Errol Morris is a weird guy. I mean that in the best way possible. When he decided to adapt Stephen Hawking’s mega-bestseller, he didn't just make a science flick. He made a portrait of a mind. Most people hear the title and think of the book that sat unread on a million coffee tables in the late eighties. But the A Brief History of Time movie is something else entirely. It’s a 1991 documentary that somehow manages to bridge the gap between the cold, hard physics of black holes and the very warm, very messy reality of being a human being who can’t move his own limbs.
It’s honest. It’s strange.
If you go into this expecting a 90-minute lecture on quantum mechanics, you’re going to be disappointed. Or maybe pleasantly surprised? Morris chose to focus on Hawking’s life, his family, and his colleagues, using the science as a sort of rhythmic backdrop. It’s Philip Glass music and slow-motion shots of clocks. It’s basically a fever dream about the universe.
Why the A Brief History of Time movie isn't what you think
Most documentaries about scientists are boring. They have that "Voice of God" narrator telling you why this person matters. Morris doesn't do that. He built a massive circular set—a stylized version of Hawking’s world—and interviewed everyone there. You’ve got his mother, Isobel Hawking, who is frankly a scene-stealer. She talks about Stephen as a boy, and you realize the "genius" was just a kid who was a bit of a slow starter.
The A Brief History of Time movie doesn't follow a linear path. It’s a collage.
One minute you’re learning about the "no-boundary proposal" and the next, you’re hearing about how Stephen’s father wanted him to go into medicine because there was no money in mathematics. It captures that specific British middle-class academic vibe of the mid-20th century perfectly. You feel the dampness of the houses and the scratchiness of the wool sweaters.
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The Philip Glass Factor
You can't talk about this film without talking about the score. Philip Glass is the king of repetition. His music makes the ticking of a clock feel like the most dramatic thing in the world. In the A Brief History of Time movie, the music creates a sense of momentum. It feels like the universe is expanding right in your living room.
Some people find it hypnotic. Others find it annoying.
But it serves a purpose: it mirrors the way Hawking thought. Patterns. Loops. Infinite returns. When the film discusses the "arrow of time," the music feels like it's trying to push you backward and forward simultaneously. It's a vibe, honestly.
The Drama Behind the Scenes
Making a movie about a man who communicates through a computer in 1991 was a technical nightmare. Hawking’s voice—that iconic, robotic American accent—is a character in itself. Morris had to figure out how to make a stationary man the lead of a cinematic experience.
The solution? Style. Lots of it.
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- The set wasn't a real house. It was a soundstage in England.
- The windows in the background aren't real; they're giant photographs.
- Even the "pet" in the movie was a deliberate choice to add a layer of domestic surrealism.
There’s this famous story about the production where Hawking’s mother reportedly told Morris he was "making a film about a genius, not a saint." That’s the core of why this works. It’s not hagiography. It’s a look at a guy who was occasionally stubborn, incredibly competitive, and obsessed with things most of us can't even visualize.
Science vs. Storytelling
The biggest misconception about the A Brief History of Time movie is that it's a replacement for reading the book. It really isn't. The book is dense. It’s about the Big Bang and the nature of time. The movie is about the idea of the Big Bang. It uses visuals to explain things that equations usually handle.
Think about the "gambling" aspect of Hawking’s career. He famously made bets with other physicists, like Kip Thorne, about whether black holes actually existed or if information was lost in them. The film captures that competitive spirit. These aren't just monks in a temple of knowledge; they’re people who want to be right. They want to win.
Where to Find It and How to Watch
Finding the A Brief History of Time movie used to be a pain. For years, it was stuck in licensing limbo. Thankfully, The Criterion Collection rescued it. If you’re going to watch it, that’s the version you want. The transfer is crisp, and you get all the nerd-level extras.
It’s short. Barely 80 minutes.
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You can watch it on a Tuesday night and still have time to spiral into an existential crisis before bed. It holds up surprisingly well for a film that’s over thirty years old. The science has evolved, sure—we have actual photos of black holes now, thanks to the Event Horizon Telescope—but the human element is timeless.
What the Movie Gets Right (and Wrong)
Science moves fast. Hawking himself changed his mind on several theories after the film was released. If you're looking for the absolute latest word on Hawking radiation, you should probably look at a paper from 2024. But as a historical document? It's gold.
- The Human Element: It nails the relationship between Hawking’s physical decline and his mental ascension.
- The Visuals: It avoids the "CGI space porn" that defines modern documentaries. It feels more like art.
- The Tone: It manages to be funny. Hawking had a wicked sense of humor, and Morris lets that shine.
Essential Next Steps for the Curious
If you’ve just finished watching the A Brief History of Time movie or you’re planning a weekend screening, don’t just stop at the credits. The film is a gateway. To get the most out of it, you should lean into the rabbit hole.
First, go find the 1991 companion book. No, not the original A Brief History of Time, but the "Reader’s Companion" to the film. It contains the full transcripts of the interviews Morris did. A lot of the best stuff—the really granular details about Hawking’s childhood and his disagreements with his peers—didn't make the final cut. It’s a treasure trove for anyone who likes the "human" side of science history.
Next, compare it to The Theory of Everything. That’s the 2014 biopic with Eddie Redmayne. It’s a very different beast. While the 1991 documentary is about the mind, the 2014 movie is a Hollywood romance. Watching them back-to-back is a wild experience. You see how the same life can be interpreted as a surrealist documentary or a sweeping Oscar-bait drama.
Finally, check out Errol Morris’s other work like The Thin Blue Line. Seeing how he handles a murder mystery will help you understand why he shot a physics documentary the way he did. He’s obsessed with the "truth" and how difficult it is to actually pin it down. Whether he’s talking to a death row inmate or the world’s most famous physicist, his goal is the same: to figure out what’s going on inside their head.
Get the Criterion Blu-ray, turn off your phone, and let the Philip Glass music wash over you. It’s the closest thing to time travel we’ve got.