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system of generating and transmitting electricity, leading to what
became known as “the war of the currents”. At stake was the
future of industrial development in the United States and whether
Tesla’s alternating current (AC) or Edison’s direct current (DC)
would be the chosen technology.
The film will show that Edison stopped at nothing to try to
discredit his rival’s system, claiming that AC was dangerous. It
will allege that in 1890 he presided over the first public
electrocution simply so that he could highlight its dangers. The
allegation has infuriated the inventor’s family, who say that it is a
fabrication designed to blacken his name. Professor David Sloane,
Edison’s great-grandson, said: “Thomas Edison was not at that
execution and to claim otherwise is wrong”.
Robert Wheeler, one of Edison’s great-nephews, said: “Films
have an obligation to try to get things right. So often they are the
only source of information for youngsters. Edison should not be
dragged through the mud”.
Edison is credited with some of the most famous inventions of
the 19th and 20th centuries including the light bulb, the first
phonograph and the prototype for the cinema camera.
Mr. Russell’s film, however, will highlight Tesla’s own
pioneering work with missiles, radiography and satellites. It will
claim that he, not Edison, is the father of modern electricity and
that he, not Marconi, invented the radio.
The British director is no stranger to controversy. Previous
films, such as “Women in Love”, “The Devils” and “The Music
Lovers”, upset everyone from the Roman Catholic Church to the
Women’s Institute. The 74-year-old veteran, who was directed
biographies on Rudolph Valentino, Tchaikovsky and Mahler, is
adamant that the story of Tesla and Edison is based on fact. Mr.
Russell told The Sunday Telegraph: “Great claims are made on
behalf of Edison but Tesla virtually invented AC current and we
wouldn’t have lights in our homes if it wasn’t for him. He also
invented practically everything else.”
The director is convinced that Edison invented the electric
chair to discount Tesla. He said: “He began by electrocuting dogs
and cats. He used to pay boys five dollars for every dog they
brought him. That wasn’t satisfactory so he decided to electrocute
a condemned man.”
Maria Sesic, the director of the Nikola Tesla museum in

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