Genius (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 10 - Chapter Ten - full transcript
♪ ♪
76-year-old male.
Cause of death:
internal bleeding
resulting from rupture
of preexisting
abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Physiology otherwise
un... remarkable.
(buzzing)
(whirring)
(whirring stops)
Brain: 1,230 grams.
Normal.
Are you mad?
My father's wish
is to be cremated.
And he will be.
All of him.
Dr. Einstein,
this is one
of the most astonishing objects
in the universe.
Studying it could unlock
the mystery of genius.
Now,
you are a man of science.
He was a man of science.
In the end,
doesn't his brain belong
to science, too?
CROWD:
♪ Happy birthday ♪
♪ Dear Albert ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you. ♪
Speech!
- Speech!
No, no, no, no.
Yes, well, the person
most bored to tears
by my babbling is me.
So I shall politely
refrain and thank you all
for coming.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
I seem to have stumbled
onto the wrong gathering.
I was meant to attend a
birthday party, not a funeral.
Did you see what Halpern's wife
asked me to sign?
That? It's
from last year.
So what? It's my face
on the cover of Time magazine
in front of a mushroom cloud.
It's a wonderful
likeness.
You're the one who
actually built the damn thing.
But, still,
everybody blames me.
Albert, we have quite a
surprise in store for you.
The only gift I want
from you, Niels,
is an admission that
quantum mechanics is incomplete.
(scoffs) What fun
would that be?
Yes, well, we have to find some
other excuse for our squabbles.
But the current
situation is absurd.
Reality cannot be described by
two theories which do not agree.
Unified field theory is not
the answer though, Albert.
It will be the final
chapter in physics.
You'll see. I will
solve it before I die.
Die? No, you'll never die.
(chuckles)
No, you'll be chiding post grads
long after the sun
has burned itself out.
And besides, it's bad luck
to be so morbid
on one's own birthday.
I have been trying
to tell him that.
Birthdays cause
a man to reflect
on what little he
has accomplished.
You have achieved more
than almost anyone
in human history.
And yet, if I died tomorrow,
I'd be remembered
as the man who ushered
in the nuclear age.
Well, be happy with what
you have accomplished, Albert.
It's quite a lot.
What are you looking for?
My good name. It seems
to have gone missing.
(chuckles)
I'm forming
a council, Oppie.
The Emergency Committee
of Atomic Scientists.
Albert, you have guests.
Go enjoy yourself.
If my legacy is to be tied
to the atomic bomb,
it will be
for preventing its use.
I need you to join me.
I'm running the
Institute now.
I can't get involved
in politics.
What are you
so worried about,
the wrath of
university administrators?
I'm worried
about Hoover.
He probably knows what color
socks I'm wearing right now.
It's not safe for me.
You? Don't be ridiculous.
It's not safe
for you either, Albert.
Trust me.
Aha. There you are.
You are not
to be smoking.
Isn't this the one day
I should be allowed to smoke?
Come. Your grandchildren
want to wish you
a happy birthday.
(speaking indistinctly)
Papa.
Are you enjoying
my party, Evelyn?
Yes, Grandpa.
I'm pleased.
Bernhard has some news he'd
like to share with you...
Oh.
- Yes...
(clinking) - BOHR:
Professor Einstein.
Professor.
Please, everybody.
(clears throat)
Our young prodigy here,
David Bohm,
has helped assemble
this high-fidelity radio.
(oohing, applause)
We all thought
it was time to drag you
kicking and screaming
into the modern era.
Many of us here today
are the beneficiaries of
your generosity.
Some of us, like
Dr. Oppenheimer,
are colleagues
who sharpen our minds
coming up against yours.
Others are
former students
whom you've treated with the...
patience and selflessness
of a father.
(distorting):
But all have blossomed...
TEENAGE HANS: I told you
this was a ridiculous idea.
He isn't coming.
The weather has delayed
the trains. He may come yet.
Eduard was the one who wanted
to go traipsing
through the Alps.
And now he's terribly sick.
Would you like to trade places
with him?
Your father has wanted
a holiday with you
for quite some time.
You owe him at least that.
Why do you make excuses for him?
Because we all make excuses
for ourselves,
and we should be good enough
to make them for others.
People are complex.
So?
You're going
to tell him then?
I don't know.
Mm, it would be one thing
you both have in common.
(applause)
EINSTEIN: Thank you.
Let's have a look at this.
Come on.
We're going. - Ah.
- But Grandpa's present...
Leave it.
Oh. Huh.
Ah.
(chuckles)
A few more items
before you retire.
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
are asking
for your approval
for the script they sent.
Is it still a movie about
the making of the atomic bomb?
It is.
- Then I do not approve.
There are a number
of speaking invitations:
uh, Harvard, Cornell,
University of Chicago...
I've decided to accept only one.
Lincoln University.
Do you have an opinion
on this matter?
Of course not.
You never do.
EINSTEIN:
The sun's gravitational pull
is sufficient
to bend light itself.
And bend light it does.
That is how I
finally found proof
of the theory of
general relativity.
Most scientists
thought
I was mad.
Funny, isn't it, how
progress can provoke
such an emotional response?
Though,
of course,
this idea is not foreign
to most of you.
Many believe that young
men such as yourselves
do not deserve the same
opportunities as everyone else.
All because of the color
of your skin.
How absurd.
What do I know
of it? After all,
look at me. I'm an old
white Jew with crazy hair.
(laughter)
But I, too, have
been disparaged
for how I look.
For my heritage.
We all share the same
decent humanity.
The same curiosity.
Hopes, dreams.
The same God.
HOOVER: He consorts
with dangerous types.
Communists, Negroes, anarchists.
I have to say, sir,
I'm surprised
Einstein is the target
of an investigation.
(chuckles)
Einstein's office
is already bugged,
but I have decided
to inject new blood
into this case.
That's why you're here.
This could be a rewarding
stepping stone
for you, McKee.
You'll be on the front lines
in the next war.
War, sir?
Communism is an existential
threat to our great republic,
and Einstein is on the
side of the enemy.
Find what I need
to put this son of a bitch
in jail.
Or...
at least send him
on a one-way trip
back to Germany.
Yes, sir.
(door opens, closes)
Is it worth it, Edgar?
Going after the world's
most famous scientist?
Einstein humiliated me.
Could've lost my job.
I almost did lose my reputation.
What is it that
the scientists say, huh?
For each action
there is an equal
and opposite reaction.
Nuclear weapons
are the obstacle to world peace,
not its solution.
But they exist.
Well, I think the best way
to ensure they're never used
is to give control of them to
the scientists who made them.
Not the American military.
You think the Red Army
is going to leave
the bomb to their scientists?
Harold's right. The Soviets are mad.
Which is why
we must push for containment.
That is a fantasy.
- Exactly.
The U.S. and the Soviets
will continue to build
their nuclear stockpiles.
And perhaps they should.
What the hell are you talking about, Leo?
- Are you crazy?
Perhaps what will
ultimately save us
is two superpowers
with the ability
to completely destroy
one another.
Atomic use leads to
atomic retaliation
and that retaliation
leads to more retaliation
and we end up
at reciprocal annihilation.
Which is why
neither side will ever dare
to use even one weapon.
I cannot believe my ears.
I'm sorry, Leo, but I cannot.
That is lunacy.
Whether by accident
or idiocy or the will
of a tyrant,
these weapons will be used.
And when they are, not even
God can help us.
What is it you suggest, Albert?
A world government.
It would sit on top
of all existing nations
and, as adjudicator
in all disputes,
would make world wars
a thing of history.
No nation would give up
its sovereignty.
We are dealing with a threat
to the basic existence
of humanity.
In my own work, I find
when I'm faced
with an audacious problem,
an audacious solution
is usually the answer.
So let's put
our prodigious heads together
and see
what we can come up with.
SECRETARY:
Professor Bohm to see you?
EINSTEIN:
Of course.
David, come in.
I've just read your paper.
It's remarkable.
Well, hopefully it'll
give you some ammunition
to fire back at the
quantum contingent.
EINSTEIN: It does, and it came
at just the right moment.
I've been stalled
on unified field theory
for months.
BOHM:
So you'll recall the idea
of hidden variables from my paper.
- Ah.
If we assume both a quantum particle,
for example, (phone rings)
an electron,
and a guiding wave
that governs its motion...
(sighs) He's not at
the office, either.
HANS ALBERT:
I've been admitted
to Zurich Polytechnic.
I'll be following
in your footsteps.
This is wonderful.
This will be
an extraordinary adventure.
Engineering?
But why?
Engineering is the future, Papa.
No.
You've been sold a story.
It isn't science.
It's tinkering.
Tinkering?
Hans, trust me.
This is beneath you.
You have a gift.
You've always excelled
in science.
Target your ambitions,
and then aim higher.
Engineering is my ambition.
It isn't science, Hans.
I don't want you
to give up on science
like your mother did.
Give up?
She sacrificed herself
for all of us.
For you, most of all.
She's no martyr, Hans.
She made her own choices.
Don't squander your talents
like she did.
There are nobler pursuits
for a brain like yours.
No, you mean
a brain like yours, Papa.
I want to do
something different.
Ah. It's days like today, Helen,
that I'm reminded
that science
is primitive and childlike.
Thank God for that.
What is it?
Thank you.
I'm sorry for your loss, my boy.
My loss?
That's an interesting way
to put it.
Tell me,
what were you doing earlier?
Before I arrived.
I was working.
And yesterday
when I couldn't reach you?
I was at the office.
No, I called the office.
There was no answer.
There are moments
when I get absorbed
in what I'm doing, Hans.
You know that.
Yes, I certainly do.
But I have always
hoped that once--
just once in my life--
you'd be absorbed
with your family
instead of your work.
But we're just a burden to you.
That's not fair, Hans.
- Isn't it?
I think you're relieved
she's dead.
How could you
say such a thing?
You'll never again have to worry
about her money problems
or feel guilt
for what became of her.
I thought we had put aside
all this bitterness years ago.
That is because
you are completely oblivious
to the feelings
of those closest to you, Papa.
You're so kind
to so many people.
But you have been so cruel
to your own family.
I have accepted
a teaching position at Berkeley.
We won't have to see
each other again.
Hans, wait.
Don't leave like this.
Not today.
You treated her miserably,
and you should be ashamed.
I'm only angry with myself
for taking this long
to say that to your face.
Don't contact me, Papa.
Ever.
The neutron itself
was discovered
by Chadwick, an Englishman.
The cyclotron by Lawrence,
an American.
And the splitting of uranium
was detected by Hahn, a German.
Don't blame it all on me.
MAN:
Would it be possible for you
to go and see
President Roosevelt yourself?
But I have a cold.
And besides,
I do not know
Mr. Roosevelt very well.
I'm sure the president
knows you, sir.
EINSTEIN:
It will be more polite
if I just write him a letter.
MAN:
Thank you, sir.
EINSTEIN:
The acting was abominable.
The science, completely wrong.
And I don't really talk
like that, do I?
Well, at least they implemented
some of the changes
you proposed.
Well, to my mind,
it certainly didn't improve...
Oh.
- Professor?
(grunts)
The pain is likely due
to an aneurysm of the aorta.
Basically a small bulge
in the artery.
Is it serious?
Not if he doesn't smoke,
cuts out sweets
and avoids
strenuous activity.
That does include
sexual congress, Dr. Einstein.
I see. To live long,
I must forego
anything worth living for.
(chuckles)
EINSTEIN:
David.
Where is everybody?
They're terrified,
Albert.
Of what?
This.
It's a subpoena.
The Un-American Activities
Committee.
What could be more un-American
than an inquisition?
I'm scared, Albert.
You'll be all
right, David.
You have the First Amendment
in this country.
Stand up.
Tell the truth.
Say, "Yes, I was a communist."
It is not illegal
to have been one.
And then what?
I-I won't be able
to get a job.
I'll be ruined.
They cannot force you to speak.
MAN:
Mr. Bohm,
are you now,
or have you ever been
a member of
the Communist Party?
On the...
(camera shutter clicks)
On the advice of counsel,
I invoke my right
under the Fifth Amendment
not to answer, on the grounds
I may incriminate myself.
(excited murmurs)
Order! Order!
How could those bastards
suspend a man
for attending
a few meetings?
You know it's
out of my hands.
I'll offer to
pay his salary.
He can be my
personal assistant.
Albert...
If David Bohm sets foot
on the Institute's grounds,
he will be arrested
for trespassing.
And you and I will
soon thereafter be
polishing our résumés.
The United States
government
sees Bohm as a threat,
and no matter what
its flaws...
I still believe a man
must put his country first.
You are a coward.
- Albert.
This is a man's life.
If we sit on our hands,
they'll come after us next.
They want to intimidate
us into silence.
That way we become
easier prey.
Don't do anything
rash, Albert.
Don't worry, whatever I do
will be quite deliberate.
You think it's foolish,
I know.
Yet again,
I'm inviting controversy.
So why not say it,
just this once?
You truly are
a sphinx, Helen.
Elsa had opinions, advice.
Elsa had strategy.
I am not Elsa.
No, you certainly
are not.
The only thing
you show enthusiasm for
is keeping my pipe from me.
You haven't seen it, have you?
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT:
Hello and welcome.
I'm Eleanor Roosevelt.
On today's program,
I'll present a special segment
from renowned physicist
Albert Einstein.
EINSTEIN:
Good evening.
The arms race
between the United States
and the Soviet Union
has assumed
hysterical proportions.
On both sides,
means of mass destruction
are being perfected
with feverish haste,
and behind walls of secrecy.
And now the production
of the hydrogen bomb
will be accomplished.
If these efforts
prove successful,
annihilation
of all life on Earth
will have been
brought within the range
of what is possible.
Outside the United States
we establish military bases.
Inside the United States...
Inside the United States,
the loyalty of citizens
is carefully supervised
by a police force growing more
powerful every day.
People of independent thought
are being harassed.
The public is indoctrinated.
Get me McKee.
With one television interview
he humiliated the Bureau.
We must move on him
before he does
more damage.
I'm doing all I can, sir.
- Do more.
Search his mail,
tap his home phone,
follow his acquaintances.
You have discretion to do
whatever it takes.
McKEE: I'm just wondering
what evidence
persuaded a judge
to sign a warrant
for such an extensive operation.
We cannot wait
on the slow wheels of justice.
I'm not sure I understand, sir.
Look at Bohm.
Nobody would hire him
after his hearing
and now he's in Rio
with diarrhea and a sunburn.
(chuckles)
And you can bet your Brazil nuts
he spends every waking moment
wondering,
"Why did I stonewall
the Bureau?"
I have confidence...
you'll get the results I need,
McKee.
(car door closes, engine starts)
Until we are left
with a unique modification
to my previous
"guiding wave" proposal,
because this wave can influence
a quantum particle
without becoming...
- Albert,
we've been down this road many times.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Yes.
- This is different.
It seems that the more the rest
of physics accepts my work,
the more you resist it.
Because it's all conjecture.
Where is your proof?
Y-You sound just like one
of those stodgy members
of the establishment
who said the same thing
about general relativity...
Are you actually comparing
quantum mechanics
with relativity?
Albert, tell me,
what do you have to show
for all this time
you've spent chasing
unified field theory, huh?
Perhaps,
if you'd just let
go of your ego
for just a moment,
you could admit
that you're simply wrong.
You're as bad as those fools
in Washington,
trying to ruin anyone
who comes up against you.
You think I'm trying to ruin you?
You make me out to be
a laughingstock,
a has-been.
Anyone who doesn't
follow your decree,
is a traitor or an imbecile,
and I've had enough.
Albert, you've
lost yourself.
Yes.
Like one or your
unobserved particles.
I'm not even here.
Albert.
I think you should go.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
This is a CBS news bulletin.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
have been found
guilty of conspiracy
to commit espionage.
Under federal law,
the Rosenbergs are eligible
for the death penalty.
EINSTEIN:
A country which
prides itself
on freedom of speech
must not commit
the most barbarous act
of retribution on those
who disseminate information.
That much, Your Honor,
should be self-evident.
Is that all?
No.
I'd like
my pipe, please.
It's the one thing left in this
world that gives me pleasure.
I cannot help you with that.
As true as the moon
pulling the tides,
here we find
ourselves again.
You want to say my little
controversies are pointless,
but you will not say it.
Silence again.
Silence always.
As though it were a virtue.
It is no virtue, Helen.
Pull the page
and let me sign it.
There are controversies,
and then there is
absolute stupidity.
You do understand
I'm speaking out
against a clear wrong.
Did you not
ask my opinion?
This isn't like speaking
at a Negro college.
This is about meddling
in the affairs
of the United States government.
My own son will not speak to me.
I'm made to feel like a dinosaur
in the physics community.
I've completely stalled
on unified field theory.
And I have no idea
where my pipe is.
I'm getting old, Helen.
I'm sick.
My voice is all I have left.
♪ ♪
(Hoover chuckles)
This is precisely what we need.
Yes, sir.
But we intercepted
Einstein's letter
before it reached
the judge.
Seeing as we don't
have a warrant...
Oh, be creative, McKee.
Reseal the letter.
Have it sent to the judge.
Then pay him a visit.
"Have you received
correspondence
from Albert Einstein?" you ask.
"Whatever would give you
such an idea?" he replies.
"Confidential source,
you answer.
"But if you are a good American
"and you believe in
our institutions,
"I'm sure you'll aid the Bureau
in this quite sensitive matter
of national interest."
You want me to intimidate
a federal judge?
Who said anything
about intimidating?
There is no evidence
of a crime here, sir.
Has Einstein actually done
anything illegal?
Einstein is a fox.
And we have him
up a tree.
It's time to pull
the trigger.
I'll find someone to make noise
with that letter.
CONGRESSMAN RANKIN:
Here it is,
in his own hand, a letter
trying to influence a
federal judge on behalf of spies
and pinko subversives
who delivered our
closely-guarded atomic secrets
right up the steps
of the Kremlin.
This so-called genius,
he would replace
the stars and stripes
with a hammer and a sickle
without breaking a sweat.
Congressman Rankin,
over here, sir.
How did you come to be in
possession of the letter?
Judge Kaufman himself,
a true patriot.
Now, are there
any other questions?
HOOVER: The Washington Post,
The Chicago Tribune,
The Philadelphia Inquirer,
even this commie rag
has denounced him.
You just earned yourself
a promotion, McKee.
(clears throat)
Close the case.
My assignment was to
amass evidence
and either charge him criminally
or find grounds
to have him deported.
Have you assembled evidence
so that I may charge Einstein?
No.
Have you brought me grounds
by which I may deport him?
Not yet, sir, but...
Then you have failed.
Men like Einstein
confuse an unstable nation.
And such confusion
is as reprehensible
and is as punishable
as any other crime.
So,
I found a way to punish him.
And this is it.
Your solution is
to humiliate a man?
To silence him?
Einstein has spoken out
with impunity for years.
It was time someone
shoved a gag in that mouth.
McKee.
When you question the integrity
of the Bureau's actions,
you question the integrity
of my actions.
And such questions...
they can get a man
in a whole mess of trouble.
(door opens, then closes)
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
Let Einstein speak out,
and he'll be drowned
by the patriotic citizens
of this fine country.
It takes a man a lifetime
to build his reputation,
and yet a mere moment
to scuttle it.
That's a version
of relativity Dr. Einstein
ought to have learned
long ago.
Perhaps now Einstein
will retreat
to the laboratory,
where he belongs.
In the meantime,
all good citizens would do well
to turn a deaf ear
to his subversive screeds.
We should instead pay attention
to the patriots
who have lived all their lives
in this great country.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Uh. Huh.
HELEN: It's time
to get out of the house.
Is there somewhere
I'm meant to be?
Go to your office. You haven't
been there in months.
I haven't had
an original thought for so long,
I've forgotten
what it feels like.
If I went
to my office,
I'd only stare at the walls.
The wallpaper is
much nicer here.
Helen?
What's an eight-letter word
that means "frozen treat"?
P, something, P,
something, something,
something,
something, something.
I'm going to the market.
Dr. Einstein,
my name is Alice Edwards,
and, well,
you are the smartest man
in history, sir.
All the papers
say so, and all
that stuff you said
about the universe and whatnot.
Well, it's really important
to kids all across America.
And that's why
your brain is critical
in helping me with my
long division, which...
I have cookies.
If you could kindly
fill in the answers
here, here and here,
I'll work backwards
and get the gist.
That's kind of how I learn.
Why do your teachers
make you study mathematics?
Exactly.
What good is stupid
math anyway?
Here's a strange thing.
Almost all flowers in nature
have a certain number of petals:
either five,
eight, 13, 21,
34 or 55.
It's called
the Fibonacci Sequence.
Yikes.
And the Fibonacci Sequence,
in turn,
(door squeaks open)
is related to the Golden Mean.
Sounds like
an Agatha Christie book.
- Ha.
And who are you?
My name is Alice
Edwards, ma'am.
Dr. Einstein was kind enough to
help me with my long division.
Well, Miss Edwards,
Dr. Einstein
isn't taking visitors
at the moment,
despite his willingness
to accept bribes.
Out with you. Come.
Gee, she's a real charmer.
I wish my teachers
were more like you.
You make this stuff sound fun.
It is fun. Thank you
for reminding me of that.
You can keep this. Count them...
before next time.
(door opens and closes)
(chuckles lightly)
Where on Earth
are you going?
You told me to go to the office,
so I'm going to the office.
(door opens and closes)
Was that
Dr. Einstein?
BOHR: Rumors of an
Einstein sighting on campus
made waves very quickly.
Had to come see if it was true.
How are you, Niels?
In my own little world,
marking time.
It's good to see
you're back at work.
I'm muddling my way through
unified field theory again.
Oh.
You know, there...
there is a bit of an anomaly
i-in your work.
I beg your pardon?
That-that, uh, derivative?
It can't be third order.
(quietly):
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
Yeah. Hmm.
(mumbling)
What anomaly?
My God, you're right.
(chuckles)
I'd have gone on
fumbling my way through that
for another week if you
hadn't pointed it out.
Yes.
Ah.
How about a stroll?
Ah. (chuckles)
I read the manifesto you
and Bertrand Russell wrote.
It was very impressive.
And yet no one listens.
I fear my influence on the use
of atomic weapons is long past.
If only I could turn back
the clock to when people
actually cared about
what I had to say.
Well, time travel.
Perhaps that could be
your final triumph, Albert.
There are many moments
I'd like to relive
and many ills
I'd like to fix.
Time is a tricky thing.
You taught me that.
People have missed you here,
Albert.
Purely selfish on their part,
to be sure,
but they need you
to keep their minds sharp.
Well, I need you.
Not just to keep my
mind sharp, but...
...for this.
What are you looking for?
Uh, an equation.
Well, half-formed.
It's more of a scribble.
Maybe ten, 15 years old.
If you can give me
anything else to go on?
It must be here.
It's very important.
Niels and I have been
talking abou...
♪ ♪
You kept these?
I keep...
everything, Professor.
(door opens)
HELEN:
You have a visitor.
EINSTEIN: Oh.
Hello, Alice.
Thank you, Helen.
So I looked up
that "Finobacci" thing
in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Here's what I don't get.
The flowers, how do
they know the math?
I mean, does a flower realize
it's supposed to have
a certain number of petals?
And why the heck
does it care, anyway?
That's a very
interesting question, Alice.
Hmm. Let me
show you something.
I think I might find
an answer for that.
I'm sure it's in
this book somewhere.
What's this thing?
That was a gift...
...from my grandchildren.
It's strange.
If you hadn't noticed it, I...
might have forgotten it existed.
That's probably because
you're getting old.
Hmm.
Finished already?
He said he's not feeling well.
Asked me to come back tomorrow.
So, see you later, I guess.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
It's time.
For what?
Call him.
That door is closed.
Are you really such a fool?
I'm a realist.
I know when there's
nothing more to be done.
I see.
And yet you never gave up
on nuclear proliferation.
You did not find it
too daunting
to speak at a Negro college
when no one else would dare,
or to defend convicted spies.
You have compassion
for so many people.
You fight
for so many people.
Why is it you cannot fight
to be reconciled
with your own son?
I think I liked you better
when you kept your thoughts
to yourself.
I am certain you did.
Hans told me
that he wants nothing more
to do with me.
You care so much
about your legacy,
about how you
will be remembered
by the world,
but the world begins and ends
in your own family.
Hello, Hansie.
Hi, Grandpa.
Hello, Evelyn.
Come in. Come in.
Hi, Grandpa.
Bernard.
Come in, my boy.
HANS: You're helping
a ten-year-old girl...
with long division?
She's very bright.
You're good with other people,
with your colleagues,
the cleaning woman,
taxi drivers.
But you made me...
feel inferior.
EINSTEIN:
When I was young,
my father told me that physics
was a waste of time.
I only realized
at the end of his life
that he wasn't being cruel.
He was terrified for me.
And I forgave him for it...
...only too late.
I'm proud of you, Hans.
I hope you know that.
You're a brilliant engineer.
EVELYN:
Bernard, it's your turn, go.
And a far better father
than I ever was.
What about Eduard?
I love Eduard as I love you.
I wish I could've
spent more time
with both of you.
And Mother?
You made her feel
inconsequential, Papa.
You told me she wasted her life.
Your mother was the blood
in my veins,
but I was the thorn in her side.
She was a great scientist, Hans,
insatiably curious.
I would never have achieved
anything without her.
She was the love of my life.
BERNARD:
Stop, you're cheating!
It's not cheating. I'm winning.
(laughing):
Stop!
♪ ♪
(Einstein groans)
♪ ♪
EINSTEIN: Oh, did they
make their flight?
Yes.
Hans said he hopes
to be back in a few weeks.
I don't have a few weeks.
Look deep into nature.
Then you will understand
everything better.
Helen.
You are a blessing.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
HANS: His brain--
you want to, what,
slice it up and gaze at
it under a microscope?
What's the alternative?
Cast it into a furnace?
Before us
is your father's
last great gift to the world.
Do what you will with the brain.
But if you think you can
comprehend who my father was
or why he was so brilliant by...
looking at his brain
under a microscope,
you are sorely mistaken.
It is just a thing.
That...
that is not the man.
YOUNG EINSTEIN:
What is time?
And, for that matter...
what is space?
EINSTEIN: The goal of scientific
pursuit should not merely be
to make use
of the world around us.
It should be to understand it,
fundamentally.
No matter what use it might be.
YOUNG EINSTEIN:
From the smallest molecule
to the largest galaxy,
every question must have
a definable answer,
and, well,
I intend to find those answers.
What is it, Papa?
It's a compass, Albert.
With it, you will
never be lost.
But why does the needle move?
Something called "magnetism."
Magnetism?
What is that?
There is a field all around us.
Invisible, but very powerful.
A field? What's that?
And how can it be so powerful
if it's invisible?
And how does a magnet
know how to talk to the field?
ALICE: So, how'd you get
so smart, anyway?
I have no special talent,
but I am very, very
curious, Alice.
All I do is ask questions,
just like you do.
That's the most
important thing.
Anybody can do that.
ALICE: You know, I was looking
up at the moon last night
and wondering, why doesn't it
come crashing down?
And is it true that
it causes the tides?
And if that's true,
then how come my cat's milk
doesn't slop out of the saucer
and spill all over the floor
when the moon's flying over?
And where did the moon
come from, anyway?
I mean, I know it's not
made of cheese or anything,
but it had to come
from somewhere.
It has to be
made of something, right?
The stars and all
the planets, too,
how did they get there?
(fading): How many of them
are there, anyway?
♪ ♪
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH
76-year-old male.
Cause of death:
internal bleeding
resulting from rupture
of preexisting
abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Physiology otherwise
un... remarkable.
(buzzing)
(whirring)
(whirring stops)
Brain: 1,230 grams.
Normal.
Are you mad?
My father's wish
is to be cremated.
And he will be.
All of him.
Dr. Einstein,
this is one
of the most astonishing objects
in the universe.
Studying it could unlock
the mystery of genius.
Now,
you are a man of science.
He was a man of science.
In the end,
doesn't his brain belong
to science, too?
CROWD:
♪ Happy birthday ♪
♪ Dear Albert ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you. ♪
Speech!
- Speech!
No, no, no, no.
Yes, well, the person
most bored to tears
by my babbling is me.
So I shall politely
refrain and thank you all
for coming.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.
I seem to have stumbled
onto the wrong gathering.
I was meant to attend a
birthday party, not a funeral.
Did you see what Halpern's wife
asked me to sign?
That? It's
from last year.
So what? It's my face
on the cover of Time magazine
in front of a mushroom cloud.
It's a wonderful
likeness.
You're the one who
actually built the damn thing.
But, still,
everybody blames me.
Albert, we have quite a
surprise in store for you.
The only gift I want
from you, Niels,
is an admission that
quantum mechanics is incomplete.
(scoffs) What fun
would that be?
Yes, well, we have to find some
other excuse for our squabbles.
But the current
situation is absurd.
Reality cannot be described by
two theories which do not agree.
Unified field theory is not
the answer though, Albert.
It will be the final
chapter in physics.
You'll see. I will
solve it before I die.
Die? No, you'll never die.
(chuckles)
No, you'll be chiding post grads
long after the sun
has burned itself out.
And besides, it's bad luck
to be so morbid
on one's own birthday.
I have been trying
to tell him that.
Birthdays cause
a man to reflect
on what little he
has accomplished.
You have achieved more
than almost anyone
in human history.
And yet, if I died tomorrow,
I'd be remembered
as the man who ushered
in the nuclear age.
Well, be happy with what
you have accomplished, Albert.
It's quite a lot.
What are you looking for?
My good name. It seems
to have gone missing.
(chuckles)
I'm forming
a council, Oppie.
The Emergency Committee
of Atomic Scientists.
Albert, you have guests.
Go enjoy yourself.
If my legacy is to be tied
to the atomic bomb,
it will be
for preventing its use.
I need you to join me.
I'm running the
Institute now.
I can't get involved
in politics.
What are you
so worried about,
the wrath of
university administrators?
I'm worried
about Hoover.
He probably knows what color
socks I'm wearing right now.
It's not safe for me.
You? Don't be ridiculous.
It's not safe
for you either, Albert.
Trust me.
Aha. There you are.
You are not
to be smoking.
Isn't this the one day
I should be allowed to smoke?
Come. Your grandchildren
want to wish you
a happy birthday.
(speaking indistinctly)
Papa.
Are you enjoying
my party, Evelyn?
Yes, Grandpa.
I'm pleased.
Bernhard has some news he'd
like to share with you...
Oh.
- Yes...
(clinking) - BOHR:
Professor Einstein.
Professor.
Please, everybody.
(clears throat)
Our young prodigy here,
David Bohm,
has helped assemble
this high-fidelity radio.
(oohing, applause)
We all thought
it was time to drag you
kicking and screaming
into the modern era.
Many of us here today
are the beneficiaries of
your generosity.
Some of us, like
Dr. Oppenheimer,
are colleagues
who sharpen our minds
coming up against yours.
Others are
former students
whom you've treated with the...
patience and selflessness
of a father.
(distorting):
But all have blossomed...
TEENAGE HANS: I told you
this was a ridiculous idea.
He isn't coming.
The weather has delayed
the trains. He may come yet.
Eduard was the one who wanted
to go traipsing
through the Alps.
And now he's terribly sick.
Would you like to trade places
with him?
Your father has wanted
a holiday with you
for quite some time.
You owe him at least that.
Why do you make excuses for him?
Because we all make excuses
for ourselves,
and we should be good enough
to make them for others.
People are complex.
So?
You're going
to tell him then?
I don't know.
Mm, it would be one thing
you both have in common.
(applause)
EINSTEIN: Thank you.
Let's have a look at this.
Come on.
We're going. - Ah.
- But Grandpa's present...
Leave it.
Oh. Huh.
Ah.
(chuckles)
A few more items
before you retire.
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
are asking
for your approval
for the script they sent.
Is it still a movie about
the making of the atomic bomb?
It is.
- Then I do not approve.
There are a number
of speaking invitations:
uh, Harvard, Cornell,
University of Chicago...
I've decided to accept only one.
Lincoln University.
Do you have an opinion
on this matter?
Of course not.
You never do.
EINSTEIN:
The sun's gravitational pull
is sufficient
to bend light itself.
And bend light it does.
That is how I
finally found proof
of the theory of
general relativity.
Most scientists
thought
I was mad.
Funny, isn't it, how
progress can provoke
such an emotional response?
Though,
of course,
this idea is not foreign
to most of you.
Many believe that young
men such as yourselves
do not deserve the same
opportunities as everyone else.
All because of the color
of your skin.
How absurd.
What do I know
of it? After all,
look at me. I'm an old
white Jew with crazy hair.
(laughter)
But I, too, have
been disparaged
for how I look.
For my heritage.
We all share the same
decent humanity.
The same curiosity.
Hopes, dreams.
The same God.
HOOVER: He consorts
with dangerous types.
Communists, Negroes, anarchists.
I have to say, sir,
I'm surprised
Einstein is the target
of an investigation.
(chuckles)
Einstein's office
is already bugged,
but I have decided
to inject new blood
into this case.
That's why you're here.
This could be a rewarding
stepping stone
for you, McKee.
You'll be on the front lines
in the next war.
War, sir?
Communism is an existential
threat to our great republic,
and Einstein is on the
side of the enemy.
Find what I need
to put this son of a bitch
in jail.
Or...
at least send him
on a one-way trip
back to Germany.
Yes, sir.
(door opens, closes)
Is it worth it, Edgar?
Going after the world's
most famous scientist?
Einstein humiliated me.
Could've lost my job.
I almost did lose my reputation.
What is it that
the scientists say, huh?
For each action
there is an equal
and opposite reaction.
Nuclear weapons
are the obstacle to world peace,
not its solution.
But they exist.
Well, I think the best way
to ensure they're never used
is to give control of them to
the scientists who made them.
Not the American military.
You think the Red Army
is going to leave
the bomb to their scientists?
Harold's right. The Soviets are mad.
Which is why
we must push for containment.
That is a fantasy.
- Exactly.
The U.S. and the Soviets
will continue to build
their nuclear stockpiles.
And perhaps they should.
What the hell are you talking about, Leo?
- Are you crazy?
Perhaps what will
ultimately save us
is two superpowers
with the ability
to completely destroy
one another.
Atomic use leads to
atomic retaliation
and that retaliation
leads to more retaliation
and we end up
at reciprocal annihilation.
Which is why
neither side will ever dare
to use even one weapon.
I cannot believe my ears.
I'm sorry, Leo, but I cannot.
That is lunacy.
Whether by accident
or idiocy or the will
of a tyrant,
these weapons will be used.
And when they are, not even
God can help us.
What is it you suggest, Albert?
A world government.
It would sit on top
of all existing nations
and, as adjudicator
in all disputes,
would make world wars
a thing of history.
No nation would give up
its sovereignty.
We are dealing with a threat
to the basic existence
of humanity.
In my own work, I find
when I'm faced
with an audacious problem,
an audacious solution
is usually the answer.
So let's put
our prodigious heads together
and see
what we can come up with.
SECRETARY:
Professor Bohm to see you?
EINSTEIN:
Of course.
David, come in.
I've just read your paper.
It's remarkable.
Well, hopefully it'll
give you some ammunition
to fire back at the
quantum contingent.
EINSTEIN: It does, and it came
at just the right moment.
I've been stalled
on unified field theory
for months.
BOHM:
So you'll recall the idea
of hidden variables from my paper.
- Ah.
If we assume both a quantum particle,
for example, (phone rings)
an electron,
and a guiding wave
that governs its motion...
(sighs) He's not at
the office, either.
HANS ALBERT:
I've been admitted
to Zurich Polytechnic.
I'll be following
in your footsteps.
This is wonderful.
This will be
an extraordinary adventure.
Engineering?
But why?
Engineering is the future, Papa.
No.
You've been sold a story.
It isn't science.
It's tinkering.
Tinkering?
Hans, trust me.
This is beneath you.
You have a gift.
You've always excelled
in science.
Target your ambitions,
and then aim higher.
Engineering is my ambition.
It isn't science, Hans.
I don't want you
to give up on science
like your mother did.
Give up?
She sacrificed herself
for all of us.
For you, most of all.
She's no martyr, Hans.
She made her own choices.
Don't squander your talents
like she did.
There are nobler pursuits
for a brain like yours.
No, you mean
a brain like yours, Papa.
I want to do
something different.
Ah. It's days like today, Helen,
that I'm reminded
that science
is primitive and childlike.
Thank God for that.
What is it?
Thank you.
I'm sorry for your loss, my boy.
My loss?
That's an interesting way
to put it.
Tell me,
what were you doing earlier?
Before I arrived.
I was working.
And yesterday
when I couldn't reach you?
I was at the office.
No, I called the office.
There was no answer.
There are moments
when I get absorbed
in what I'm doing, Hans.
You know that.
Yes, I certainly do.
But I have always
hoped that once--
just once in my life--
you'd be absorbed
with your family
instead of your work.
But we're just a burden to you.
That's not fair, Hans.
- Isn't it?
I think you're relieved
she's dead.
How could you
say such a thing?
You'll never again have to worry
about her money problems
or feel guilt
for what became of her.
I thought we had put aside
all this bitterness years ago.
That is because
you are completely oblivious
to the feelings
of those closest to you, Papa.
You're so kind
to so many people.
But you have been so cruel
to your own family.
I have accepted
a teaching position at Berkeley.
We won't have to see
each other again.
Hans, wait.
Don't leave like this.
Not today.
You treated her miserably,
and you should be ashamed.
I'm only angry with myself
for taking this long
to say that to your face.
Don't contact me, Papa.
Ever.
The neutron itself
was discovered
by Chadwick, an Englishman.
The cyclotron by Lawrence,
an American.
And the splitting of uranium
was detected by Hahn, a German.
Don't blame it all on me.
MAN:
Would it be possible for you
to go and see
President Roosevelt yourself?
But I have a cold.
And besides,
I do not know
Mr. Roosevelt very well.
I'm sure the president
knows you, sir.
EINSTEIN:
It will be more polite
if I just write him a letter.
MAN:
Thank you, sir.
EINSTEIN:
The acting was abominable.
The science, completely wrong.
And I don't really talk
like that, do I?
Well, at least they implemented
some of the changes
you proposed.
Well, to my mind,
it certainly didn't improve...
Oh.
- Professor?
(grunts)
The pain is likely due
to an aneurysm of the aorta.
Basically a small bulge
in the artery.
Is it serious?
Not if he doesn't smoke,
cuts out sweets
and avoids
strenuous activity.
That does include
sexual congress, Dr. Einstein.
I see. To live long,
I must forego
anything worth living for.
(chuckles)
EINSTEIN:
David.
Where is everybody?
They're terrified,
Albert.
Of what?
This.
It's a subpoena.
The Un-American Activities
Committee.
What could be more un-American
than an inquisition?
I'm scared, Albert.
You'll be all
right, David.
You have the First Amendment
in this country.
Stand up.
Tell the truth.
Say, "Yes, I was a communist."
It is not illegal
to have been one.
And then what?
I-I won't be able
to get a job.
I'll be ruined.
They cannot force you to speak.
MAN:
Mr. Bohm,
are you now,
or have you ever been
a member of
the Communist Party?
On the...
(camera shutter clicks)
On the advice of counsel,
I invoke my right
under the Fifth Amendment
not to answer, on the grounds
I may incriminate myself.
(excited murmurs)
Order! Order!
How could those bastards
suspend a man
for attending
a few meetings?
You know it's
out of my hands.
I'll offer to
pay his salary.
He can be my
personal assistant.
Albert...
If David Bohm sets foot
on the Institute's grounds,
he will be arrested
for trespassing.
And you and I will
soon thereafter be
polishing our résumés.
The United States
government
sees Bohm as a threat,
and no matter what
its flaws...
I still believe a man
must put his country first.
You are a coward.
- Albert.
This is a man's life.
If we sit on our hands,
they'll come after us next.
They want to intimidate
us into silence.
That way we become
easier prey.
Don't do anything
rash, Albert.
Don't worry, whatever I do
will be quite deliberate.
You think it's foolish,
I know.
Yet again,
I'm inviting controversy.
So why not say it,
just this once?
You truly are
a sphinx, Helen.
Elsa had opinions, advice.
Elsa had strategy.
I am not Elsa.
No, you certainly
are not.
The only thing
you show enthusiasm for
is keeping my pipe from me.
You haven't seen it, have you?
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT:
Hello and welcome.
I'm Eleanor Roosevelt.
On today's program,
I'll present a special segment
from renowned physicist
Albert Einstein.
EINSTEIN:
Good evening.
The arms race
between the United States
and the Soviet Union
has assumed
hysterical proportions.
On both sides,
means of mass destruction
are being perfected
with feverish haste,
and behind walls of secrecy.
And now the production
of the hydrogen bomb
will be accomplished.
If these efforts
prove successful,
annihilation
of all life on Earth
will have been
brought within the range
of what is possible.
Outside the United States
we establish military bases.
Inside the United States...
Inside the United States,
the loyalty of citizens
is carefully supervised
by a police force growing more
powerful every day.
People of independent thought
are being harassed.
The public is indoctrinated.
Get me McKee.
With one television interview
he humiliated the Bureau.
We must move on him
before he does
more damage.
I'm doing all I can, sir.
- Do more.
Search his mail,
tap his home phone,
follow his acquaintances.
You have discretion to do
whatever it takes.
McKEE: I'm just wondering
what evidence
persuaded a judge
to sign a warrant
for such an extensive operation.
We cannot wait
on the slow wheels of justice.
I'm not sure I understand, sir.
Look at Bohm.
Nobody would hire him
after his hearing
and now he's in Rio
with diarrhea and a sunburn.
(chuckles)
And you can bet your Brazil nuts
he spends every waking moment
wondering,
"Why did I stonewall
the Bureau?"
I have confidence...
you'll get the results I need,
McKee.
(car door closes, engine starts)
Until we are left
with a unique modification
to my previous
"guiding wave" proposal,
because this wave can influence
a quantum particle
without becoming...
- Albert,
we've been down this road many times.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Yes.
- This is different.
It seems that the more the rest
of physics accepts my work,
the more you resist it.
Because it's all conjecture.
Where is your proof?
Y-You sound just like one
of those stodgy members
of the establishment
who said the same thing
about general relativity...
Are you actually comparing
quantum mechanics
with relativity?
Albert, tell me,
what do you have to show
for all this time
you've spent chasing
unified field theory, huh?
Perhaps,
if you'd just let
go of your ego
for just a moment,
you could admit
that you're simply wrong.
You're as bad as those fools
in Washington,
trying to ruin anyone
who comes up against you.
You think I'm trying to ruin you?
You make me out to be
a laughingstock,
a has-been.
Anyone who doesn't
follow your decree,
is a traitor or an imbecile,
and I've had enough.
Albert, you've
lost yourself.
Yes.
Like one or your
unobserved particles.
I'm not even here.
Albert.
I think you should go.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
This is a CBS news bulletin.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
have been found
guilty of conspiracy
to commit espionage.
Under federal law,
the Rosenbergs are eligible
for the death penalty.
EINSTEIN:
A country which
prides itself
on freedom of speech
must not commit
the most barbarous act
of retribution on those
who disseminate information.
That much, Your Honor,
should be self-evident.
Is that all?
No.
I'd like
my pipe, please.
It's the one thing left in this
world that gives me pleasure.
I cannot help you with that.
As true as the moon
pulling the tides,
here we find
ourselves again.
You want to say my little
controversies are pointless,
but you will not say it.
Silence again.
Silence always.
As though it were a virtue.
It is no virtue, Helen.
Pull the page
and let me sign it.
There are controversies,
and then there is
absolute stupidity.
You do understand
I'm speaking out
against a clear wrong.
Did you not
ask my opinion?
This isn't like speaking
at a Negro college.
This is about meddling
in the affairs
of the United States government.
My own son will not speak to me.
I'm made to feel like a dinosaur
in the physics community.
I've completely stalled
on unified field theory.
And I have no idea
where my pipe is.
I'm getting old, Helen.
I'm sick.
My voice is all I have left.
♪ ♪
(Hoover chuckles)
This is precisely what we need.
Yes, sir.
But we intercepted
Einstein's letter
before it reached
the judge.
Seeing as we don't
have a warrant...
Oh, be creative, McKee.
Reseal the letter.
Have it sent to the judge.
Then pay him a visit.
"Have you received
correspondence
from Albert Einstein?" you ask.
"Whatever would give you
such an idea?" he replies.
"Confidential source,
you answer.
"But if you are a good American
"and you believe in
our institutions,
"I'm sure you'll aid the Bureau
in this quite sensitive matter
of national interest."
You want me to intimidate
a federal judge?
Who said anything
about intimidating?
There is no evidence
of a crime here, sir.
Has Einstein actually done
anything illegal?
Einstein is a fox.
And we have him
up a tree.
It's time to pull
the trigger.
I'll find someone to make noise
with that letter.
CONGRESSMAN RANKIN:
Here it is,
in his own hand, a letter
trying to influence a
federal judge on behalf of spies
and pinko subversives
who delivered our
closely-guarded atomic secrets
right up the steps
of the Kremlin.
This so-called genius,
he would replace
the stars and stripes
with a hammer and a sickle
without breaking a sweat.
Congressman Rankin,
over here, sir.
How did you come to be in
possession of the letter?
Judge Kaufman himself,
a true patriot.
Now, are there
any other questions?
HOOVER: The Washington Post,
The Chicago Tribune,
The Philadelphia Inquirer,
even this commie rag
has denounced him.
You just earned yourself
a promotion, McKee.
(clears throat)
Close the case.
My assignment was to
amass evidence
and either charge him criminally
or find grounds
to have him deported.
Have you assembled evidence
so that I may charge Einstein?
No.
Have you brought me grounds
by which I may deport him?
Not yet, sir, but...
Then you have failed.
Men like Einstein
confuse an unstable nation.
And such confusion
is as reprehensible
and is as punishable
as any other crime.
So,
I found a way to punish him.
And this is it.
Your solution is
to humiliate a man?
To silence him?
Einstein has spoken out
with impunity for years.
It was time someone
shoved a gag in that mouth.
McKee.
When you question the integrity
of the Bureau's actions,
you question the integrity
of my actions.
And such questions...
they can get a man
in a whole mess of trouble.
(door opens, then closes)
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
Let Einstein speak out,
and he'll be drowned
by the patriotic citizens
of this fine country.
It takes a man a lifetime
to build his reputation,
and yet a mere moment
to scuttle it.
That's a version
of relativity Dr. Einstein
ought to have learned
long ago.
Perhaps now Einstein
will retreat
to the laboratory,
where he belongs.
In the meantime,
all good citizens would do well
to turn a deaf ear
to his subversive screeds.
We should instead pay attention
to the patriots
who have lived all their lives
in this great country.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Uh. Huh.
HELEN: It's time
to get out of the house.
Is there somewhere
I'm meant to be?
Go to your office. You haven't
been there in months.
I haven't had
an original thought for so long,
I've forgotten
what it feels like.
If I went
to my office,
I'd only stare at the walls.
The wallpaper is
much nicer here.
Helen?
What's an eight-letter word
that means "frozen treat"?
P, something, P,
something, something,
something,
something, something.
I'm going to the market.
Dr. Einstein,
my name is Alice Edwards,
and, well,
you are the smartest man
in history, sir.
All the papers
say so, and all
that stuff you said
about the universe and whatnot.
Well, it's really important
to kids all across America.
And that's why
your brain is critical
in helping me with my
long division, which...
I have cookies.
If you could kindly
fill in the answers
here, here and here,
I'll work backwards
and get the gist.
That's kind of how I learn.
Why do your teachers
make you study mathematics?
Exactly.
What good is stupid
math anyway?
Here's a strange thing.
Almost all flowers in nature
have a certain number of petals:
either five,
eight, 13, 21,
34 or 55.
It's called
the Fibonacci Sequence.
Yikes.
And the Fibonacci Sequence,
in turn,
(door squeaks open)
is related to the Golden Mean.
Sounds like
an Agatha Christie book.
- Ha.
And who are you?
My name is Alice
Edwards, ma'am.
Dr. Einstein was kind enough to
help me with my long division.
Well, Miss Edwards,
Dr. Einstein
isn't taking visitors
at the moment,
despite his willingness
to accept bribes.
Out with you. Come.
Gee, she's a real charmer.
I wish my teachers
were more like you.
You make this stuff sound fun.
It is fun. Thank you
for reminding me of that.
You can keep this. Count them...
before next time.
(door opens and closes)
(chuckles lightly)
Where on Earth
are you going?
You told me to go to the office,
so I'm going to the office.
(door opens and closes)
Was that
Dr. Einstein?
BOHR: Rumors of an
Einstein sighting on campus
made waves very quickly.
Had to come see if it was true.
How are you, Niels?
In my own little world,
marking time.
It's good to see
you're back at work.
I'm muddling my way through
unified field theory again.
Oh.
You know, there...
there is a bit of an anomaly
i-in your work.
I beg your pardon?
That-that, uh, derivative?
It can't be third order.
(quietly):
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
Yeah. Hmm.
(mumbling)
What anomaly?
My God, you're right.
(chuckles)
I'd have gone on
fumbling my way through that
for another week if you
hadn't pointed it out.
Yes.
Ah.
How about a stroll?
Ah. (chuckles)
I read the manifesto you
and Bertrand Russell wrote.
It was very impressive.
And yet no one listens.
I fear my influence on the use
of atomic weapons is long past.
If only I could turn back
the clock to when people
actually cared about
what I had to say.
Well, time travel.
Perhaps that could be
your final triumph, Albert.
There are many moments
I'd like to relive
and many ills
I'd like to fix.
Time is a tricky thing.
You taught me that.
People have missed you here,
Albert.
Purely selfish on their part,
to be sure,
but they need you
to keep their minds sharp.
Well, I need you.
Not just to keep my
mind sharp, but...
...for this.
What are you looking for?
Uh, an equation.
Well, half-formed.
It's more of a scribble.
Maybe ten, 15 years old.
If you can give me
anything else to go on?
It must be here.
It's very important.
Niels and I have been
talking abou...
♪ ♪
You kept these?
I keep...
everything, Professor.
(door opens)
HELEN:
You have a visitor.
EINSTEIN: Oh.
Hello, Alice.
Thank you, Helen.
So I looked up
that "Finobacci" thing
in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Here's what I don't get.
The flowers, how do
they know the math?
I mean, does a flower realize
it's supposed to have
a certain number of petals?
And why the heck
does it care, anyway?
That's a very
interesting question, Alice.
Hmm. Let me
show you something.
I think I might find
an answer for that.
I'm sure it's in
this book somewhere.
What's this thing?
That was a gift...
...from my grandchildren.
It's strange.
If you hadn't noticed it, I...
might have forgotten it existed.
That's probably because
you're getting old.
Hmm.
Finished already?
He said he's not feeling well.
Asked me to come back tomorrow.
So, see you later, I guess.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
It's time.
For what?
Call him.
That door is closed.
Are you really such a fool?
I'm a realist.
I know when there's
nothing more to be done.
I see.
And yet you never gave up
on nuclear proliferation.
You did not find it
too daunting
to speak at a Negro college
when no one else would dare,
or to defend convicted spies.
You have compassion
for so many people.
You fight
for so many people.
Why is it you cannot fight
to be reconciled
with your own son?
I think I liked you better
when you kept your thoughts
to yourself.
I am certain you did.
Hans told me
that he wants nothing more
to do with me.
You care so much
about your legacy,
about how you
will be remembered
by the world,
but the world begins and ends
in your own family.
Hello, Hansie.
Hi, Grandpa.
Hello, Evelyn.
Come in. Come in.
Hi, Grandpa.
Bernard.
Come in, my boy.
HANS: You're helping
a ten-year-old girl...
with long division?
She's very bright.
You're good with other people,
with your colleagues,
the cleaning woman,
taxi drivers.
But you made me...
feel inferior.
EINSTEIN:
When I was young,
my father told me that physics
was a waste of time.
I only realized
at the end of his life
that he wasn't being cruel.
He was terrified for me.
And I forgave him for it...
...only too late.
I'm proud of you, Hans.
I hope you know that.
You're a brilliant engineer.
EVELYN:
Bernard, it's your turn, go.
And a far better father
than I ever was.
What about Eduard?
I love Eduard as I love you.
I wish I could've
spent more time
with both of you.
And Mother?
You made her feel
inconsequential, Papa.
You told me she wasted her life.
Your mother was the blood
in my veins,
but I was the thorn in her side.
She was a great scientist, Hans,
insatiably curious.
I would never have achieved
anything without her.
She was the love of my life.
BERNARD:
Stop, you're cheating!
It's not cheating. I'm winning.
(laughing):
Stop!
♪ ♪
(Einstein groans)
♪ ♪
EINSTEIN: Oh, did they
make their flight?
Yes.
Hans said he hopes
to be back in a few weeks.
I don't have a few weeks.
Look deep into nature.
Then you will understand
everything better.
Helen.
You are a blessing.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
HANS: His brain--
you want to, what,
slice it up and gaze at
it under a microscope?
What's the alternative?
Cast it into a furnace?
Before us
is your father's
last great gift to the world.
Do what you will with the brain.
But if you think you can
comprehend who my father was
or why he was so brilliant by...
looking at his brain
under a microscope,
you are sorely mistaken.
It is just a thing.
That...
that is not the man.
YOUNG EINSTEIN:
What is time?
And, for that matter...
what is space?
EINSTEIN: The goal of scientific
pursuit should not merely be
to make use
of the world around us.
It should be to understand it,
fundamentally.
No matter what use it might be.
YOUNG EINSTEIN:
From the smallest molecule
to the largest galaxy,
every question must have
a definable answer,
and, well,
I intend to find those answers.
What is it, Papa?
It's a compass, Albert.
With it, you will
never be lost.
But why does the needle move?
Something called "magnetism."
Magnetism?
What is that?
There is a field all around us.
Invisible, but very powerful.
A field? What's that?
And how can it be so powerful
if it's invisible?
And how does a magnet
know how to talk to the field?
ALICE: So, how'd you get
so smart, anyway?
I have no special talent,
but I am very, very
curious, Alice.
All I do is ask questions,
just like you do.
That's the most
important thing.
Anybody can do that.
ALICE: You know, I was looking
up at the moon last night
and wondering, why doesn't it
come crashing down?
And is it true that
it causes the tides?
And if that's true,
then how come my cat's milk
doesn't slop out of the saucer
and spill all over the floor
when the moon's flying over?
And where did the moon
come from, anyway?
I mean, I know it's not
made of cheese or anything,
but it had to come
from somewhere.
It has to be
made of something, right?
The stars and all
the planets, too,
how did they get there?
(fading): How many of them
are there, anyway?
♪ ♪
Captioned by
Media Access Group at WGBH