Prague-Shot Einstein Drama Premieres Worldwide Tonight

Genius, an hour-long cable drama that charts the life of Albert Einstein throughout the first half of the 20th century, will have its worldwide premiere tonight throughout locations where the National Geographic Channel is broadcast. That includes the Czech Republic, where the first episode of the ten-part series will air at 21:00.

The series was shot in Prague and throughout the Czech Republic in 2016, with locations that included Liberec, Loket, Jablonec nad Nisou, Karlov, and Hýskov.

The Czech locations fill in for various locales throughout Europe, but also account for some of the actuals places the famed scientist lived and travelled.

Einstein famously resided in Prague for a number of years in the early 1900s, where he taught at the newly-formed Institute of Theoretical Physics at the Prague German University. Prague’s Klementinum, now operated by Charles University, is among the locations where the professor would lecture. 

The physicist, then in his early 30s, lived with his wife Mileva and young children in a Smíchov apartment that was built for the family. Prague’s still-standing Café Louvre counts Einstein as one of it’s then-frequent patrons.

Genius is the National Geographic Channel’s first foray into crafting an original drama series, and comes with some significant pedigree.

Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush (Shine, The King’s Speech) stars as Einstein in his later years, with Johnny Flynn (The Clouds of Sils Maria) cast as the scientist in his 30s.

The ensemble also features Emily Watson, Nicholas Rowe, and Samantha Colley. Czech actress Klára Issová portrays Nobel Prize-winning physicist Marie Curie.

The series, adapted from Walter Isaacson’s book Einstein: His Life and Universe, is produced by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind), who also directs tonight’s premiere episode.

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Jason Pirodsky

Jason Pirodsky has been writing about the Prague film scene and reviewing films in print and online media since 2005. A member of the Online Film Critics Society, you can also catch his musings on life in Prague at expats.cz and tips on mindfulness sourced from ancient principles at MaArtial.com.

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