If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done.
A dramatization, in modern theatrical style, of the life and thought of the Viennese-born, Cambridge-educated philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose principal interest was the nature and limits of language. A series of sketches depict the unfolding of his life from boyhood, through the era of the first World War, to his eventual Cambridge professorship and association with Bertrand Russell and John Maynard Keynes. The emphasis in these sketches is on the exposition of the ideas of Wittgenstein, a homosexual, and an intuitive, moody, proud, and perfectionistic thinker generally regarded as a genius.
Wittgenstein (1993) is a drama, history and comedy film directed by Derek Jarman, released on March 26, 1993 with a runtime of 1h 9m. It stars Clancy Chassay, Karl Johnson, Michael Gough and Tilda Swinton. Viewers rate it 6.4 out of 10 across 91 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Wittgenstein before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Wittgenstein.
Trailer
Clip
Clancy Chassay
as Young Wittgenstein
Karl Johnson
as Ludwig Wittgenstein
Michael Gough
as Betrand Russell
Tilda Swinton
as Lady Ottoline Morrell
Kevin Collins
as Johnny
Nabil Shaban
as Martian
Sally Dexter
as Hermine Wittgenstein
Lynn Seymour
as Lydia Lopokova
Jill Balcon
as Leopoldine Wittgenstein
Gina Marsh
as Gretyl Wittgenstein
Vanya Del Borgo
as Helene Wittgenstein
Ben Scantlebury
as Hans Wittgenstein
Directed by Derek Jarman, written by Terry Eagleton, Derek Jarman and Ken Butler, produced by Tariq Ali.
Average viewer score of 6.4/10 from 91 ratings.
Told by way of some theatrical style sketches, this quite engagingly depicts not only the life of the acclaimed philosopher but it also shines an entertaining light on just what “philosophy” actually might be. I say might be because what is clear between himself (latterly Karl Johnson), Bertrand Russell (Michael Gough) and John Maynard Keynes (John Quentin) is that nothing is definite. His thrust centres around the…
Reviewed on January 5, 2026
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The main cast of Wittgenstein (1993) includes Clancy Chassay, Karl Johnson, Michael Gough, Tilda Swinton and Kevin Collins. The film was directed by Derek Jarman. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Wittgenstein was released on March 26, 1993 and runs for 1h 9m.
Wittgenstein (1993) holds an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 91 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, history and comedy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Wittgenstein trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
