The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

2021
PG-13
1h 51m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

21K

YOUR RATING

Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever. Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the "electrical" mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy).

Play trailer2:34

7 Videos

99+ Photos

Period Drama Tragedy Biography Drama History

English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

21K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins & 7 nominations

Videos7

Clip 1:55

First Look Clip

Clip 1:41

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain: Prism

Clip 1:00

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain: Mr. Cat Man

Clip 1:55

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain: Emily Painting (UK)

Clip 1:55

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain: Emily Painting

Photos104

+ 97

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The sound of a Theremin can be heard prominently in the soundtrack. Although rarely used these days due to its association with old horror and science fiction films of the 1950s, in the 1920s, the Theremin was considered a revolutionary and new musical instrument and representative of the dawn of the age of electricity. This is in keeping with Louis Wain's view of electricity being the future of life.

Goofs
It is not true to say, as the film claims, that before Louis Wain cats were not kept as pets in Britain. Many famous people were open about having cats as pets throughout the 19th century and before. Notably Edward Lear, Emily Brontë, Horace Walpole, Florence Nightingale, Robert Southey and Queen Victoria to name but a few.

Quotes
Louis Wain: You make the world beautiful and warm and kind. I just wanted to say thank you for that before it's too late.
Emily Richardson-Wain: I don't make the world beautiful, Louis. The world is beautiful, and you've helped me to see that, too. Just remember - however hard things get, however much you feel like you're struggling, the world is full of beauty. And it's up to you to capture it, Louis. To look and to share it with as many people as you can. You are a prism through which that beam of life refracts.

Connections
Featured in The Graham Norton Show: New Year's Eve Show (2021)

User reviews189

Review

Featured review

7/10

Louis was a kind heart in a cruel world

I have to give this film credit as it does get many things "right" about Mr. Wain's life, which is rare in modern "true" films, but not everything, and maybe not the "most" important part of the film.

Wain wasn't "crazy", today many experts agree he was likely autistic in a world that didn't "understand" autism. Look it up, please.

He was thought to be psychotic late in life, but his creativity didn't diminish in those later years, it flourished. Historically speaking, psychiatric patients who are diagnosed with serious mental illness generally "lose" their artistic talents. Wain never did.

What "is" true from the film is that Wain dearly loved his wife, as portrayed, and he changed the way the world looked at cats, and I'm grateful he did.