The incredible true story that defined our world.
Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
The Professor and the Madman (2019) is a history, drama, mystery and thriller film directed by Farhad Safinia, released on March 7, 2019 with a runtime of 2h 4m. It stars Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer and Eddie Marsan. Viewers rate it 7.1 out of 10 across 1,310 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Professor and the Madman before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Professor and the Madman.
Trailer
Trailer
Mel Gibson
as James Murray
Sean Penn
as Dr. William Chester Minor
Natalie Dormer
as Eliza Merrett
Eddie Marsan
as Muncie
Jennifer Ehle
as Ada Murray
Jeremy Irvine
as Charles Hall
David O'Hara
as Church
Anthony Andrews
as Benjamin Jowett
Ioan Gruffudd
as Henry Bradley
Stephen Dillane
as Dr. Richard Brayne
Steve Coogan
as Frederick James Furnivall
Laurence Fox
as Philip Lyttelton Gell
Directed by Farhad Safinia, written by Farhad Safinia, Todd Komarnicki and John Boorman, produced by Gastón Pavlovich, Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey.
Average viewer score of 7.1/10 from 1,310 ratings.
In all likelihood, you will leave this film with a little more of an understanding of how the dictionary came to be, and a little more resentment for Gibson (one of the producers) for pushing this project to happen, regardless of its lacklustre subject. It's pleasant enough, but it's clear England must produce a certain number of period dramas a year and 2019 was just about to fall under the quota - thank god for…
Reviewed on November 24, 2019
I really like it. It had a story within a true Story. Which in my opinion made it a little complex and exciting. Good for young adults and up. Teenagers might not find it so compelling but that's just a short time in their life when they're looking for total entertainment and action. This is not that film but there is a great story to be told with a interesting backdrop of facts. Mel Gibson is excellent!! Be ready…
Reviewed on May 6, 2021
This is the best effort I've seen from Sean Penn since "Milk" almost twelve years ago. His portrayal of the schizophrenic William Chester Minor who, having spent almost 40 years of his life in Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, became one of the single most significant contributors to the orginal Oxford Dictionary of English is superb. He captures the flaws of this paranoid etymologist warts and all, and gels very…
Reviewed on March 28, 2022
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The Professor and the Madman (2019) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Professor and the Madman (2019) includes Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Marsan and Jennifer Ehle. The film was directed by Farhad Safinia. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Professor and the Madman was released on March 7, 2019 and runs for 2h 4m.
The Professor and the Madman (2019) holds an average rating of 7.1 out of 10 from 1,310 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy history, drama and mystery films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Professor and the Madman trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
