]

I just saw the preview for this and am looking forward to Antonio Banderas as Picasso.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

TR Knight, Clémence Poésy, Samantha Colley, Sebastian Roché, Seth Gabel, and Robert Sheehan discuss Genius: Picasso:

Edited April 21, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Antonio Banderas & Alex Rich discuss Genius: Picasso

[illini1959]

Nobody watching? 

Same woman who played Einstein's wife is Picasso's - mistress...whatever.

I like it so far.

[Nessie]

I'm trying to decide if I want to watch it as it airs, or binge it like I did the last season.

Decisions, decisions...

[12catcrazy]

Genius - Picasso.  Brought to you by RJ Reynolds.  

[Quilt Fairy]

I knew the basics of Einstein's life, so the back and forth structure didn't bother me too much, I was filling in blanks in my knowledge.  However, with Picasso I know nothing, and  this time the 2 timelines structure is driving me crazy.

[MsTree]

Does anyone know if the actress playing Dora is also the actress who played Einstein's mistress/wife??  Apparently I missed her name in the credits.

Edited April 27, 2018 by MsTree
spelling

[illini1959]

7 hours ago, MsTree said:

Does anyone know if the actress playing Dora is also the actress who played Einstein's mistress/wife??  Apparently I missed her name in the credits.

Yes, I noticed it and mentioned it in my post up there somewhere :) 

Her name is Samantha Colley.

[MsTree]

Thanks illini1959!

[ProudMary]

Quote

Picasso meets his great love Françoise Gilot; young Pablo begins his Blue Period after the suicide of his friend.

[ProudMary]

I hope it's OK that I started an episode thread for last night's ep. 

I thought T.R. Knight's performance as Max, especially as the young character, was very good.    

Perhaps not specific to just this episode, but I'm very much enjoying Alex Rich as the young Picasso more than I'm enjoying Antonio Banderas as the older Picasso.  This mirrors my feelings from last season where I much preferred Johnny Flynn's young Einstein to Geoffrey Rush as the older Einstein.  I guess it makes sense that the producers would spend the money for a big name actor for the older lead, especially when the rest of the cast has lesser familiarity, however, I'm very glad to see the younger actors shine.  I wasn't familiar with either Flynn or Rich prior to Genius but I'll pay attention to them moving forward. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Poppy Delevingne discusses Genius:

[Quilt Fairy]

I knew I'd seen the actress playing Françoise before.  She played the French detective in The Tunnel.

[ProudMary]

22 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I knew I'd seen the actress playing Françoise before.  She played the French detective in The Tunnel.

I recognized her immediately as Fleur Delacour from the Harry Potter films.

[Razzberry2]

I'm amazed at how much the actors look like the real Picasso in his younger years.

 

Best line by Pablo (about Dora):  "She's a realist.  They all go mad, sooner or later."

[Quilt Fairy]

Quote

As older Picasso juggles two love affairs, Young Pablo strives to create a masterpiece that will signal his arrival as a great artist.

[Ms Lark]

Now it's getting interesting! I quite forgot that Picasso was part of the "Charmed Circle" since to me he was the least intriguing member. Apollinaire (my favorite French poet) stoned off his ass on Absinthe. What fun! I can hardly wait for them to hang out with

Spoiler

Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas, et al.

Now I can settle in for the haul.

[Scott]

I'm only up to this episode so far, but I wonder if they're going to use a lot of the same cast, since not only is Dora a repeat, but the French actor who introduced Picasso to Genevieve is Einstein himself.

[SunnyBeBe]

I was curious as to whether many were watching this series.  I caught a little bit this weekend. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[raven]

Quote

Picasso (Banderas) tries to convince Franoise to move in with him, while Young Pablo is challenged by the radical genius of Matisse.

[raven]

I admit to not knowing much about Picasso but "kind of knew" he was awful to women and wow, he really was.   He's very typical "loving what you cannot have" and growing tired of the person eventually.  "None of them makes me want to pick up a brush' Selfish bastard. 

I keep looking up info on the various women being portrayed.  This interview with Françoise Gilot was particularly good.

I'd also like to read Fernande Olivier's journal that was published.

At first I thought he was at least a good friend, then older Picasso makes Max Jacob's funeral all about him!  Young Picasso seemed to be a good friend at least and I am enjoying those scenes more than the older Picasso ones.   I wish we spent more time on his paintings - I enjoyed the Blue Period works and would have liked to see more of that creativity.  I like how Gertrude Stein is challenging him as well as Matisse. 

I'm getting more interested in these later episodes but I think there are too many comparisons to Season 1 - same general time periods, Nazis, etc.  I also thought Einstein was more interesting, though maybe that's because they showed us his creative process in a more interesting fashion.  It seems like in this version we are breezing past important events in Picasso's life pretty quickly.

[ProudMary]

I agree with your assessment @raven.  This season seems much more like a soap opera to me.  The Einstein season had more substance, IMO.  

[ProudMary]

Quote

Picasso joins the Communist Party but struggles to align his artwork with his own political beliefs. Affected by a failed love from his past, Picasso falters in his responsibilities to Francoise.

[ProudMary]

Probably the best episode of the season so far, IMO.  Although there was certainly a lot of interpersonal drama, there was much more substance to this ep.  

Picasso's treatment of Francoise was awful.  She had every reason to be furious that he abandoned her in the last stages of her pregnancy while also caring for their young son.  And then to demean that which she was doing; mothering the children that he wanted while pushing her own work away, was unconscionable.  I realize that we're looking at this through 21st century eyes, but his treatment of women was truly appalling.  It really makes you wonder if he would have treated Eva, who is portrayed as his one true love, any better than all the other women we've seen him with, had she not died.

The political story lines were interesting, both during World War I and post World War II.