Wittgenstein

Released Sep 17, 1993

1h 11m

Biography

List

86%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Derek Jarman's portrait of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, focusing on his theories and repressed homosexuality.

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Audience Member

He was a philosopher and therefore doomed to failure, so you have to appreciate a biopic that manages to thread its way through the complexities without leaving you with a huge question mark. Wit will get you through times without clarity better than clarity will get you through times with no wit. The color palette is wonderful, and the kid…Wow!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

If you have found out about this film, you definitely need to watch it. Experimental, innovative & very conceptual film malking.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

True to the rest of Jarman's work, Wittgenstein opts for an ultra-minimal, soundstage-based production and is filled with his signature period idiosyncrasies. There are times when it feels as if he's emulating the style of a children's program, which is appropriate given the fact that this is much more ridiculous, lighthearted, and funnier than his usually austere looks into the lives of gay historical figures and social outcasts. Thankfully, this also gives him an opportunity to play dress-up with Tilda Swinton, these visual and narrative points of lightness supplementing the philosophical musings of its subject. The fact that he chose to document Wittgenstein's life specifically is admirable as his work is known to be generally impenetrable, but he approaches his ideas through some clever physical representations of the abstract concepts that work pretty well, and though it all amounts to minor Jarman, it's still absolutely enjoyable for fans of his work.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

Another post-modern thing by Derek Jarman. This one got a plot line at least.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

good biopic. a bit strange. it does a decent job at introducing his unique life and even attempts, fairly well I'd say, to introduce his ideas. it does deviate from his life at times but it still works. also, it could easily be adopted for the stage and may have been written as a theater piece.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

A bit of reading about the man is probably helpful before viewing. Wittgenstein seems to me like a film perhaps it's rather pretentious, perhaps it's a little harsh, also lighthearted and quite entertaining. The film demonstrates a talent for creating an outrageous atmosphere in a restrained setting. Read Wittgenstein, read about Wittgenstein.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Derek Jarman

Director

Karl Johnson

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Michael Gough

Bertrand Russell

Tilda Swinton

Lady Ottoline Morrell

John Quentin

Maynard Keynes

Kevin Collins

Johnny

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

B.L. Panther

The Spool

Jarman uses a black box set to make time and place irrelevant while foregrounding the true stars of the film - the human mind and Sandy Powell's brilliantly eccentric costume design.

Jun 9, 2021

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Johnson tore into his role like a hungry barnyard dog into a carcass.

Rated: A

Mar 10, 2012

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Andrew L. Urban

Urban Cinefile

One of Britain's most famous avant garde filmmakers, Derek Jarman, constructs a biopic of Viennese philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein with a bravura display of visual imagery

Aug 23, 2008

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Michael Szymanski

International Press Academy

Rated: 4/5

Oct 7, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 4, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Derek Jarman's portrait of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, focusing on his theories and repressed homosexuality.

Director: Derek Jarman
Producer: Takashi Asai, Ben Gibson
Screenwriter: Ken Butler, Terry Eagleton, Derek Jarman
Distributor: Zeitgeist, Kino Video, Cinemagi
Production Co: Bandung Productions, Channel Four Films, BFI Production, Uplink Co.
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 1993, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 17, 2020
Runtime: 1h 11m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby