Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America'
A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer.

By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
Published: 4:53PM BST 11 Sep 2009

Creation, starring Paul Bettany, details Darwin's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote On The Origin of Species. It depicts him as a man who loses faith in God following the death of his beloved 10-year-old daughter, Annie.

Creation: Review, background and the facts
The film was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has its British premiere on Sunday. It has been sold in almost every territory around the world, from Australia to Scandinavia.


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Science and religion: squabbling but loving cousinsHowever, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.

Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.

The film has sparked fierce debate on US Christian websites, with a typical comment dismissing evolution as "a silly theory with a serious lack of evidence to support it despite over a century of trying".

Jeremy Thomas, the Oscar-winning producer of Creation, said he was astonished that such attitudes exist 150 years after On The Origin of Species was published.

"That's what we're up against. In 2009. It's amazing," he said.

"The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up.

"It is unbelievable to us that this is still a really hot potato in America. There's still a great belief that He made the world in six days. It's quite difficult for we in the UK to imagine religion in America. We live in a country which is no longer so religious. But in the US, outside of New York and LA, religion rules.

"Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn't saying 'kill all religion', he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people."

Creation was developed by BBC Films and the UK Film Council, and stars Bettany's real-life wife Jennifer Connelly as Darwin's deeply religious wife, Emma. It is based on the book, Annie's Box, by Darwin's great-great-grandson, Randal Keynes, and portrays the naturalist as a family man tormented by the death in 1851 of Annie, his favourite child. She is played in the film by 10-year-old newcomer Martha West, the daughter of The Wire star Dominic West.

Early reviews have raved about the film. The Hollywood Reporter said: "It would be a great shame if those with religious convictions spurned the film out of hand as they will find it even-handed and wise."

Mr Thomas, whose previous films include The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, said he hoped the reviews would help to secure a distributor. In the UK, special screenings have been set up for Christian groups.

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Though I grew up a Catholic with all the sunday school bible classes etc. It wasn't until I was 27 that I learned about Evolution. I remember being a bit ticked off that I knew nothing about it. And it wasn't until I did learn about it that things started to make some sense to me. I can't believe I am about to turn 60 and this movie won't be shown in the united states?

I am floored. Have we gone back in time for real or what? Tell me it's not true.

That is sad. Why are people so divided over this still?

You have two conflicting theories, both of which raise serious unanswered questions, competing for dominance in a society of finger pointers with a "might makes right" attitude.

I think, and this is only my opinion, we would not need to be ruled by a God if evolution were accepted. I think the church would find that pretty frightening to loose that kind of power and influence over us. After all the church has a great deal of power over what we think and believe and how we live and have for quite some time. I could go one but I am exhausted.

It truly frightens me that something like evolution that has been taught for decades, and now this movie would not be shown here. What happened in the last 30 years while I was busy supporting myself that we have stepped backwards?

Having been brought up with christianity, and having studied the history of religion, before I even knew about evolution, i'd say that christianity leaves far more questions than evolution. Though I am aware of the ego trip between the two camps, evolution doesn't require blind faith as we are always learning about how the world works. yet religion requires us to ignore and to accept with out question in most cases.. ack too tired now, must sleep.

Personally, I could see God saying "you know, I don't want to have to tinker with every single little atom in every living thing. Lets let them evolve and see what happens."

I've always viewed God as the fun Dad who is always working on something in the garage, and somehow defying the odds by getting it to work.

Evolution threatens the religious, especially the fundamentalists segments. It is ridiculous that in a country noted for free speech that this situation exists.

Perhaps I am biased, but I believe all of our money still says in god we trust and our pledge says one nation under God. Yet, we still welcome all religions here and we have plenty of information and entertainment about evolution(especially in the schools, where it is pretty much passed as absolute fact). There have been movies made mocking religion and faith as well (Anyone heard of Bill Mahers film? I dont think it had that big of a market or made that much money), which brings up the question. Is it possible the distributors arent interested because ... Maybe the major film distributors dont feel the movie would draw the audience or the profit to make it worthwhile. After all, I dont see major motion pictures about Black men romancing white women,,,or about female basketball teams...I dont think it reflect any great wave of rejection, just the taste americans have to be entertained for their ridiculously overpriced movie dollar.I dont think a movie about sociology or science would draw a distributor either, topics we are bombarded with in school just dont draw that much of a crowd at the cinemas.

hows it feel to know that your grand parents were a couple of rocks slammed together ..I perfer to think that those rocks were in gods hands . and I'm sorry you don't . And as far as we are concerned the only people that are trying to keep you folks from seeing any thing are the people who can't read . the bible and all the other religions tell you you have freedom of choice to be what you wanta be . but you well be judged in the end .

Ah well you could have a point about the distributers, but I might be more apt to believe they had some help with the decision, from the religious right that has gained quite a bit of power over the past 30 years, while I was still thinking we had started to think for our selves. I wanted to see Moyers film but didn't get the chance. we have movies about evolution, you mean the old classics? or newer ones. I'd love to see them. You still could be right, the climate right now might be bad for this film, but that is a pretty sad statement, when millions would like to see it. this movie isn't like the things shown in school, it's a movie about the guys life, probably boring for kids but not adults.

Sorry I don't share that rather crass view of my grand parents. If you believe in a god that create all, then you just insulted his rocks..lmao

I prefer to be the guide to my own fate, not someone or something I can not see or hear. I believe that would be considered free will in your religion.

Nor do I wish to be guided by biblical stories written hundreds of years after the fact. Sorry that is my preference, just as yours is yours.

With all this coverage over the movie, studios would be stupid to not pick it up now.

evolution does not dispute nor refute religion. I doubt the reason this film hasn't found distribution is religious related. Bill Maher's film made it as well as Expelled which deal with related subject matter. This film is probably boring or can't hold an audience.

I never said it did, though i have never seen religion discussed in the documentaries I have seen on evolution. Well it might be boring for those who wouldn't be interested in the subject, but millions of us would, so I hope the reason isn't the fundies. I would like to see it.

How's it feel to know that you're going to run into serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in heaven? He was 'saved' and baptised a few weeks before he was murdered in prison. Or that you _won't_ be running into Albert Einstein there?

-Kerry O.

I don't get the evolution creation argument

I don't get that they are mutually exclusive

I grew up in a small West Texas town dominated by Baptists. We weren't even allowed to have school dances (like footloose)

but we studied Darwin in school and covered the "survivial of the fittest" and "natural selection" and all that.

we studied the moths in England during the Industrial Revolution that were white and over a fifty year period turned black to match the coal coated buildings so they could hide from birds and then when England cleaned up its air quallity they turned white again.

The people who are so against teaching evolution aren't doing it from a religious point of view. They are doing it from a weirdo point of view

Actually I would only disagree with one thing, and that is the religious connection. They used to more open about wanting evolution teaching out, that didn't work so they tried to introduce creationism in. It's amazing what has been going on with the religious right in the past 30 years that the average person never even payed attention to, not even the average christian, I know I didn't until the 90's.