CHARLES DARWIN - FAMILY LIFE AND WORK
'Man in his arrogance thinks of himself as a great work worthy of the interposition of a deity.  More humble, and I believe true, to think him created from animals.'

Charles Darwin

On 12th February 1809 Robert Darwin, a physician and the son of Erasmus Darwin, a leading intellectual of 18th century England, and his wife Susannah Wedgwood, daughter of the china manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood, welcomed their son Charles Darwin into the world.  The family were well-connected and wealthy.  Susannah sadly died when Charles Darwin was eight, and he was raised by his older sisters. 
Aged sixteen, Darwin began to study for a medical career at Edinburgh University but did not complete his studies.  Instead he went on to Cambridge University where he studied divinity, and began to develop his keen interest in natural science.
In 1831 aged just twenty-two, Darwin boarded the H.M.S. Beagle in the role of a naturalist and companion to the ship's captain, Robert Fitzroy.  He read the geologist Charles Lyell's publication 'Principles of Geology', which was of great interest to him, and Lyell later became his mentor and friend.  Darwin spent five years travelling the world, including the coastline of South America, South Africa and Australia.  Five weeks were spent in the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago of volcanic islands off the coast of Ecuador, where he collected specimens and plants, and different species of mocking birds and finches.  Darwin kept copious notes during his travels and the publishing of his observations led to him becoming a notable figure in scientific circles. 
When Darwin returned to Great Britain, which he never left again, he decided it was time he married.  His first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, a gifted, religious young woman, became his wife.  He discussed his theory of transmutation with Emma against the advice of his father, given her belief of a world created by God.  Though she expressed her concerns that they may be separated in the afterlife she nonetheless accepted his proposal of marriage. 
Over the course of their marriage Charles and Emma wrote countless letters to each other on innumerable topics.  As Connelly says, "One can see from the letters they wrote to one another, that they both had a completely unselfish love, one for the other.  They loved each other immeasurably.  It was really remarkable. The letters are extraordinarily beautiful and compassionate.  Even in her early letters where she is writing about faith and her concern for him, and the early signs that perhaps his faith may be faltering, I think she completely supported him.  I think it was very difficult and very painful for both of them, and especially given what they went through with the loss of their children.  I think it made it viscerally difficult, her accepting the gradual loss of his faith, and I think it was really devastating for her."
Emma bore Charles ten children, three of which they sadly lost, as well as supporting him in his work and caring for him during bouts of illness, which were many during their forty-four year marriage.  The recurrent sickness Darwin experienced often left him in great pain and distress with stomach pains, vomiting, headaches and palpitations.  It is suggested he may have contracted a parasite of some kind during his travels, but it is known that he suffered greatly with anxiety and it is thought that this may have affected his general well-being.
It was as early as 1838 that Darwin put pen to paper, setting the foundation for the theory he would work on for over 20 years.  The discoveries he made during the Galapagos trip began to shape his ideas of the origin of species.  He read Thomas Malthus', 'An Essay on the Principal of Population', which suggested that if the human population was to continue to grow at an ever-increasing rate it would exceed the available food supply and only the fittest would survive.  Darwin recognised the same was true of nature, be it animal or plant, as his research indicated only the best adapted to survival would continue to thrive and reproduce, passing these successful characteristics on to succeeding generations.  Darwin's research indicated to him the transmutation of species of all life, including the evolution of man over millions of years from common ancestors.  This was a process he called natural selection. 
Over the years Darwin discussed his findings with other scientists, such as his botanist friend Joseph Hooker and mentor Lyell, who both remained sceptical.  Darwin decided to carry out more extensive research before he could even consider publishing his theory.  He knew it would be controversial in a society in which religion underpinned every aspect of life.  To suggest mankind was a product of nature rather than God risked not only deeply upsetting Emma and attack from the church, but loss of respect from fellow scientists and the men who taught him at Cambridge. 

'At last gleams of light have come and I'm almost convinced that species are not immutable, it is like confessing a murder.'

Charles Darwin

As Connelly says, "There are numbers of factors that impacted on the delay in his publication. Clearly he was fastidious in his observations and his desire to collect more information and knowledge.  It seems to me he was always looking and watching.  But also I think that, and certainly Randal Keynes' book implies that, the fear of what it would mean for society, and importantly for Charles the implications and ramifications for Emma and for their relationship, certainly weighed heavily on him as he contemplated publishing."
As evidence for Darwin's theory grew, so too did support from his colleagues and peers.  Amongst them were Hooker and the biologist Thomas Huxley, both of whom pushed him to publish his theory.  In the summer of 1858, Darwin received a letter from a fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace with an essay called 'The Tendencies of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type', which was along the same lines as Darwin's own theory.  Papers by both naturalists were presented to the Linnean Society of London in 1858, of which Huxley was President, but stirred up little interest at the time. 
Wallace's essay galvanised Darwin and he finally finished his book, 'On the Origin of Species - By Means of Natural Selection'.  It took him just over a year to write.  Emma loyally read and commented on it.  As Bettany says, "Their child Annie had died and he and his wife were distraught, and in some respects he was about to rob the one balm she had for that pain.  That must have been very difficult.  She was a real believer, it was the backbone of her world."

'When I am dead know how many times I have kissed and cried over this.'

Charles Darwin

On November 24th 1859, the year Darwin turned 50, the book was published at just over 500 pages.  It took Victorian readers on a journey through observations and familiar examples that they could relate to, be they pigeon fanciers or dog breeders, through to his theories of evolution by natural selection. 
For Bettany, Darwin is, "An extraordinary family man, I think he loved his wife so hugely that it was almost painful, I think he was wracked by guilt and dread, and was incredibly open as a human being. Part of his skill was listening, whether he was talking to a farmer, a pigeon fancier or a scientist.  He asked questions and listened; he didn't have a preconceived notion about the pigeon fancier, perhaps being working class as opposed to a trained and immaculately well-read scientist, because it was all information.  I think that's an extraordinary gift."
The book was radical for its time, and extremely controversial.  Darwin completely changed the Victorian way of thinking.  His theory was the antithesis of everything Victorian society believed in.  It was a time when it was commonly believed and upheld by the Church that humanity and all life on earth was created by God.  He created political debate over evolution and creationism that still exists today.  His life's work laid the foundations of modern biology, and he continues to be an inspiration to many.  The book immediately sold out and has never gone out of print.
On 19 April 1882, Charles Robert Darwin died at the age of 73 years at his family home, Down House.  Despite the fact that he did not attend church and was seen as an agnostic before he passed away, he received a state funeral with Christian rites.  In a rare occurrence for a non-royal, Darwin was buried at Westminster Abbey close to Isaac Newton.
Having brought Charles Darwin to life on the big screen, Amiel describes his feelings, "Most simply put I always respected Charles Darwin.  The more I read about him the more I came to admire him.  The more I lived with him as a dramatic creation, the more I grew to love him.  So this journey from respect to love has in a sense been the journey of this film.  It's been an act of approximation, taking a remote figure from history and gradually finding yourself drawn closer and closer until you start to imagine how they reacted in situations you may not have read about.  Sometimes that extraordinary thing happens where you imagine a scene and only later read about it in a memoir or letter and go, 'That's exactly what we'd imagined!' at which point you know you're inside the skin of that character.  I think this act of entering somebody's spirit is the most wonderful thing you can do as a filmmaker.  I feel very much that I as a director, Paul Bettany as an actor, and this film as a dramatic entity, have entered the spirit of Charles Darwin, if you like.  If you watch this film, I think you'll walk away with a vibrant, red-blooded sense of a man in all his shapes and colours."

THE FILMING LOCATIONS AND THE ANIMALS
CREATION, a film with a dazzling collage of scenes from the past and present, laced with stories of exotic animals, was filmed at a number of spectacular locations across the UK.  Principal photography commenced in Cornwall, South West England, which provided a number of key locations.  The North coast was the setting for the scenes of Darwin and his family on the beach, which were filmed on a windy day at Northcott Mouth, and further along the coast the unusual coastal landscape of Welcombe Mouth stood in for the rugged terrain of Tierra del Fuego.  The scenes aboard the H.M.S. Beagle were recreated upon tall ships at Charlestown Harbour, a working port in St Austell in South East Cornwall.
Down House in Downe village, Kent, was the real life family home of Charles Darwin and his wife Emma.  They lived there for almost all their married life and it was where they brought up their children.  The house and grounds are now part of the English Heritage portfolio of properties and open to the public.  The property has been restored in such a way that visitors can understand Darwin's family life.  It is hoped that the importance of the site, both as his home and rural laboratory, will lead to it being granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 2009. 
Down House has been revamped for Darwin's bicentennial in 2009 with a brand new exhibition, Uncovering Origins, charting the progression of Darwin's ideas and the controversy they provoked.  There are new interactive multimedia tours narrated by David Attenborough and Andrew Marr covering the family rooms and the extensive gardens.  Darwin's epic five year voyage on board the H.M.S. Beagle is vividly brought to life with a full-scale replica of his cramped cabin.
Darwin's study at Down House is where he wrote 'On the Origin of Species - By Means of Natural Selection', and the setting for many of his important discussions about his theories with his friends such as his geologist mentor Sir Charles Lyell, his great friend the botanist Joseph Hooker, and the biologist Thomas Huxley.
For CREATION production designer Laurence Dorman, the knowledge Randal Keynes imparted of Darwin's family life and work at Down House influenced the design of the film and his understanding of the man, "One of the things it did for me, aside from affecting the way we dressed the film, was showing that Darwin seems to connect to almost everything.  You suddenly see the world with a sort of Darwinian view, suddenly everything relates to his theories, and you realise how important they are. "
Early in the pre-production process, the decision was made that it would be too disruptive to film interior scenes in Down House, but one memorable day was spent filming on the infamous Sand Walk, an oval shaped path of gravel with trees planted along it that Darwin designed.
Jeremy Thomas explains why he felt it was important to film there, "I think it's a little touchstone of luck to shoot at the place where Darwin walked.  Maybe it was a romantic idea we had; we thought it would be good to shoot part of the film at Down House, especially the very important scene that we shot there with Paul Bettany, Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch.  The dialogue in that scene is crucial to the film.  And it's good that it's spoken there.  Darwin walked up and down there thinking these ideas."
It is known that this walking circuit was designed by Darwin to allow him space to spend time taking in the fresh air away from the confines of his study, a place to walk, think and observe nature.  He would count the number of circuits he walked by way of kicking a small pile of stones from one side of the path to the other.  He also spent time there with Annie.

'When going round the Sand Walk with me, although I walked fast, yet she often used to go before me pirouetting in the most elegant way, her dear face bright all the time, with the sweetest of smiles.'

Charles Darwin

Bettany recalls his day on the Sand Walk, "I'm not particularly sentimental but I was really moved by the Sand Walk.  I found it extraordinary to walk that walk, where a great deal of his thinking was done.  To shoot the scene with myself and Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch, as Darwin, Huxley and Hooker, was peculiarly exciting.  You felt a bit like a ghost for a second."
Danes House, a private property in Little Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, was transformed by Laurence Dorman and his team to replicate the interior of Down House.  The rooms, size, and layout allowed the filmmakers freedom of movement, which Down House would not have permitted with the number of cast and crew on set.  Interior scenes of the Darwin family, friends and servants were filmed inside Danes House, and the grounds were used extensively, including scenes featuring Darwin's home-made water tower and dovecote, both of which were crafted and placed within the grounds.
As Jamie Lengyel, the location manager for CREATION comments, "I think Danes House was fantastic for the production, it gave us the atmosphere of the actual Down House.  We were able to create a geography for Darwin's house which matches the real location."
Martha West, who played Annie, was particularly taken with the children's nursery that was meticulously recreated at Danes House.  She felt it helped with her character development, "It was amazing how they did it, all the old-fashioned little bits and bobs.  The things that Annie and Etty and all her brothers and sisters had.  The art department drew little pictures and wrote an alphabet, they copied everything and put them in the right places.  They even copied Annie's doll exactly, her dress and everything.  That made it easier to think that Annie lived there once."
Buckinghamshire provided the scenic locations of Burnham Beeches, the setting for the scene when Darwin takes his children to the woods to observe nature, and St John the Baptist Church in Little Missenden stood in for the Darwin family place of worship.  The picnic attended by Darwin and his family, along with Joseph Hooker, Reverend Innes and household staff, was filmed in the grounds of the ruins of Waverley Abbey, near Farnham in Surrey.
The streets of the stunning historic town of Bradford on Avon, near Bath in Wiltshire, were carefully adapted to become the Victorian spa town of Malvern.  Modern day roads were covered and street lamps removed.  Darwin visited his hydrotherapist Dr Gully in Malvern for water treatments during his bouts of illness, and it is where he took his daughter Annie when she became very sick, and is her final resting place.
Other locations include the impressive Greenwich Naval College, which was dressed for an interior scene at Buckingham Palace with the Fuegian children.  A private property on Portland Place in London provided a space to recreate the daguerreotype studio Annie and Darwin visited, and the interior of the Malvern guest house Annie where spent her last days were filmed at Hyde House in East Hyde, near Luton.  Impressive sets were built on two stages at Pinewood studios, including Darwin's study, Gully's consulting room, and the water treatment rooms.
A reduced crew flew to Thailand to film the scenes with Jenny the orangutan.  These scenes were filmed on location in the jungle and at film studios.  The orangutans featured in CREATION are legally owned and live in captivity, some being captive born and bred and others rescued.  The money from their appearances in entertainment goes back in to enrichment programme for NHPs (Non Human Primates).
All the animals featured in CREATION, both exotic and domestic, were sourced and had their welfare protected by one of the most highly regarded animal and primate consultants in the world, Rona Brown.

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