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Even though the ending is ambiguous, it still has the feeling that you know how the story ends. Characters caught in a web of intrigue and unable to control their destiny. Fine acting all around, giving the sense of intrigue and irony deep roots.
Excellent, very good movie. I liked a lot this film. It is not only for chess fans, can be enjoyed for other people. The movie is well done and reflects the pressure of comunist government over their players.
I had never heard of this film but took a chance on it due to the steller cast. I wasn't sure I'd be interested in a chess match, but I was quickly engaged in it and my attention didn't wander untill the very interesting and satisfying ending.
The main action is the grand champion chess match held in Geneva in 1983, during the Cold War. The contenders are the reigning grand master, a Soviet citizen, played movingly by Michel Piccoli and his upstart challenger, a defector from the Soviet Union, brilliantly played by Alexandre Arbatz. It's a match between two individuals who are caught in the greater political contest of the USSR and the free west.
Behind the scenes there are the dramas of each individual. Fromm, the young defector, is obviously disturbed by the condition of his wife, whom he has apparently left behind, and has become a pawn (no pun intended) in the USSR's revenge against him. This humanizes the somewhat flamboyant Fromm who has appeared cold and arrogant before we understand this situation. His wife is movingly portrayed by Liv Ullman.
Liebskind, the elder player, has his own personal battle, that of his health. His heart is not good but he is determined to do whatever he can to win the match. Leslie Caron doesn't have a lot of lines as his devoted wife but she adds a lot by her graceful quiet presence.
The film is unpretentious but very well done and is well worth watching.
Chess has always had a prodigious power of attraction over the great public, (has captivated even the mind of poets). In a nutshell, is an epic of egos and a silent combat in the arena of the board.
This excellent film masterfully narrates the match between veteran chess master (Liebskind, played by one of my iconic actors ever: Michael Piccoli) and the fiery contender (Pavius Fromm).
Of course, you will find a remarkable resemblance between the 1969 in Island, the historic match played by challenger Bobby Fischer and the champion by then, Boris Spassky.
The plot describes not only the ardent dispute in each of the games, but what lies behind stage, the personal drama of a challenger exiled Soviet Union and the teacher Liebskind, representative of the ancient regime.
The rest of the film runs for you. Don't let to acquire this memorable title in order to provide your collection a major added value.
PD. Michael Piccoli's performance is -in my view- one of the top ten male performances of the decade.
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2006
The only reason I like this movie a lot is b/c I love chess. If I didn't, then I would have been thoroughly bored. If you want to know about the movie, just read the synopsis at the top of this page! A 2.5 warrants a..."I'm making a big mistake on renting this, but heh, I'm desperate" type of scenario. If you are a chess fan, you will notice that at one point in the movie, Fromm (the chess challenger) finds a great line to play against the champion while he is analyzing chess positions in the swimming pool. The only problem is if you look closely, he actually has the board sideways, meaning he has the dark square in the bottom-right corner rather than the white making all his "great lines" not so great!
a taut cold war test of wills centered around a world championship chess match between an apolitical soviet grand master and his mentally unbalanced onetime student who has now defected to the west. as fascinating as a movie about chess can be.
Un film à voir quand on aime les échecs et qu'on se souvient des matchs entre Kortchnoï et Karpov, la fin reste belle sans être mièvre ... La réalistion possède quelques finesses, et les parties d'échecs sont crédibles, bien que les héros gagnent plus avec les noirs qu'avec les blancs ...
L'histoire par elle même, ne donne pas un gentil et un méchant mais deux joueurs qui veulent gagner, en bref ce n'est pas un film de propagande mais vraiment un film sur des joueurs d'échecs ... Qui parle aussi de politique ... Un film d'action cérébrale ? Peut-être ?
Je n'aime pas Piccoli, mais vous ne jouerez plus jamais aux échecs de la façon, vous ne regarderez pas l'heure pendant ce film qui génial, c'est un chef-d'oeuvre.
