Netflix's docudrama Einstein and the Bomb has become the fourth most-watched English film on the platform, drawing viewers with its harrowing true story of Albert Einstein's flight from Nazi Germany.
A Story of Flight and Hiding
Released in 2024, the film transports viewers back to 1932, the year Einstein fled Nazi Germany. It draws upon Einstein's own words from speeches, letters, and interviews to chart his extraordinary work and his escape from the Nazi regime.
The film sheds light on the often-forgotten period the scientist spent lying low in Norfolk, England, sheltering in a modest wooden cabin in the hope he wouldn't be tracked down by assassins. Many of these scenes are inspired by Stuart McLaren's non-fiction book Saving Einstein: When Norfolk Hid a Genius, which chronicles the real-life individuals who assisted Einstein during his time in hiding at the Roughton camp.
Critical and Viewer Reception
The film has high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. One in-depth critique reads: "This movie is quite interesting and in fact, I learned a lot of new things for me. I found out that Einstein actually played on fiddle, that he has never liked interviews, that such a popular and influential person was hiding in the village in Big Britain, in some small house and etc."
The critique adds: "The film is really informative and you can learn a lot about his biography and the years when he was hiding from the scary and insane murder Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler."
Cast and Comparisons to Oppenheimer
The film features Aidan McArdle as Einstein, with Andrew Havill as Commander Locker-Lampson, Rachel Barry as Margery Howard, and Helena Westerman as Barbara Goodhall. One fan drew comparisons to the 2023 blockbuster Oppenheimer, claiming this film was "clearly meant to piggyback on the success of Oppenheimer."
Another review says: "This new docudrama on Netflix is a good complement to the movie, and in a trim 1h15m, dives into more detail about Einstein and his place in the firmament of history with regard to the invention of the atomic bomb. Of course, it's not going to paint the entire picture in a short time, but does add some good colour about Einstein's conflicted conscience on what he helped unleash, however small his role may have been."
Einstein and the Bomb is available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
