It’s back! Available on the net for about $13, one of my favorite movies of all time, the “Race for the Double Helix”. It originally started off as a Brit made-for-TV movie entitled “Life Story”.

It is a cinematic treatment of Watson’s book about the discovery of the structure of DNA in the ’50s, and the only film I know that has successfully captured the genuine spirit and joy of scientific discovery, and how it is often muddled by academic politics, professional rivalries, naked careerism, common human pride and pettiness, stupidity and sheer luck; all set against the background of a dreary and squalid post-war Britain.

The exclusive film rights were purchased by a company which learned how it was being shown by teachers to their students as an educational resource, and they started marketing to that captive audience at outrageous prices. Shame on them. This film deserves the widest possible circulation, and “intellectual property” is an oxymoron.

It is now available at MovieTradeHouse.com. The video and sound quality is poor, (it looks like a bootleg, and very well may be one) but fortunately, the usual Brit acting and storytelling skills still shine through. Jim Watson is brilliantly portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, and the all-Brit supporting cast is excellent as well.

If you really want to understand how science works, at the emotional and social level, this is what you want to see. Highly recommended.