The Farnsworth Invention
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Farnsworth Invention is a screenplay (re-written as a stage play) by Aaron Sorkin.
Contents |
[edit] As a screenplay
On April 29, 2004, New Line Cinema put out a news release to the effect that they had acquired the drama script The Farnsworth Invention from award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin. Thomas Schlamme was to direct.
The release read in part: "The Farnsworth Invention tells the story of Philo Farnsworth, a boy genius from Rigby, Idaho who, at 22, 'invented television only to become involved in an all or nothing battle with David Sarnoff, the young president of RCA and America's first communications mogul’. Schlamme described the movie as 'a classic American tale driven by the conflict between a Mormon farmer and a Russian immigrant over the ownership of the most influential invention of the 20th Century.'"
New-Line did not formally release any information to the public on the film since the initial release, causing websites such as the Internet Movie Database to incorrectly anticipate a film in 2005. IMDB has since removed the entry.
[edit] As a stage play
Now rewritten as a stage play, "The Farnsworth Invention" is scheduled to debut at the La Jolla Playhouse February 20 - March 25, 2007 as "a page to stage production" with Stephen Lang (Gods and Generals, Gettysburg) playing Sarnoff.
[edit] Trivia
- The episode "Cliff Gardner" of Sorkin's Sports Night features William H. Macy telling a fictionalized anecdote on Farnsworth.
- Award-winning composer Andrew Lippa penned the significant (45 minutes of music) score.
[edit] Further reading
- Evan I. Schwartz (2003-05-13). The Last Lone Inventor: A Tale of Genius, Deceit & the Birth of Television. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0060935597.
