Il segreto di Nikola Tesla

I was suprised they had made a Tesla movie. The beginning is interesting because it is like a documentary of what different people think of Tesla now. Then the movie starts and it is pretty good. It drags a bit though. The actor who plays Tesla does well. I don't recommend it to people who don't know anything about Tesla, but I think people that know about Tesla and his work will like this

If you're unfamiliar with the story of Nikola Tesla, get familiar with it now. In a nutshell, he was one of the rare inventors (actually the only one that comes to mind) who was dedicated foremost to benefitting life on Earth. While other inventors were after glory, gains and economic interests, Telsa simply wanted to improve the planet. In that respect, his ideas for clean, free power came long before our dwindling resources and global warming made it a selfish need of ours. Tesla was a true altruist.

This film tries to give us the gist of his life. The film takes a melancholy, ponderous approach which will doubtlessly bore many people. There are cryptic, wordless scenes of Tesla observing nature: sunsets, rivers, and of course lightning storms. This is a subtle way of showing how Tesla derived his inspiration from natural elements. However, in using this subtle approach, the director sacrifices momentum of plot.

Almost secondary is the action. The bitter rivalry from Edison (who, yes, was a sociopathic nut case who did indeed electrocute dogs and cats in public as this movie alludes) as well as the phenomenal accomplishments of Tesla (lighting the World's Fair and building the AC power station at Niagra Falls) are glossed over in light of Tesla's dreamy reveries. And Tesla's grandest scheme, a "free power Earth", was so ambiguously presented that we, the audience, come away feeling slightly unfulfilled.

Of course, that was the director's intent. We, the humans of planet Earth, are left unfulfilled, because obviously we're not hopping around the globe in free Telsa machines the way he had hoped. We don't even know 1/100th of what we could have possibly had, if history had taken a different turn.

This movie is to be approached very philosophically and artistically. If you're looking for a factual biopic, you might want to start elsewhere. But whatever you do, learn about Tesla any way you can. On the lighter side, check out Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee & Cigarettes" featuring a bunch of short comedy skits with famous actors & musicians (Bill Murray, Iggy Pop, Cate Blanchett, Steve Buscemi, etc) which revolve around Tesla's idea that the world is an acoustical resonator. For a quick laugh, see one of the skits on youtube starting The White Stripes, called "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil".

The movie's English title, "The Secret of Nikola Tesla" alludes to goofy claims made by Tesla in his declining years. In his 80s, Telsa made claims that scientists now doubt were valid. For example, Tesla claimed to have solved the unified field theory of gravity, but never published it. Other claims, like a death ray that could bring down enemy airplanes hundreds of miles away, gave Tesla the reputation of being a mad scientist.

But Tesla should not be remembered for the eccentricities of his later years. As a young man, Tesla was indeed an amazing genius of electricity and magnetism who was eventually honored on the cover of Time Magazine. He designed in his brain a thing that every person reading these words has used every day of their lives, the electric AC motor. (Until this, alternating current couldn't run a motor!) Before the year 1900, he had invented the first radio transmitter, invented the spark plug, designed a radio controlled torpedo, created several kinds of fluorescent tube lights, designed generators for Edison, and created images of the bones of his hand prior to Röntgen's discovery of x-rays.

I would encourage readers to see this movie about a very unique scientist. Particularly since every other comment here ignores the movie to make partisan political claims. Apparently this is why Yugoslavia was plunged in a bloody civil war.

The Movie's English title "The Secret of Nikola Tesla" is misleading, but the amazing accomplishments of Tesla himself make this movie worth seeing.

I have to say I don't agree with those who think the movie drags. I enjoyed it very much. There were a few points that were sort of background information that may or may not have fit in and perhaps could have been better supported and explained within the movie if they did fit. I don't want to say anything too specific to avoid spoilers.

I think this was a good movie and would recommend it. I think the actors involved all did a very good job and I do not agree that it was a bad script. Sure, there is always room for improvement especially with older movies and perhaps to the viewpoint of someone who is from a different country than where a movie was created. I am very impressed with the overall presentation of this movie.

Tesla also applied his resonance engines in bizarre forms of physical therapy. He created machines that flooded the human body with electrical currents and strong vibrations, intended to soothe aches and promote healing. And Tesla wasn't just the inventor of the "electrotherapeutic" device -- he was also a client. He reportedly became somewhat addicted to administering the treatment to himself, insisting that a session with the machine rejuvenated him on his long stretches of work without food or sleep. Tesla once let his friend Samuel Clemens try out the healing machine. The author is said to have enjoyed the experience tremendously -- until the vibrations brought him a case of spontaneous diarrhea. Tesla marketed this invention, and the Tesla Electrotherapeutic Company was one of the few commercial enterprises of his old age that was marginally successful.