The Secret of Nikola Tesla (1980)
Serbo-Croation/English- Biopic
Not Rated
Runtime- 97 min.
dir- Krsto Papic
And lo, there was no end to the strangeness…
Story/Writing: 1/2
Tesla certainly led an interesting life, but it isn’t translated to the screen very well in this effort. I didn’t feel very involved in what otherwise should have been exciting events.
Acting: 1/2
Orson Welles is welcome in his part as J.P Morgan, but the rest of the cast is a little shaky.
Photography/Set: 1/2
The interior sets feel a little theatrical and pre-fabricated, but the exteriors are good. The framing is all very static and a little slow.
Sound/FX: 1.5/2
Good on-set effects, which is definitely something that you have to nail in a movie like this one. The soundtrack isn’t bad, but I think they could have ramped up the emotional content just to add some excitement.
Misc: 1/2
Not bad, just boring.
VERDICT: 5.5/10
I’m no expert about Tesla, so I would be eager to know how historically accurate the film is to real life.
