All language subtitles for The Current War (2017).eng

Boys!

I hope you brought your Checkbooks.

The air brakes pay
for George's latest obsession.

By changing the dimensions of his pipes,

George can move natural gas
over 20 miles from the well.

Shooting, like a gun.

Is that good or bad, Mrs. Westinghouse?

- How is your daughter, Gladys?
- Oh, quite well, thank you.

She's met a financier.

The beading on your dress is exquisite.

Mr. Westinghouse, I saw in The World
Mr. Edison's new electric system

is significantly cheaper than gas.

Does that keep you up at night?

There's always more to see.

Mr. and Mrs. Worthington, Mr. Manesberg,

Dr. and Mrs. Burton,
Reverend Vincent, Mr. McCoy,

Mr. Faulk, Miss Faulk, enjoy your evening.

Edison says he's months away
from lighting up the world.

It's impressive, but trust me,
it's ten years away from being practical.

The papers make it sound
as though this is something different.

A miracle.

As if you started to levitate
off the carpet.

I'd love to meet him.
Could you arrange it?

It's been several years...

A dinner.
Comfortable. Elegant. Substantive.

Edison can't be bothered to tie his shoes,
let alone attend a social event.

Perhaps you're right.
But try anyway.

Anything fascinating?

Mr. Pennoyer has found a bargain
on a Beaux Arts shack in Newport.

Mrs. Abernathy's mother has passed,
and apparently Edison believes

it may never be nighttime again.

- Are you excited to meet the President?
- Yes.

Don't say a thing
about JP. Morgan's nose.

- What's wrong with his nose?
- Nothing.

- What's wrong with his nose?
- It's huge. Huge!

It's like someone took a hammer
and slammed it into his face.

I thought you already got the money.

I only got half.

Does Morgan even know
that you're coming?

He'll invest as always. I hate this.

- Mr. Edison, you have dinner with...
- What?

Dinner with Westinghouse. On your return.

Why are barns red?

Maybe so you can
see them in the snow.

- It's 'cause red paint's cheapest.
- What happened to your shoes?

Morgan will want to know
the practicality of your system.

I have money.

Enough for two small buildings
in Manhattan?

Yes.

Oh, good.

This was intended to be my lunch.

The President has asked to see
the phonograph in person.

- I had no idea you'd be here.
- Mrs. Edison.

Mr. Morgan. These are our children.

Dot and Dash. Delightful.
I know what you're doing.

How much are you short? Just how much
of my money do you want to wash away?

Oh, as very, very much as possible.

- Who's this?
- Samuel lnsull.

Mr. Edison's personal secretary.

- Mr. Morgan, Mr. Edison.
- Which one? He's also Mr. Edison.

The President will see you now.

Now.

On top of the Crumpetty Tree
the Quangle Wangle sat,

but his face you could not see,
on account of his beaver hat.

This is the sound of your voice.

On top of the Crumpetty Tree
the Quangle Wangle sat,

but his face you could not see,

- on account of his Beaver Hat.
- Is that what I sound like?

My men tell me
you're turning down $5 million.

I'm grateful for the offer, Mr. President,

but it's the type of science you're after
that I find objectionable.

- There's always money in guns.
- The one device I shall never build

is that which takes the life
of another man.

It's barbaric.

But... take a look at this.

One square mile of Manhattan,
the First District.

- And I'm gonna light it up.
- Then you have done it.

A star in a jar. It's a warm glow.

No smell. No poison.
Thirteen hours of light per globe.

And it's cheaper than gas. Safer too.

We bury the wires using my DC current,

and those same wires
will bring you energy and heat.

I need two buildings to house
six dynamos of my own construction.

This won't even reach my house.

Morgan, let me make you so rich

that you will look back
at this moment and wonder,

"Why was I ever so disgustingly poor?"

It's all right there.
Ferry to Wall Street.

In case you missed my scribble,
that's a big old circle

around the New York Times...
Free advertising.

- One hundred fifty.
- Half a million.

I'm talking about $500,000,
you buy the next century.

Brighter, safer, yours.

Sounds rather grand to me,
Pierpont. If I had your fortune...

With respect, you don't, Mr. President.

- What is that?
- That's not very nice.

Morse code.

What did the boy say?

- What did the boy say?
- If there's nothing else,

- it's been a pleasure, Mr. President.
- What did the boy say?

Do you know what you've done?

I always receive more by saying no.

Set up the Manhattan offices
and make them look professional.

- What does that mean?
- Oh, I don't know. Carpets.

I don't know. Carpets.

And the name?

Edison Electric, of course.
Sir, why not build munitions?

Five million dollars.
It's hard to say no to...

No.

If it's Edison, it works.

If it works,
I'd strongly prefer it not kill anybody.

Right.

Thomas Edison has an unfavorable opinion
of college graduates seeking employment

because they cannot answer
his examination questions.

"Who composed ll Trovatore?"

Verdi.

"What is the speed of sound?"

Oh, a trick question.

Sound travels at
a constantly diminishing rate of speed.

But I believe the fastest rate on record
is 11,463 feet per second.

How do you know all this?

I read that this morning.

This is different.

I can feel it.

You never requested a house guest before.

Really?

Hmm.

- Eight minutes from the junction, sir.
- Hmm?

The Westinghouse dinner.

We're going home. They're tired.
I already shook enough hands today.

Evening, Frank.

George.

Pardon?

I'm not stopping.

Right.

Maybe the brakes are busted.

I doubt that.

An emergency came up in New York.

Don't let him agitate you.

This is how he is.

Before he was a wizard,
I let him live in my basement.

My wife wouldn't have him at the table
with us unless he cleaned himself.

And boy, given the ultimatum,
the man ate alone.

How does he work?

You want to know his secret?
He engineers his own reality,

and he looks for needles in haystacks.

But how does he know
there's a needle in the hay to begin with?

He doesn't. Neither do you.

But he's so determined not to be
the second person to find it,

he'll go stalk by stalk,
on a "what-do-you-know."

He could be the richest man on earth,

but he doesn't give a damn about money.

What does he give a damn about?

Mary? Talk.

- I just want to test the resistance...
- Where's my barrette?

- On top of your bureau.
- What's a bureau?

It's what's under your barrette.

Can I get you to promise on here
that you'll build me a fence?

Ground's frozen. Needs to thaw.

Look, you're missing it!

It's a baby! Still has her spots!

Tom, come see this.

Tom? Tom?

You want half a million dollars,
make me something with your name on it

that I can sell to General Sherman.

Counteroffer.
How about I don't give you what you want,

but you give me everything I want?

We are gonna be big, big, big!

- Bigger than an elephant!
- And no one stops an elephant!

Whoo!

It'll work.

Look, I've got to be honest.
This might not work.

Conventional wisdom has it, if you think
you're gonna fall flat on your face,

better not do it in front of a crowd.

Tonight, things could change.

I hope they do.

And if they do...

they'll change there...

and there.

My boys and I caught in a jar

what before now
has only flashed across the night sky.

What say we unscrew the lid
and see what happens?

You ready?

- Three, two...
- Two, one!

The man has 100,000 feet
of copper for 87 customers.

It will never be profitable.

It's a hobby for the rich.
Something to show off.

It doesn't have to be.

I'm securing patents on the Siemens dynamo
and the Gaulard-Gibbs transformer.

Transformer?
That's more like a metal suitcase.

How much did that cost?

Edison, he picked the wrong horse.

His current is like a hose
with a knot in it.

He needs to sell one generator per mile.

You want to build an AC system.
That's too powerful for motors.

Put doubt out of your mind
for one moment and tell me,

what distance
do you estimate one could get

with a single alternating dynamo?

- A few thousand.
- Yards?

- Miles.
- Mm-hmm.

And how many houses could we reach?

I suppose all of them.
What about the bulbs?

Hiram's agreed to license me his.

If you're gonna rip off Edison,
rip him off right. They glow bright gray.

I just want to do a demonstration
for Edison.

Somewhere small. Small town. Rural.

And then he'll see
alternating is possible,

and we partner... our system, his bulbs.

In my opinion, which I will admit is based
solely on physics and reality,

what you want to do is fun to talk about.

I really don't think it can be done.

- Why?
- Because he would've already done it.

My Paris office seems to think you may be
the only man on Earth to rival me.

- How would you like to work for me?
- Very much.

I'm expanding to 12 cities,
building direct-current systems...

Direct current?

Alternating current is far more efficient.

- Hickory, dickory dock...
- Higher voltage,

greater distance. Less copper conductors...

It's lethal, and it's too much power
for a motor to handle.

I'm going to start you on $100 a month

until you prove yourself worth
more or less.

- A hundred dollars?
- If you can solve five things I can't,

I'll pay you $50,000,
and then I'll have to fire you.

Mr. Tesla, welcome to Edison Electric.

We make a minor invention every ten days

and a major one every six months or so.

I have a suspicion
that though your husband's lab is but

a hundred yards from your house, it must
seem sometimes like a hundred miles.

No, a million.

I've tried to find a way to stop
his brain, but it just runs and runs.

I've heard Mr. Edison called
"the worst husband in America"

on account of him sleeping in his lab
on your wedding night.

I've heard the story myself.

Well, on our wedding night,

Tom and I left on the Albany, uh...

boat.

We spent a week in Niagara Falls.

I thought that one week of happiness
would be enough

to illuminate an entire lifetime.

He was a dashing inventor,
and I worked for him.

You know. I was a...

H was a...

uh...

Uh...

H was a...

Yes?

Um...

I'm sorry.

L-I operated the...

- Telegraph?
- Yes.

Yes. Telegraph.

Forgive me.

Does he have any hobbies?

You promised them Coney Island.

At the very least, a walk.

We'll go on three walks tomorrow,
I promise.

Here, why don't you take a picture?

Slow down!

It's neuralgia, brought on by eye strain.

A good pair of spectacles
is all that's required.

Oh, no. I'll look awful.

No, no. No, you won't. That's impossible.

Are you sure that's all?
She's been having terrible headaches.

I'll leave her a vial of laudanum
until her eyes adjust.

Thank you.

Can you...

Would you mind delaying the bill
for this visit?

Well, my son would love an autograph.

Christ, it's primitive.

How much did this cost?

- He won't tell me.
- What we need is here.

Edison '3 current
can't travel more than one mile, Frank.

It peters out.
He'll have to build so many DC motors

and bury all his copper
just to power one town.

This country will look like
a checkerboard of power plants.

But with one AC dynamo,
we can step-up the voltage

and reach as far as the eye can see.

We string the wires overhead on poles.

Less copper, more electricity.

We're 75 percent cheaper.

The only thing that matters here
is distance.

Frank, this is as much yours
as it is mine.

- I'd be proud if you'd flip the...
- I couldn't possibly.

- Oh, don't be ridiculous.
- No, it belongs to you.

- But you spent hours...
- George, it was your idea.

You were the instigator.

Shall we go for a ride?

"To the Wizard of Menlo Park."

As it seems your brakes have issues,

I would be delighted to send my car
to deliver you

to Great Barrington, Massachusetts...

"where I have successfully
transmitted current one full mile."

No!

How did he get the bulbs?

What a roaring silence
from the brightest minds of America.

- He's using Hiram's design.
- Which Hiram stole from me!

- Sue him.
- We did. The court upheld his patent.

I'm talking about Westinghouse.
Find an angle.

Take a trip to Barrington
and see for yourself.

Is anyone even slightly irked
that 15 years of work

is being filched
from right under your eyes?

Not again!

I built a system here,
and he goes shopping for patents

to cobble together something
to legally steal what is mine.

If the bulbs are a battle,
then nail him on the dynamos.

We can't.

He's not even using direct current, sir.

He's using alternating?

Mary?

Mary?

Yes, I think we should have some more tea.

Patricia?

George Westinghouse?

- Can we help you?
- I came from Thomas Edison.

He wants me to buy one generator per mile.

Your electricity would save 66 percent
on Edison's.

Well, it's a proposed saving.

And it's not "my electricity."
It's "electricity."

I think it makes much more sense
for the taxpayers of Columbus

to go with Westinghouse Electric.

I don't want to compete.
I only intend to license my system.

- He's got the better bulbs.
- Why not compete?

By now he knows.
Edison knows, I promise you.

The man doesn't care about
getting it right, just about getting it.

But he doesn't respond.

Look, Westinghouse will never
have a complete system.

- He can't even power a sewing machine.
- But I can solve that problem.

Instead of again converting the currents
to work with a commutator,

I would pass alternating current
differing in phase

through two or more energizing circuits.

You're supposed to be working on
commutators with DC dynamos.

Well, I have.

Look, I have done everything you have
asked, but you are making a mistake.

- What?
- Direct current may be fine for cities

when the buildings are close together,
but most of your country is empty spaces.

Only high voltage can span the distance.
You are not thinking long-term.

This technology is within your grasp.
I can build you an efficient motor.

Have you tried it?

No.

Look, in my head, it is nearly completed.

Men claim to have heads
full of sonnets and symphonies,

but their only problem seems to be
they can't quite write it down.

- Let me try.
- No, because I can't start again!

I got orders from Michigan.
I got a roomful of press waiting for me.

Do what you were hired to do.

So, you will not honor your word
about the remuneration?

- What are you talking about?
- Well, you said $50,000.

- Are you unhappy with my contributions?
- I'm not paying you $50,000.

That was a joke.

Coconut fibers and horn shavings,
and fishing lines

and cork and celluloid and flax

and platinum, iron, nickel, copper, steel.

We scoured the earth, years and years,

trying thousands,
10,000 different combinations.

Then George Westinghouse
saw howl did it and put on a pirate hat.

You get vultures in every venture,

but you've just got to keep them away.

- So this is just how it works?
- Map-makers include mistakes in their work

to see if anyone else is copying them.

I don't have that luxury. I can't invent
streets to lead the world down.

OthenNise we all end up in the dark.

Good, and remember, write as much
as you can about how he's infringing.

Thank you, Mr. Edison,
and thanks for this.

Did I mention that his system's lethal?

You reach out and touch

a doorknob or a rail,
and, well, you become the circuit.

Just to be clear on that point...

Well, you die.

With DC current,
you can reach out and touch anything

at any stage of the line
with your bare hands.

It's safe. It works. And it bears
the name of Edison, so it's pretty.

Our government has been trying for some
time now to get me to invent a weapon,

but I won't use this brain to invent
anything that hurts people.

For that, you can shop in Pittsburgh.

So you say
Westinghouse wants to hurt people?

No. I can't say that. But you can.

This is what he thinks of you.

Issue a statement to the papers today.
Refute his charges.

I'm not going to engage with this.

We have the better system.
That speaks loudest.

Westinghouse Electric Company
was founded at a quarter past 9:00.

Hello. I'm George Westinghouse.
Do we have an appointment?

North Dakota.

New Orleans.

Fort Worth.

Sioux City.

You want the good news or the good news?

J' Hurrah, boys, hurrah J'

We've been spending
all our time trying to nab him

on what's in the glass bubble
when we should've been looking at

is the clear opposite end of the bulb,
the corkscrew.

- I own that.
- That you do.

He's suing you.

This is a massive lawsuit.

This is Edison and Morgan.

Is there any way
that you can think of

to beat gravity other than a corkscrew?

Westinghouse designed
a stopper to get around your corkscrew.

It's only a matter of time
before they're everywhere.

To tell you the truth, I am mostly looking
fonNard to using it at the lumber mills.

Well, at the moment, we offer only light.

In time, we'll move on
to motorized tools and appliances.

When? I don't care what light costs.

My home's on gas. I'm after productivity.
I don't understand.

Edison said that electricity
can already be used in factories.

Well, his can.

I need to see this needle move.

I can't step the voltage down
without blowing the whole thing to pieces.

Come on. You must've made some progress.

It's just not ready.

Kill it. Kill it!

There has to be a solution out there.

The Nikola Tesla Electric Light Company.
How does that sound?

- When can you bring arcs to production?
- Arc lighting?

I believe we agreed to compete for
incandescents, motors and distribution.

Leave that to Edison.

I am working on advanced methods
to surpass him.

- To beat Edison? How soon?
- Only a few years.

I need a lab, engineers, supplies.

There are, of course, expenses.

Oh, where do you get the cash
for those fancy silks?

How I spend my income is my concern.

Look, Mr. Tesla, if you need cash now,
you should sell us your patents.

And what would I receive?

Stock.

And later, if you succeed,
you can sell it for a killing.

That means a fortune.

- Yes, I know what an idiom is.
- We'll take on two-thirds of the risk.

It's a good price
for the only thing you have to sell.

Congestion of the brain?
What does that even mean?

There's a... an occlusion hidden,

and it expands.

Her eyesight will likely go first,

and then her vocabulary will fall away.

I can't lose her.

Working on a raised alphabet,
I'll make her a dictionary.

She'll gradually lose her mobility.

I'll build her an elevator.

Mr. Edison,

what your wife needs...

no man can build.

What my wife needs, according to you,

is a simple pair of spectacles.

Nature will take its course.

I, uh...

I have to leave for New York tonight.

It can't be avoided.

I will attend to her
while you're away, but...

dontfingen

Ohio is going with Westinghouse.

- Columbus. Zanesville.
- Zanesville? Give it to him.

That isn't funny.

We don't know something is a pattern
till it happens again,

which I sincerely hope it does not.

Now, you tell me, what is he doing right
that you're doing wrong?

He is successfully selling machines
that will result

in the accidental deaths of human beings.

- And where are these deaths?
- Where are these deaths?

Why don't we switch now,

and then you get to shoulder
the inevitable suits of manslaughter.

I think that people aren't dying because
it's not as dangerous as you wish it were.

All right, he's beating us on costs,
but that is a temporary advantage.

You give me enough time,
I'll make ours so cheap

that only the rich will burn candles.

And until then, you bleed cities
to Westinghouse. I'm not a bank.

That is exactly what you are.

We could've had this conversation by
telephone instead of you wasting my time.

When I want to see someone, he comes.
Eye to eye. That's how it works.

No. Here's how it works.

I build miracles, and you continue to
give me as much goddamn money as I want.

Oh, what? Did I squander another town?

All right, what did I lose?

Say something.

Can [get you to promise
on here that you'll build me a fence?

Ground's frozen. Needs to thaw.

Look! You're missing it!

Say something.

Can [get you to promise
on here that you'll build me a fence?

Ground's frozen. Needs to thaw.

Look! You're missing it!

No. Now we move on
to my motor, as agreed...

Look, we don't...
We don't want any of that.

The arcs you built aren't selling anymore.

We can't compete with Edison
and Westinghouse!

Then I will take my patents
and wish you both a great misfortune.

- Your patents?
- Yes. My patents.

Can I get you anything, sir?

A time machine.

Well, if! Ever find one, I'll travel
back to this moment and give it to you.

Did you read over the proposal?

I'm not diverting what I've got left
of my resources in lighting up a fair.

It's much more than a fair, sir.
A third of this country

will get on trains to Chicago
to try and see this City of Light.

Every window, every streetlamp,
a sign that says,

"The race is over, and we won."

Why spend your final dollars
traveling this country

to show everyone your electricity
when they're all

traveling to the same place
to try to see it anyway?

Because in a year, they'll rip it down.

Only after 30 million people
have seen it, yes.

Westinghouse is placing a bid.

Nice hat. Looks expensive.

I owned this before I worked for you,
Mr. Edison.

I don't think you are working for me.
He's still using my bulbs.

His patents are in order.

Do you want my advice?

You keep saying
Westinghouse's current will kill people,

so in lieu of evidence,
why don't you provide it?

We're doing this because
when we have a complete system,

it works, and it's Edison.

Poor bastard.

Well, he was gonna be slaughtered anyway.
He's not going to feel any pain, right?

At 3,000 volts,
it'll be over before it begins.

So there's nothing to worry about?

But these are reporters, so you might
want to liven up a little bit.

Welcome to Menlo Park.

Thank you for coming out
on this cold morning.

- Good to see you again.
- Good morning.

- I'm Southwick Brown.
- A pleasure.

Now you, uh, you might all
want to stand back a little bit.

Gus is being connected to the same current

that Westinghouse uses from his generator.

But there's no word yet coined
to define death by electricity,

so I asked the men who write
the dictionaries, and I heard back

"electro-dite," "electro-cremate"
and "dyna-mort."

Butjust as Joe Guillotine
got his name on his invention,

how could we rob the rightful inventor
of death by electricity

of his due credit?

I ask you to please be respectful
as we Westinghouse this horse.

Mr. Edison, Southwick Brown,
Capital Punishment Commission.

You've read, no doubt, of the botched
hangings throughout the Northeast.

The prisoners either choke to death...

Or are violently decapitated.

The spectacle is inhumane.

But the horse... his death
was so calm, you could call it...

poetic.

The governor of New York,
upon my personal recommendation,

would like to explore a death device

which uses electricity on a human being.

It would be our honor
to award you the contract.

- If nothing else, a pleasure.
- I beg your pardon?

To kill a human being under the guise
of justice is... is cockeyed.

There's a big difference
between a horse and a person.

God humanely brings us into this world.

Why would you reject the opportunity
to be the first man

to humanely take us out of it?

William.

I killed my wife.

I'm turning the handle.

Maybe there's more to it than that.

If I'm doing it wrong,
you'll never know I was fooling around

with your phonograph or gramophone,

whatever you end up calling it.

And what is this thing really?

Today's Mary is speaking
to tomorrow's Thomas.

Or from where you sit,

today's Tom is listening
to yesterday's Mary.

I wonder what else you can do with it.

Mr. Tesla,

my son and his idiot friend tell me
you don't want to make arc lights anymore.

Is that true?

Don't look at him, look at me.
I'm your primary shareholder.

No. I already completed
the arc light project.

Completed? You covered one city:
Rahway, New Jersey.

For the love of God, think bigger.
Philadelphia.

You design arc lights to outfit cities.
That was your only job.

No. My AC motor. Okay? We agreed...

- No, I never agreed to anything.
- In this office, you said...

Uh!

Lane, could you wait outside for a moment?

I'm sorry. Don't you realize
you're being fired here?

No. Please, let me work through
what I have in my head.

I will make you the greatest provider
of electrical power in the world.

Better than Edison.

I'm-I'm so close. Just a few months.

You drop in here like you're from Neptune,

like you got a great vision of the future

- that no one understands but you.
- No, please don't touch.

But you're just an immigrant.

Head full of notions,
looking for a handout. You're not Edison.

There's only one Edison. That's why
he's in. There's millions of you.

Big ideas, but you can't see
the real force that moves things.

And it's not AC/DC, it's not currents.

It's currency.

And that's the only motor
I'm interested in.

These patents belong to
the Tesla Electric Light Company.

This is now the Union Electric
and Manufacturing Company,

and I own everything in this office.

Patents, designs, engineers, all mine.

Never going to be anything
named Tesla ever again.

You take your notions
and go back where you came from.

He's snapping up town after town.

Cats, dogs, sheep, 11 horses...
What more do people need to see?

The problem is, no one's actually dying
from alternating,

apart from your cats,
dogs, sheep and 11 horses.

- Sir, I realize I'm only your secretary...
- Just say it.

Bring the phonograph to market.
You can make your own money.

- No, it needs too many improvements.
- Make them. Sir.

- Bell is ripping you off.
- Graphophone? He just switched the name.

Direct me to a store where I can buy
yours, and I won't give him the business.

You have a real offer on the table here.

Half a million dollars.
Sir, take the money. You need it.

If Bell ripped you off with the telephone,

he'll do it again with the graphophone.

Did you just misspeak intentionally?

Do you want Chicago?

All right, I'm ready.

A dollar a ball?

So, what's your trade?

Inventor. I fix problems for idiots.

Imagine dictation
without the aid of a stenographer.

Phonographic books
that will speak to blind people.

Reproduction of music. Talking toys.

Clocks that will announce the time.

The preservation of dying languages.

Teaching of elocution.

- You hustled us.
- Yes. No.

I didn't come all this way to lose.

The final capturing of the dying words
of your loved ones.

Mary had a little lamb,
his fleece was white as snow,

and everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.

Well, it's either not possible,
or I'm not the engineer I thought I was.

And he's traveling around the country,
cooking up cats.

George, he's playing dirty. You can too.

Mm.

You know, when I was a boy, my father...

tried to whip me with a branch.

But after the first hit,
it broke into three little pieces.

And we just stood there, looking at
this shattered stick on the ground.

And then I noticed there was
a leather strap hanging on the wall,

so I pointed to it and said,

"Look. That's the better one."

And he stopped.

I can take a beating, but I have
no patience for shoddy craftsmanship.

You are gonna have a working motor
sitting next to your display in Chicago,

come hell, high water,
or the Wizard of Menlo Park.

- Good night, Frank.
- Good night.

So you admit Edison was right?

We will remember Franklin Pope...

for his fearless dedication
to moving us fonrvard.

He tried to see
what was hiding in plain sight.

Today, I am...

filled less with grief than anger,

because what happened
could've been avoided.

Hear me now
as you have never heard me before.

As I breathe...

as long as Westinghouse
stays in business...

more people will die.

My condolences.

Sounds like he was
more than just an employee.

What was his name? Franklin Popes?

Pope. Just one.

- It's a shame.
- Mm.

But I'm here to help.

Now, I know that you, uh,

you wish Edison to quiet down.

So let me combine your companies.
Let me clean up the mess.

You really think Westinghouse Electric
is worth $5 million?

The value of something is the highest
number someone else is willing to pay.

But 800 men will lose their livelihoods.

I will keep your workers.

I will not make the same promise
for your five-day work week.

Mm.

Seems like you're amenable.

Mm.

Which current will you use?

Whichever Edison selects, I suppose.

Absurdity.

You think I'm being absurd?

Yes, I do.

We're overextended, Marguerite.

There's no shame in selling.

What I was always after
was to partner with Edison...

and I have the chance to do that now.

We have no motor, so we're a train into
a mountainside anyway. It's impossible.

I thought "impossible" wasn't a word
in your vocabulary.

I am dissolving Westinghouse Electric.

The proceeds will go to preserve
our other failing enterprises,

and time itself will mend
Edison's mistakes.

You are not a captain
who changes his course with the sea.

We are not on a course!

We're drowning!

This whole thing is costing us a fortune!

- You don't care about money.
- A fortune!

I lived in your parents' house
while you went door-to-door.

Do you want people saying
you stand for everything you don't?

Using your last name as a verb?

Well, how exactly do you suggest
I correct that, dear?

I have you, and I had Frank.

That's it.

I loved the man.

This is really nothing
but a sensible business decision.

- George...
- That's all.

That's all.

Say what you will about
George Westinghouse, he sure is nice.

You've crossed into territory
for the Confederacy.

No, I, uh, I think you're mistaken.

According to my map here...

Though I mourn the loss of my colleague,
misfortune does not trump progress.

Now, it seems to me that Mr. Edison
puts his name on everything

because he's terrified of being forgotten.

IF YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED, IT'S SIMPLE:
Shoot a president.

But if you prefer to have
what I call a legacy,

you leave the world
a better place than you found it.

Thomas Alva Edison is a charlatan

who preys on the fears of the common man

because I have the better system.

And because I do have the better system,
Westinghouse Electric shall endure.

Good day.

Westinghouse has taken the lead.
He's not going away.

And while I appreciate your lights,
Mr. Edison, I'm also your customer.

If something comes to my door
and offers me something that I need

that is better than what I have now,
at a cheaper price,

why, I'd be a tool
not to invite him in for tea.

- Is this an ultimatum?
- More of a threat.

If you maintain
that fear is the best strategy,

then you'd better hurry up and try harder.

Time's up.

Man who was handsome and clever

built a box with a crank and a lever

to store his wife's voice,
though he made a poor choice,

because now she can tease him forever.

I couldn't stop it if I wanted to,

which I don't,

because I...
I think it's a remarkable gift.

Electricity will kill that man in Buffalo.

We don't know the voltage.

Too much, and he ignites.
Too little, and he's still alive.

All we need is your advice.

How much is humane?
Where to put the electrode?

And in exchange, I will promise you
something that I know you want.

I will put the Westinghouse name
right out front

as the official electricity used
to kill human beings.

I even think we can get this chair
on display at the Chicago World's Fair.

The future.

My name must never be
associated with this.

I did not provide any consultation,
and you will advertise

that Westinghouse is the best way
to take a human life.

You guarantee your assistance?

You ask a question, and I'll reply.

Burn the correspondence.

Absolutely.

Fauteuils and blue painted bergere.

I sold three sets of these
last week alone.

Oh, uh, this is your classic spindle back.

Oh, yes. And these are framed cockpen.

Quite popular.

Oh, deportment style.

Would you like four, six, eight, 12?

Just one.

Mr. Brown, the apparatus
consists of a stationary engine,

a Westinghouse alternating dynamo
capable of generating 3, 000 volts,

wood chair with headrest,
binding straps and adjustable electrodes.

Burn. TAE.

The voltmeter, ammeter
and switchboard controlling the current

should be located in the execution room
for monitoring.

Burn. TAE.

The dynamo room is communicated
by electric signals. Burn. TAE.

The most effective machines manufactured
by Westinghouse... Burn. TAE.

I authorize payment of $3, 600
for your efforts.

Burn. TAE.

The only argument which can be
urged against "Westinghousing"

on the score of cruel punishment is that

the flesh may burn
at the points of contact,

and the amount of current which can be
given without such mutilation

is not yet known.

Burn. TAE.

For someone who's trying to compete
for the World's Fair,

this death-trap business
doesn't look good.

Yeah, I know. It's just Edison
trying to smear me, as usual.

- Can you prove it?
- No.

But I was thinking maybe I could stop it.

You mean me?

You want my advice?
Don't hire me. Save your money.

But I do know a man who could determine

whether Edison has an exploitable
connection with the death chair.

No, I was thinking
we could stop him via legal means.

- You want me to put Edison on trial?
- No.

The chair itself. The Eighth Amendment.

So I'm to get an ax murderer

who readily admits he slaughtered his wife

a what... a sustainment?

This is about showing,

what kind of a man is Thomas Edison?

You just keep my name out of it.

Does your wife know
you're paying for this?

It was her idea.

What precisely makes electricity
not cruel and not inhumane?

The velocity of the current is so great

that the brain
is instantaneously paralyzed.

The subject is dead

before the nerves
can communicate any shock.

How can you know if you haven't proof?

I tested it...

on a gorilla from London Zoo.

Are you connected in any way with
any of the electric lighting companies?

No, sir.

The State calls Thomas Alva Edison.

Will you explain generally

the difference between
your continuous current

and Mr. Westinghouse's
alternating electricity?

A continuous current flows
like water through a pipe,

and alternating current flows
in both directions.

Water. That doesn't sound so dangerous.

Not until you drown.

Why don't you use
Mr. Westinghouse's current?

- I don't like it.
- You think it's dangerous.

Yes, I do.

Suppose you took this...

wicked Westinghouse current...

the one that is going to be used
on Mr. Kemmler here...

now, suppose you kept it up
for five or six minutes.

At 1,500 volts,

how long would it take
before he would feel the heat?

Well, the temperature might rise

four or five degrees above normal

and continue until he was mummified.

And this wouldn't cause considerable pain?

- It would not.
- How do you know?

Because I personally observed
such electricity

being used to execute
a thousand-pound horse.

- And did the horse feel pain?
- If he did, he didn't mention it.

Now, Mr. Edison,
there is a great degree of feeling

between you and Mr. Westinghouse.

I do not dislike Mr. Westinghouse.

There is a contest
between you two, isn't there?

That is not what this is about.

I've been asked
as a dispassionate scientist

to advise on the simple question
of whether death by electricity

is a violation of the Eighth Amendment
and is cruel and unusual.

In my expert opinion,
the only humane method of execution

is Westinghouse alternating current.

Your Honor, Mr. Edison knows
that any current over 30 amperes...

Milliamperes. If you're gonna interrupt,
do so in the proper denominations.

Oh, thank you, Your Honor.

It's my honor.

All right, that's all I need to hear.

What do you two lowlifes want, huh?

Mr. Edison. Mr. Edison.

Huh?

Now look...

I thought you were gonna leave
before I had a chance.

- Mr. Edison, can I get your autograph?
- Uh, yeah, sure, I...

William, do you mind?

I should warn you, there's one thing
that always beats justice.

Money?

Fame.

Oh, is that a New Model Army revolver?

What a lovely machine that is.

- Do you know how it works?
- You want me to show you?

Oh, I didn't mean how it fires.
I simply meant how it works.

It's quite a device.
You should have a look.

You see, they designed the cylinder
so the hammer

doesn't have to sit in an empty chamber.

So I could shoot you six times
instead of five.

Well, I suppose.

They both lied on the stand.

If you're gonna take your shot,
now is the last time to fire.

Sometimes we have to work
outside of the rules to get what's right.

It would be nice if we didn't have to.

Wouldn't it?

- This doesn't make you like him.
- Mm.

So, what will it be?

In my bad ear, it sounded extraordinary.

Father...

Hello.

The apparatus consists
of a stationary engine,

a Westinghouse alternating dynamo

capable of generating 3, 000 volts.

Wood chair with headrest,

- Where did you get that?
- I'm sending them to the paper.

Those letters are stolen.
You can't publish them.

- Why not?
- Because they're private correspondences.

Mr. Edison, if you say something
about me or my company again,

I would ask that you tell the truth.

That would be the decent thing to do.

Wouldn't it?

- Why didn't you burn the letters?
- They were from Thomas Edison.

I don't think you appreciate
that this chair is something

to be proud of and remembered for.

I don't even know
how much electricity you need to use.

- You said 1,500 volts.
- I said I think 1,500 volts.

But if all the water in his body
evaporates, then he may ignite.

- So we lower the amount.
- Then you slowly roast him to death.

Listen. You must listen to me.
What you're going to do is wrong.

Now you said that it's inevitable
and somebody else will do it.

But just because somebody else is
gonna do it doesn't mean that you have to.

The State thanks you
for your expert opinion and your help.

What?

- It's not my place to say.
- Say it.

You said you'd never build
a device that would kill anyone.

I make something impossible,
and they rip it away from me,

so I do it again and they do it again.

And again. And again.

This isn't like everything else.

This is everything else.

Our future is not gonna be paved
with bricks but with copper.

Automation, transportation, communication,
and the man that controls that current

controls that future.

But you know Westinghouse is right.

You don't actually believe
that a few accidents

rule out the viability of his current.

- You just don't want to lose.
- I have merely amplified

what no one else
was willing to take seriously.

No, what you did was run him over
with a 12-ton train.

Oh, well, he's the one
that's supposed to only make brakes,

so, who's to blame here?

Switch tonight, and you win.

His current kills people.

Only because you said it will!

Listen, I either stop complaining
about the scavengers in my garden

or build a wall so damn high that people
will never even dare to scale it.

You are the smartest man I know.

Beyond building miracles out of thin air,

I was most impressed by your principles.

You didn't invent the incandescent.
People just think you did.

Let me welcome you to the reality
of how things come into existence.

We all contribute.
That's what invention is.

The salt. The grain. The heat. The heart.

But only one man makes the bread rise.

That's the one that puts it all together

and makes it taste so damn good
that people will go out there

and hand over their hard-won dollars
to buy it.

Mr. Edison, I want you to succeed. I do.

But you have to switch tonight,
or you'll die as PT Barnum

rather than Sir Isaac Newton.

Though he may be unfamiliar to you,

his studies have demonstrated
an understanding of electrical matters

unlike anyone I have ever known,
with respect to the assembled.

Gentlemen and lady, Nikola Tesla.

Straight to our ultimate question,

yes or no-...

Can alternating currents operate a motor?

Yes.

Now anyone who builds
an alternating system

will be able to do what Edison can
for only a third of the cost.

In figure two of my polyphase system,
the armature coils

are shown in a more advanced position.

2-A illustrates the corresponding
magnetic condition...

Synchronous motor obtained
by winding a laminated ring

provided with pole projections...

The induction is of an ideal character,

being always maintained
at its maximum action.

Mr. Tesla, have you actually built
the motor to test your theories?

But they are not theories.
No, I have not built it.

But that would prove your beliefs.

But they are not beliefs,
and it is absolutely immaterial to me

whether I run the motor in my mind
or in a shop,

for I have built it already
in my imagination, and it is perfect.

- Are you serious?
- Almost always.

Hello. I'm George Westinghouse.

- George Westinghouse?
- Mm-hmm.

An engine that compresses air into a tank

which is taken via pipe
to each brake on the train,

allowing them to operate simultaneously.

Thank you.

Please.

I think this entire room
is slanted two degrees.

I sincerely appreciate you
taking the time to meet with me.

Are-Are you going somewhere?

Oh.

- This is it?
- It's Niagara Falls.

Yeah.

And ever since my school days,
I have pictured in my imagination

a big wheel spinning out lightning.

Did you know that when I first came
to this country, I worked for Mr. Edison?

- I did not.
- Tea?

Sure.

I fixed two of his DC generators
in one night,

and he called me a damn good man.

So, why did he not treat me that way?

I quit.
Tried my own company and was deceived.

Who was I? Some immigrant.

SO I TOOK THE ONLYJOB I COULD fiND:
Digging a ditch.

The men laughed at my fine clothes,
but at the end of the day, I had $2.

What was the ditch to be used for?

Edison Electric.

It felt like digging my own grave.

If Mr. Edison succeeds, he will set us
back so far, we may never recover.

The Fair must be alternating.

It must be my motor.

I have watched as the world talks
of Chicago as a symbol,

a City of Light.

All cities will have light
in your lifetime,

but harnessing the power of Niagara,
that is to see our future.

The Falls? I'm here to talk about Chicago.

Think beyond Chicago.

Energy is as fundamental
as food, as water, as air.

You can... You cannot say
that only those with money can eat

or can breathe.

Yes, the Falls will light up
the Eastern Seaboard.

Yes, there is a great fortune to be made,
and I covet a very nice walking stick

I saw on 63rd and Madison,
but Niagara is the proof

that one day we may detach power
from profit.

- That is how you truly win.
- Mm.

- How do I know you will not cheat me?
- Well, you don't.

But the fact is, Mr. Tesla,
I need your motor.

I may be able to light up the Fair,
but I still can't move a machine.

If we cannot reach an agreement today,
my company will die

right here in your hotel room.

But if it does perish, so might your dream
of harnessing power from Niagara.

So, do we have a deal?

Five thousand.

One thousand.

Yeah.

I'll give you $2.50...

per horsepower.

I'm no genius myself,
but that should be millions.

May I treat you to dinner at Delmonico's?

All right, Mr. Tesla, time to go.

- No, I will not leave your slanted room.
- He hasn't paid his bill in over a month.

Well, how much would it cost
to keep him here for the year?

I need to shed 300 men
from the gas company.

There's no way around it.

So we pay their salaries
and move them to the electricity.

We can't keep doing this.

If we win, we won't have to.

You have truth on your side.

And whatever happens, you'll know
you never did anything but play fair.

I stole the letters

linking Edison to the death chair.

I gave them to the papers to smudge him.

I know you're disappointed in me.

What am I looking at here?

An 80-foot tall tower
covered with 16,000 Edison bulbs,

topped with an eight-foot lighthouse.

That signals to the world
that we are the victors.

Otherwise,
how will people know that we won?

It's an idol.

It's a... signature.

And you'll get something that no one's
ever received from Thomas Edison before.

- Oh, yes? What's that?
- An apology.

I admit that spending has been,
well, more than anticipated,

but now, more than ever,
it's important you must push through.

Whatever Westinghouse is bidding
for the Fair, we... you must bid more.

I must.

"Must."

Who's Nikola Tesla?

What about him?

Well, he gave a talk at Columbia.

Word is, the Serb is building Westinghouse
a polyphase motor.

Light and power.
You can do both. He now may as well.

Who even knows how long it'll take them
to build a functioning model...

As of this morning,
you have ceded, I have here,

nine more cities to Westinghouse.

So, here's what's happening.

I am merging Edison Electric
with some of the other ankle-biters.

You are out.

You know why.

And I'm happy to tell you, if you require
this moment to be even more unpleasant.

You will receive stock,

and you will retain a seat on the board.

Who's gonna present? You?

- Good God, no.
- You tell me now?

I was here. I thought you deserved
to hear it face-to-face.

No, you didn't.
You just wanted to waste my time

and get me to sign autographs
for children.

- What are you going to call it then?
- That's your concern?

Edison Electric. It has to be.

Edison and electricity are synonymous,
Morgan. The bulb...

I do not attach a losing name
to a fledgling enterprise.

Now that your letters have leaked,
you've lost credibility.

- So, what is it?
- The name?

Yes, the goddamn name!

The contractjust says General Electric,
but I'll think of something.

I can be creative too.

Yeah.

Mr. lnsull.

A moment.

He said they'd keep your name attached
as long as you didn't pursue action

or speak negatively to the press
about the merger.

What did he offer you?

- Tell me.
- Vice president, but I turned it down.

- You should take it.
- Why?

Alternating current...
What's the transmission voltage?

230,000 volts.

What's the filament on a 12,000-hour lamp?

- Carbonized Japanese bamboo.
- What do I eat for breakfast?

- Pie.
- So, what's the surprise?

Of course he needs you.
You're me, but a human being.

Look around the room.

- Hmm?
- Who's missing?

Edison General Electric Company, please.

General Electric?

- Edison General Electric Company.
- Yes.

Ah!

He's 12.

Mr. Insull, these are
the committee members of...

Listen closely.
Focus on the quality of the light.

I don't care what the courts say.

Westinghouse ripped off my bulbs,

and the good news for you
is he did a terrible job.

They are outdoor bulbs,
so they have a life of about two hours.

So focus on the replacement time.

Talk about the superiority of ours,
as if there's no competition.

Use terms like "standard," "purest,"

"the most beautiful light," et cetera.

Find out what kind of men they are.
There are really only two types.

The first believe themselves to be
practical, but they're secret dreamers.

They're the ones who'll take the risks.

The second, well, they'll smile
and thank you for the show,

but they'll vote with their wallets.

Unless Westinghouse is mortgaging
everything he's worth on this bid,

Morgan has you in good stead
with the money men.

So your only real job
is to look the dreamers in the eye

and promise them magic.

Now, explain back to me everything
that you remember about a parallel

and series of electric circuits
using none of the words I just said.

Though I am young,
I am an expert in these matters,

rivaled only really by Mr. Edison himself.

Should you choose Westinghouse, then...

then yes, there is a possibility

you'll be putting in jeopardy
the lives of 28 million people.

Even if Westinghouse were to make
even the smallest of errors,

unintentional, of course,

a visiting politician, a wife,

even a seven-year-old girl
may lean against a lamppost

and be struck dead immediately.

There you have it.

Mr. Westinghouse's brand of electricity
is fatal.

Thank you, Mr. lnsull.

Just to be clear, sir,

any electrical current
over 200 milliamperes can be deadly.

Even yours?

Mr. Westinghouse,
these are the committee members.

OF GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS:

Charles Schwab, Craig Cannon,

- Mayor Cregier, of course.
- Oh, of course.

Victor Lawson of the Chicago Daily News,

and the Honorable Judge Tree.

I'm Daniel Burnham.

Respectfully, we ask that you please
keep your remarks to one hour.

That won't be necessary.

- Here you go. Sir.
- Thank you.

Hmm.

My bid.

These are all your figures?

Yes, sir. Independent estimates.

Before we, uh,
get into the messy business,

let us begin
with this most general question:

Why should we grant Westinghouse Electric
the contract for the World's Fair?

Well, I guess because
our system works significantly better,

and, uh...

because our system
is significantly cheaper.

Mr. Schwab, Mr. Higinbotham, Mr. Cannon,

Mayor Cregier, Mr. Lawson, Judge Tree,

and Mr. Burnham,

thank you very much for your time
and your consideration.

Financially, it's clear.
We just take the better bid.

- Look, Westinghouse is dangerous.
- Potentially dangerous.

You even printed it in your own paper.

Alternating will be used
to kill that man in Buffalo.

They both light up lights, right?

Westinghouse saves us some money.
Thomas Edison sells tickets.

What I wouldn't give to flip through that.

It's like a handbook
to the future, isn't it?

- We need a clear majority, gentlemen.
- Don't you have stock in GE?

That's irrelevant.

No one has ever done
what you have done for me.

The value of something
isn't what someone's willing to pay,

but the value of something
is what it contributes.

When we vote again, Burnham,
you can telephone the winner tonight.

Is it true you were born
during a lightning storm?

It is true.

All right. Tell me one thing in that book.

Look, you and Mr. Edison, you spend
all your time on either end of the system,

the dynamos and the lamps.

But what about what is in between?

- The wires?
- Mm.

Do we need them?

The problem is, despite
all the advantages of the Remington...

it doesn't fix the fact that
you just dampened the gunpowder.

What's this?

This is gonna do for the eye
what the phonograph did for the ear.

Dot?

Again.

Again!

Do you have any final words?

I believe I'm going to a better place.

Goodbye, William.

We live in a higher civilization...

from this day.

"An awful spectacle,
far worse than hanging."

'They would have done better with an ax.'

Sizzling sound. A billow of smoke

"that filled the room
with the odor of burning hair."

Well, at least it happened to a murderer.

At least
they'll never use it again to kill anyone.

Soon all these people
will have electric light,

and no one will even remember
it ever happened.

I have books so full of ideas

it would take me more than 12 lifetimes
to execute them.

So let the man have his fair
and waterfall.

Well, for what's it's worth,

I'd much rather have worked for you
than Westinghouse any day.

Why is that?

Well, I wouldn't have had as much fun,
would I?

Have you seen much of the fair?

- A Muybridge lecture, Little Egypt.
- Oh, the dancer.

- You saw her?
- No.

Well, she was... If you get the time.

Hmm.

Don't you think
a fence is a unique creation?

Your neighbor puts one up,
and suddenly one becomes two.

You also have a fence.
There's only one problem.

You see, one person
on one side of the fence designed it,

one person on one side built it,

and one person paid for it,

and yet the other person receives
a fine, free fence.

I didn't take your ideas.

Mr. Edison?

Sure.

Thank you.

- I was wondering about one thing.
- Oh, I'm sure there were many.

I was gonna invite you to dinner again,

but I suppose now
is as good a time as any.

You want to know
what was in the 13-hour bulb?

- I know how it works.
- Yeah, I know you do.

I only wondered what it felt like.

- Pardon?
- The bulb.

When you knew.

What was the feeling in that moment?

I can't tell you. I mean...

It's impossible to describe the feeling
because it was impossible.

Years of work.
Ten thousand different filaments.

When the thread went in the bulb,
as usual,

we placed our bets
and the generator sputtered to life

and the ball began to glow, we didn't
expect anything but another failure.

Then something started to happen.

See, our best filament
only lasted ten minutes,

and this fluke was rounding 20,

so people started to chatter.

And 30 minutes, 40 minutes,
an hour, two hours.

Then people started to shout.

And remember,
we hadn't got past ten minutes.

The boys were climbing up the walls,
tearing their hair out, and...

because it was impossible.

Seven hours. Eight hours. Nine.

We were silent when we hit ten.

Just sat around that glowing bubble,

drunk on our own magic,
staring at it like it...

I don't know, like it was the baby Jesus
playing Mozart.

After 13 and a half hours,
the glass cracked, and I knew it.

The world would never be the same.

I'm working on something now,
something so new that...

people will forget that my name
was ever associated with electricity.

I wonder if you know what it is yet.

You know, I think the solution is...

to divide the cost of the fence.

Or you cannot build a fence at all.

Your garden would be twice as big.

Wouldn't it, Tom?

If nothing else, a pleasure.

Enjoy the fair, George.

We build monuments to speak
to the future, to say, "We were here."

"We have lived."

A true legacy
isn't what we build up to the heavens

or carve deep into stone.

Rocks will crumble,

paper disintegrates,

Only that
which isn't in the physical realm

and reaches in both directions
can be eternal.

Our ideas.

They are what we leave behind.

And only they
are what can push us forward.