Looking Beyond ‘Einstein’s’ Theories

Would anyone here be interested in Madonna’s views on the special theory of relativity? How about Kevin Costner’s thoughts on the nature of gravity? I don’t think so.

So why would we want to be subjected to Albert Einstein’s opinions on love, marriage and sex? The answer is: We wouldn’t, at least not two hours of it.

But in “Einstein Revealed,” which kicks off the new season of PBS’ “Nova” series tonight, the producers give us just that, and--except for the too infrequent interludes of actual science--it doesn’t work very well.

Einstein, it turns out, was probably fairly inept at life. He was apparently a bad husband, an absent father and--when he decided to fool around--a wimpy lover.

And none of this makes for very good TV, especially in the format used in “Einstein Revealed.” What drags on the production in particular are the constant cuts to actor Andrew Sachs as Einstein, spouting off to the camera about what kind of man he perceives himself to be.

Though much of Sachs’ dialogue comes from highly prized personal letters of Einstein made public only recently, it reveals the most brilliant scientist of all time as kind of a jerk. And in this portrayal, a boring one at that.

It is no accident that geniuses often are self-centered--they need to be so they can concentrate on being geniuses. And Einstein was no exception: He never saw his daughter (she was sent away to live elsewhere after being born out of wedlock), neglected his two sons (one of whom died in a mental hospital) and left his first wife for his cousin Elsa, whom he later married.

For all his reflection on these indiscretions, Sachs’ Einstein seems in the end rather clueless about his role as a family man. Commenting on the banishment of his young daughter, he says, “This marked a turning point for me. A man like me. . . . It’s important what I think, not feel.”

“Einstein Revealed” shines, however, when it focuses on Einstein the physicist. Thankfully, more of the second hour deals with the evolution of his greatest achievements: his theories (special and general) of relativity, his revelations about gravity and even his unfinished search for a unified theory of physics.

Had the production stuck to Einstein the scientist/thinker, it might have been less “Waterworld” and more “My Brilliant Career.”

* “Einstein Revealed” airs on “Nova” at 8 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28.