Galileo (1975) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1975 · 145 mins · English

Directed by

Joseph Losey

Starring

John Gielgud, Colin Blakely, Michael Lonsdale, Patrick Magee, Edward Fox, Judy Parfitt

After a pupil challenges him, astronomer Galileo adopts the telescope and proves Earth is not the universe’s centre. In a society ruled by aristocracy and clergy, still reeling from plague and the Reformation, his findings threaten order. Facing the Inquisition’s death threat or recantation by the Papacy, he must choose between his life and the curiosity that drove him to abandon family, friends and wealth.