The Physician Movie Break Down

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The film takes the age old approach of having the main character thrown into a setting in which he is largely ignorant, and thus, the film is able to naturally explain things both to the character and indirectly to the viewer. The main character, Rob, occupied a rather unique position; that of a Christian pretending to be a Jew. Through this disguise, Rob is able to enter the world of the Muslim controlled Middle-East. The strong friendships he forms there, between his Jewish and Muslim peers, portrayed a strong message of unity between the three main monotheistic religions. Another fascinating aspect was the films backdrop of Seljuk expansion throughout the Middle-East, nearly a century before the breakout of the First Crusade; thus, the films offers the less explored setting of the pre-Crusades Middle-East, and all the dynamics that accompany it. Lastly, the sub-plot concerning the Shah, while somewhat disjointed, was a nice addition nonetheless. The Shah struggled between his tyrannical upbringing and desire for glory, and his religious and scientific tolerance; he was both a tyrant and an enlightened ruler.

Throughout the film, both in England and Persia, the theme of scientific and religious tolerance is ever present. In the beginning of the film, when Rob fetches the Barber to save his mother, the priest that was giving his mother her last rites warned the Barber that there was no cure besides the grace of God, and that anything else would be considered witchcraft. Later, when the Barber and an older Rob visit some unnamed English town, they are accused of witchcraft while performing their routine performance to attract potential customers. The dark tones of the later scene, comprising of wide shots in hues of blue capturing the fickle mob and the cackling voices of the ignorant peasants, suggests that Western Europe was a backwards place where even the most rudimentary science was seen as unholy and feared. The film proceeds to cast Persia in a better light, where science is nurtured, and Muslims and Jews live together peacefully. However, this notion is dispelled by the end of the film. The city-state of Isfahan, under the Shah, was indeed tolerant to both science and religion. However, the Seljuk Turks, who come to control Isfahan by the film’s end, viewed science and other religions, namely the Jews, as undesirable and dangerous, not unlike England. Thus, the movie ultimately presents neither the East or West as superior, rather, that scientific and religious tolerance lived, and perhaps continues to live, in symbiosis.

One of the films best aspects has to be the extremely strong acting, particularly from Tom Payne (Robert Cole) and Ben Kingsley (Ibn Sina). Once the two united towards the middle of the film, every scene together was an absolute treat. The film also had quite a few interesting subplots running throughout, including the love story between Rob and Rebecca, the impending threat of Seljuk invasion through the aid of an insurrection from within the city, and, of course, the story of an enlightened Shah who yearned for fame and glory, even by means of a warrior’s death. However, the film ended too abruptly, and left many plot-centric questions unanswered, such as: Why did Ibn Sina, a person of great quality and determination to heal as many people as possible, commit suicide? How was Rob able to open up a hospital in England, after we are clearly shown how strongly the church felt against science? While the film ended on a strong note, something just felt missing, which resulted in a less-than-perfect viewing. Nonetheless, for the somewhat historically unique setting, strong acting, and inspired stories, it is hard not to recommend.