FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Flash Of Genius [DVD] [2008]

Flash Of Genius [DVD] [2008]
enlarge	Director: Marc Abraham Actors: Lauren Graham, Bill Smitrovich, Dermot Mulroney, Alan Alda, Greg Kinnear Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£17.99~~ Buy New: £5.47 as of 24/11/2009 10:04 GMT details You Save: £12.52 (70%) New (6) from £5.47 Seller: selectcheaper Rating: 3 reviews Sales Rank: 7178 Format: PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 114 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5055201807649 ASIN: B002BC9Y20 Theatrical Release Date: 2008 Release Date: July 20, 2009 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Flash of Genius July 25, 2009 RD 5 out of 5 found this review helpful A tale based on the true story of the man who invented the intermittent windscreen wiper. The car companies were spending thousands trying to develop the intermittent wiper when Bob Kearns, an ordinary man, decided to tackle the mystery himself when the problem vexed him while driving in the rain one day. Needless to say he figured out how to do it and took the idea to Ford who sadly went on to swindle the idea from him. br / br /Majority of the movie deals with his fight to claim what was rightfully his by taking on one of the biggest companies in America in the courts. Such acts don't come without a price of course and we see what was a strong loving household slowly fall apart under the pressure. br / br /The acting is excellent and the movie is beautifully filmed. Highly recommended. br / br / A story that deserves to be told November 7, 2009 OEJ (England) 7 out of 8 found this review helpful The first time I heard what this film was about - the man who invented the intermittent windscreen wiper - I laughed out loud, my first assumption being that it must be a comedy or satire of sorts. But it's a very serious story as it turns out, and one that personally I found very interesting. I wanted to catch every word. br / br /It's one of those legal David vs Goliath tales, or in this case Bob vs Ford Motor Company, and apart from a few minor details it's all true. Dr Robert Kearns created a piece of technology that we take for granted these days, but back in the 1960s it was unheard of and when brought to market gave cars fitted with it a leading sales edge. It was worth a lot of money, in other words. Kearns patented his product and later presented it to Ford - which is when the problems started. A loving family man with six children, he became so obsessed and stubborn over the course of the 12-year span of this film that his family was driven down to near breaking point. He was relentlessly faithful to matters of principle and justice, and while everyone around him - including his very patient and supportive wife - tried to persuade him to move on with his life, to invent more great things and perhaps above all keep his family united and happy, the audience never wants him to give in. And of course, if he had ever done that, the film would have ended right there and then - there wouldn't have been a story to tell. But there was, and still is, a worthwhile story to be told even if it might be representative of countless other inventors who have lacked the business or legal skills to protect what they created. There is reference to the inventor of FM Radio who committed suicide after his idea was stolen from him by RCA. There must surely be hundreds if not thousands of inventors out there, or the descendants of inventors, who will see this film and root for Kearns every step of the way, urging him never to back down, never to accept the out-of-court settlements that always left out mention of his legal and rightful entitlement to an invention. To men like Kearns, it was never about money, not for one second. It was about justice, dignity and simply doing what was right and what he believed in. I for one share that view, and having been in a very vaguely similar situation myself, I could feel what he was going through - the stress, the depression and the paranoia. Hats off to Greg Kinnear for committing himself heart and soul into the portrayal, and to the director Marc Abraham whose first directing role this was, for making this theoretically rather uninteresting story so moving and so engrossing. br / br /Audio options (on the DVD I have) included 'English 5.1 Dolby Digital' and 'English 2.0 Dolby Digital' - nothing else. Subtitle options on my DVD were English only. Extras included about half-a-dozen deleted scenes lasting a total of under four minutes but none that I thought should have been included, but much more interesting was a full re-run of the film with the dialogue muted slightly while the director talks his way through. It's worth seeing again because there's quite a lot of interesting information about the Kearns family and how the film was made; it's a modest education in film-making. I watched that in full. br / br /Not a Hollywood blockbuster by any means, but one of the most enjoyable films I have seen this year, worth seeing more than once and absolutely full value to buy or rent. Five stars for me. Flash of Genius October 18, 2009 Mr. M. J. Woodley (Devon) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful br /Great family film from start to finish. One man's struggle for justice. Beautifully filmed and acted. Get the hankie's out. Terrific!

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