CINEMA : Mathematicians

Question

I know that a similar question has been asked about mathematics documentaries in general, but I would like some recommendations on films specifically about various mathematicians (male and or female).

What would be nice is if you'd recommend something about not just the famous ones but also the not so famous ones.

Note$_1$: If you happen to find a film on a transgender mathematician, well that's just great too. I'm a very progressive person with a very open brain.

Note$_2$: Throughout my life I've seen most of the mainstream films, but it'd be nice to hear from the world what things I may have missed.

Note$_3$: If you have the ability to search Nets outside of the the limitations of Google's Nets, then maybe you'll find some foreign films or something, as, for example in Switzerland.

@TyquanPesik You may want to edit the question. People might think you're asking about hermaphrodite mathematicians. — Alexander Gruber, Jun 07 '13 at 03:01
A person who allows himself to be deceived or deluded; one who is misled by false representations or notions; a victim of deception. Const. of, rarely to. — Tyquan Pesik, Jun 07 '13 at 03:05
BTW, I opened MSE with a question in mind, the first question was this one, my mind automatically started playing: You are, a cinema, I could watch you forever... - Now I forgot the question! Damn! — Red Banana, Jun 07 '13 at 03:07
I'd like to watch "Colors of Math," but I don't know that it's available in America. — Tyquan Pesik, Jun 07 '13 at 03:08
Possible duplicate: http://math.stackexchange.com/q/18843/1543 — Willie Wong, Jun 17 '13 at 14:00

score 3 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 17 '13 at 13:53

3

I enjoyed N Is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdős.

edited Jun 17 '13 at 13:53

Martin

8,942

answered Jun 07 '13 at 02:43

Alexander Gruber

28,037

Yeah, I saw that one. I liked it too. – Tyquan Pesik Jun 07 '13 at 02:59

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered May 05 '16 at 15:25

2

There is new movie called the man who knew infinity.It is about the famous number theorist Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar.

answered May 05 '16 at 15:25

Ernest Michael Nelson

145

score 2 · Answer 3 · 2013-06-07T02:58:26.493

2

A few of my favorite documentaries are:

$\bullet$ N is a Number - a Portrait of Paul Erdos

$\bullet$ Fermat's Last Theorem

$\bullet$ Taking the Long Road - the Life of Shiing-shen Chern

$\bullet$ I Want to be a Mathematician - A Conversation with Paul Halmos

edited Jun 07 '13 at 02:58

answered Jun 07 '13 at 02:43

Yeah, all of Zala Films I've seen. Anything else? – Tyquan Pesik Jun 07 '13 at 02:59
I'm looking for something rare. – Tyquan Pesik Jun 07 '13 at 03:03

score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Jan 16 '16 at 08:17

You might be interested in the Italian film "La morte di un matemático napolitano" (The death of a Neapolitan mathematician) which is about the last days of Renato Caccioppoli. This seems to fit your bill since he was a very important mathematician and lived a very eventful life but is hardly known outside of Italy. I have never managed to see the film but it is, apparently, of quite high quality. By the way, it is a feature film, not a documentary.

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered May 05 '16 at 16:16

0

The real man portrayed in A Beautiful Mind was not only an economist but a mathematician who published original discoveries in math. There is also a recent film bio of Alvin Turing. Sorry I forget the title.

answered May 05 '16 at 16:16

DanielWainfleet

59,529

CINEMA : Mathematicians

5 Answers5