The Secret of Nikola Tesla

The film spans the 1880s United States during the electrical revolution, highlighting the rise of alternating current. In 1943, Tesla appears in a hotel room, reflecting on how events might have unfolded if Morgan had listened. The juxtaposition shows a life lived across two eras of intense scientific and industrial change.

Locations include New York's laboratories, Wardenclyffe on Long Island, and the Niagara Falls area where a key power project is celebrated. The narrative also depicts Tesla's European travels, reflecting his global ambitions. These settings anchor the story in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

⚡ Innovation vs Power

Tesla’s pursuit of wireless power sits at the heart of the film, pitting scientific ambition against entrenched corporate interests. Edison and Morgan represent the conventional power structure that resists a change in the status quo. The narrative shows how a breakthrough idea can become a corporate battleground, with profits and control shaping its fate. The emotional cost to the inventor underscores the gap between genius and recognition.

🕰️ Memory & Legacy

Flashbacks to family, childhood, and loss anchor Tesla’s drive to invent. The film uses memory as a counterpoint to public demonstrations, showing how personal history informs scientific ambition. It suggests that legacy is as much about memory and meaning as it is about patents or power.

🏛️ Rivalry & Betrayal

AC vs DC becomes more than a technical debate; it is a struggle over control of the future. Marconi’s patent claims, Edison’s public demonstrations, and Morgan’s financial maneuvers frame invention as a battleground for profit. The film portrays how trust between creators and financiers can fray as ambitions collide. The result is a cautionary tale about the cost of turning groundbreaking science into commodities.