Thread by @bhgross144

So I'm still processing my thoughts about The #CurrentWar.

My immediate reaction upon leaving the theater: This film is custom-made for a crossover between @SocHistTech and History at the Movies (#HATM).

(@HerbertHistory-If this comes to pass, let me know!)

#histSTM (1/17)

https://twitter.com/bhgross144/status/1193279288813993984

A few additional thoughts: The movie makes it very clear that the #CurrentWar was between Edison & Westinghouse.

Yes, Tesla is there too (more on him in a moment), but the system-builders (cf. Hughes) are front and center.

(2/17)

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Mary Stillwell Edison and Marguerite Erskine Walker Westinghouse featured prominently in the film. The latter is actually referred to as George's wife & business partner.

(3/17)

Yet while Mary Edison's death (135 year-old #SpoilerAlert?) was a major plot point, somehow Tom's second wife, Mina Miller (seen below) doesn't show up at all.

Remember-Mary died in 1884. Tom & Mina wed just two years later, squarely within the movie's timeframe!

(4/17)

Of course, the women in this movie exist primarily to support their husbands as they pursue their visions of American electrification.

Tuppence Middleton has some poignant scenes as Mary Edison, but Katherine Waterston's Marguerite Westinghouse has few chances to shine.

(5/17)

"But what about #Tesla?" I can hear one extremely vocal segment of the Internet yelling.

Let me put it this way: The movie introduces several key figures w/splash text. (e.g. "Thomas Edison-Inventor")

Tesla is presented, not as a scientist or inventor, but a "futurist."

(6/17)

To be clear, Tesla was undoubtedly a visionary! But framing Edison as an inventor & Tesla as a futurist (not an inventor, electrical engineer, etc) says more about popular 21st c. attitudes towards each man.

(Thankfully, no one claimed Tesla was "overlooked by history.")

(7/17)

Also, although Nicholas Hoult certainly looks the part of a young #Tesla, as anticipated 3 years ago (!), I still prefer #DavidBowie's more worldweary portrayal in #ThePrestige.

https://twitter.com/bhgross144/status/784029576171102209

(8/17)

There's a lot more worthy of discussion in The #CurrentWar (e.g. Edison's speech to Insull about the nature of invention; J.P. Morgan's involvement during the AC-DC fight, etc.), but let's wrap up this thread w/the most surprising cameo in the whole movie-Lewis Latimer!

(9/17)

For those who might be unfamiliar, Latimer was the son of runaway slaves who enlisted in the Union Navy during the Civil War. He later worked as a draftsman before entering the electrical industry.

More on Latimer's life via @IEEEHistory ethw.org/Lewis_Latimer

(10/17)

Throughout the 1880s, Latimer made several important improvements to the incandescent light bulb, including a new process for manufacturing filaments outlined in this 1882 patent.

@edisonpapers has details re: Latimer's technical career: edison.rutgers.edu/latimer/invtli…

(11/17)

In 1885, the Edison Electric Light Company hired Latimer to serve as an engineer, draftsman, and expert witness in patent disputes.

Latimer also wrote an early book on incandescent lighting, which sadly @LindaHall_org doesn't seem to have in its collections...yet.

(12/17)

Despite his many technical achievements, I didn't expect Latimer to show up in The #CurrentWar.

Yet during one scene in Menlo Park, Edison chats w/a familiar looking African-American employee. He isn't named onscreen, but the credits & IMDB imply it's Latimer.

(13/17)

On its own this appearance would be interesting enough, but the film takes things a step further. During their conversation, Latimer suggests that if Edison is having trouble persuading people to stick w/his system, he should seek out evidence that AC is dangerous.

(14/17)

Edison accepts this advice, and his search for proof leads to several animal deaths & the creation of the electric chair.

(Note: So far as I'm aware, Latimer wasn't involved in debates over the safety of AC, which made his role here seem really problematic!)

(15/17)

I would be tempted to ignore the whole thing, but the movie spends a lot of time jumping between scenes William Kemmler's electrocution & the opening of the Columbian Exposition. (So what if the 2 events were separated by 3 years?)

(16/17)

So would I recommend The #CurrentWar? Maybe. It's quite watchable and Cumberbatch & Shannon deliver strong performances as Edison & Westinghouse.

It is, however, a deeply problematic film, providing at best a superficial & at worse inaccurate view of the AC-DC debates.

(17/17)