Review of The Secret of Nikola Tesla (1980) by Ava W — 08 Jan 2013

I was interested in Tesla and that's what put this movie in my Netflix queue. Then I sat up when I noticed Strother Martin and Orson Welles in the opening credits. The movie is choppy, it is not brilliant, no attempt is made to elucidate at all the scientific issues between Tesla and Edison, besides the very human issue of Edison's fear and jealousy of Tesla.

With all those caveats, the acting is wonderful. The actor playing Tesla captures the oddity and prescience of the man without making him seem psychotic, and the eternal issues of pride and greed are underscored very well, and then of course you get two masters, Martin and Welles.

I enjoyed it and I'm glad I saw it.