The Luzhin Defence (2000)

This is a disastrous interpretation of a fine novel which is saved from total catastrophe by a blindingly brilliant performance from the wonderful Emily Watson. She brings life and coherence to her character in a motion picture that is poorly directed and badly scripted, with acting from fellow cast members that leaves much to be desired. While this piece is far beneath the talents of Ms. Watson, she gives her usual all-out effort despite what must have been clear to her at the time. A film that darkens the screen with its lifelessness and confused story line is aflame whenever Emily Watson is in a scene and even the plot makes some sense. It is an astounding feat and only an actor of her acclaim could pull it off with such seeming effortlessness and aplomb. She has managed to do this in other films but never with so little to work with and with such disengaged fellow actors. It is as if everyone gave up and she was left to carry the burden of this cinematic wreck alone. That she does so in such a completely satisfying way, with such incredible skill and subtle power, is nothing less than astonishing and a wonder to witness. List this as one more cinema triumph for Emily Watson and rest assured that her performance is worth the effort you will make to sit through this awful movie and seeing her work her usual magic is very, very rewarding.

This is a pretty mediocre treatment of Nabokov's book, a favorite of mine. It reminds me of "A Beautiful Mind" in the sense that it is more about the personal life of a genius than his doings, and it sometimes feels mundane for that reason.As Turati and Luzhin were portrayed, it recalls greatly Capablanca and Alekhine, respectively, and their encounters. Alekhine the unstable but brilliant, the only world champion to die with the title, and Capa the smooth talker in a trench coat, rock solid.For all the film's shortcomings, the puzzle of the adjourned position, which doesn't occur in the book, was a really nice composition.

The good news is that the movie is beautifully filmed, the settings and period clothing are luscious, Emily Watson gave us a solid performance, as did Geraldine James as her screen mother. Sadly, that's about it. John Turturro gave us yet another wild eyed outing. It's beginning to look like that's all he can do. The villainous mentor is clichéd and we never learned the reason for his rancor. Indeed, the premise of the love story, that is the genius fool snagging the lovely poised heiress, is trite and implausible. The wedding day sequence also made no sense. Play chess on your way to the church? How could that ploy even be advanced? Although some reviewers found the ending to be a release, I thought it was another hackneyed device. If you want to see a film about chess, I suggest "Searching for Bobby Fischer", for a love story about people in disparate circumstances try "Chasing Amy". If "The Luzhin Defence" is neither, then what is it?

This movie is frustrating because the director can't decide what type of movie to make. Should it be a love story? This approach won't work because there is little development of the relationship between hero and heroine; the hero's character is so shallow that it's hard to imagine any lady falling in love with him. Should it be a period piece? The director doesn't take advantage of the natural beauty of the northern Italian lake district. One would have hoped that at least one of the hotels would be recognizable, or that through the mist one would see some Cyrillic characters on the presumably Russian railway carriages. And where does one find a rail station without people except the principal actors? Should the movie appeal to chess enthusiasts? There is insufficient detail to appeal to them. Perhaps the movie is intended to showcase Emily Watson's beauty? Or perhaps to tell the story of the hero's obsession with chess? Rating: 4 out of 10.