Benedict Cumberpatch - currently impressing critics and fans alike for his performance as homosexual mathematics genius Alan Turing in The Imitation Game - once played the role of Stephen Hawking in the BBC television film Hawking. The recent big screen outing for the great physicist opted for fresher acting talent, with Eddie Redmayne taking on the role. A cynic might describe The Theory Of Everything as an Oscar-baiting crowd-pleaser, and it's probably fair to say that with the frequent flights into sentimentality - exaggerated by the overuse of sepia tones and soft lenses - there's an excess of romanticism in James Marsh's adaptation of Anthony McCarten's memoirs. Whether or not the emotional heavy-handedness bothers you, however, Redmayne's unfolding portrait of Hawking's ordeal with motor neuron disease is a truly exceptional performance which deserves all the awards which have been heaped upon it. Rarely does an upcoming actor arrive on the scene in this kind of Oscar-worthy style, and as things stand at the moment it's looking like he could well be brandishing the golden statue when the red carpet unrolls next year. What other great breakthrough performances have you seen in 2014? Why not let us know in the comments below?
