Arts & Entertainment
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's "The Current War": An Exclusive Look
The director takes us inside the making of his latest film and describes the joy of working with Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon.
It is winter 1880, and a trainload of New York magnates and influencers are on their way to the New Jersey countryside. As the train comes to a stop, a mysterious figure shrouded by darkness emerges with a glowing ember of cigar. Within seconds, Thomas Alva Edison flips a switch.
Suddenly, the swath of land is basking in the glow of row upon row of radiant bulbs— and it’s not magic! Rather, it’s a spectacular display of Edison’s latest invention — the electric light!
This dazzling scene is the introduction to “The Current War: Director’s Cut,” the latest film from Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the filmmaker best known for his 2015 multi-award-winning Sundance film, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.”
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The film chronicles the raging battle between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) over the best electrical current to light up the modern world — either Edison’s Direct Current (DC) or Westinghouse’s Alternating Current (AC). Gomez-Rejon, the Texan-born director, believes it truly transcends the boundaries of a traditional biopic. It is “The Social Network” told as an 1893 story.
“The movie, based on a script by Michael Mitnik, revolves around ethics, ego, humility and ambition,” Gomez-Rejon tells Patch. “It is about a rivalry to create a modern world.”
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The filmmaker also shared other elements that he found to be equally mesmerizing. “The very nature of success, how far a man would go to win, how far he will go to be remembered and the sense of responsibility that comes with it were all fascinating and compelling to me,” the director said.
Gomez-Rejon also explained his decision not to take a nostalgic look-back approach to the material.
“I wanted it to feel like a contemporary movie, not a stodgy period piece. That would have been the death of the film,” the director mentioned. “In as much as they were experimenting with new ideas and new gadgets in late 19th century, it’s really a movie about the future, not the past.”
Remarkably, since the original version’s premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, the film has been re-worked, re-shot and re-edited to reflect Gomez-Rejon’s strong vision with Martin Scorsese as his executive producer.
“Compared to its former incarnation, 'The Current War: Director’s Cut' is 10 minutes shorter with a faster pace and rhythm,” the director said. “We added five new scenes and a new propulsive score to the mix. I wanted a unique sound that complemented the story being told.”
Gomez-Rejon feels jubilant and thankful for Scorsese’s help. “He does so with great humility, generosity and spirit, and he never tries to direct your movie. He is like a guardian angel" to me.
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The film is the first collaboration between Gomez-Rejon, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon, and the director found both his stars a “joy” to work with.
“The way they would interpret a line or take a note and give light and action to a moment was always a complete mystery — very thrilling,” the 46-year-old director recalled. “We discovered new things together.”
“The movie is very ornate. It’s heavy, but I wanted them both to feel contemporary and find that American sound to the voices,” Gomez-Rejon added.
The director’s biggest challenge was to re-create the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in London, where the entire movie was shot.
“I really wanted it to be spectacular and feel that you were actually there experiencing the event. But we’re in a different country trying to re-create the Chicago World’s Fair,” Gomez-Rejon said. “We had to build it from scratch, and it took a lot of creativity in the production departments to make it happen.”
In the end, the director hopes audiences will be encouraged to see the movie for its modern-day relevance.
“I hope that they’re going to feel that this is not an old-fashioned period movie; but rather it’s a movie that’s about the modern world. Every time they switch on their phone or turn on the light, my hope is that they would remember the men that made it all possible, and the consequences of new ideas and technology,” Gomez-Rejon said.
“The Current War: Director’s Cut” is now in theaters everywhere.
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