"Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart."-John Nash
WARNING: I would like to emphasize right now that this movie is extremely amazing, and that if you ever plan on watching it, do not read this update, the movie will be ruined for you. COMPLETELY RUINED. You have been warned. Here is a polar bear picture to give you a chance to turn back, and for my amusement.
distraction
Now, A Beautiful Mind is of course based on a true story. It was extremely interesting for me to read the book in comparison to the movie. I learned from reading the book that there are very few things in the movie that actually happened. Yes, John Nash had Schizophrenia, married Alicia, had a son, and hung around Princeton in his later years. Here are a few things in the movie that are contrary to the true story.
In the movie, John Nash's hallucinations consisted of a roommate, his roommate's niece, and Parcher, a man from the government. Nash believed that he was working for the government to fight against the Soviets, and in the movie, all of this ends up being just in his mind.
"Conviction, it turns out, is a luxury of those on the sidelines, Mr. Nash"
The problem that I have with this, is that in real life, this wasn't a hallucination. Nash's delusions were waaay more complicated in real life and it took him decades to recover. However, Nash really worked for the government in proximity with many mathematicians in great secrecy to create strategies, and battle plans for the Cold War. In addition, Nash wasn't just searching for his one "original idea" as in the movie. He was constantly publishing breakthroughs that his teachers and mentors had been unable to accomplish, and made many acquaintances while he was still in school with men such as Albert Einstein.
"Find a truly original idea. It is the only way I will ever distinguish myself. It is the only way I will ever matter."
I could list many fact vs. fiction arguments in terms of this story, but I don't want this to turn into a research paper. I will simply say, if you like the movie, the book is amazing and you should consider reading it. The story of John Nash is tragic, incredible, and inspiring. One could argue that math is boring, so the book is probably boring. Honestly, I don't love math, yet I read through the book like it was any other novel. CHECK IT OUT.
As I am a music person, I greatly appreciate the music in this movie. It's gorgeous. Listen.
Music by James Horner
My next update will be of a musical. Perhaps Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson hmmm?
Here Be Dragons
No comments:
Post a Comment