Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

Regisseur:

Steven Zaillian

Drehbuchautoren (WGA):

Fred Waitzkin (book)
Steven Zaillian (screenplay)

Premierendatum:

11. August 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Werbezeile:

Every journey begins with a single move.

Plot:

A prepubescent chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Plot Keywords:

Chess | Child Prodigy | Ethics | Father Son Relationship | Powerful

Filmpreise:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

The thinking man's "Rocky".

Besetzung

Max Pomeranc	...	Josh Waitzkin
Joe Mantegna	...	Fred Waitzkin
Joan Allen	...	Bonnie Waitzkin
Ben Kingsley	...	Bruce Pandolfini
Laurence Fishburne	...	Vinnie
Michael Nirenberg	...	Jonathan Poe
Robert Stephens	...	Poe's Teacher
David Paymer	...	Kalev
Hal Scardino	...	Morgan
Vasek Simek	...	Russian Park Player
William H. Macy	...	Tunafish Father
Dan Hedaya	...	Tournament Director
Laura Linney	...	School Teacher
Anthony Heald	...	Fighting Parent
Steven Randazzo	...	Man of Many Signals

Alternativ:

Innocent Moves
Königsspiel, Das (Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

110 Min | Canada:93 Min (Ontario)

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe (DeLuxe)

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Dolby

Altersfreigabe:

South Korea:12 | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Drehorte:

New York City, New York, USA

Firma:

Mirage Entertainment

Dies und das:

Real-life chess expert Bruce Pandolfini has an uncredited cameo. He is watching Josh play chess in the park and comments that he's the next Bobby Fischer.

Pannen:

Filmfehler: Josh hits the clock button at the start of his match with Jonathan, but in the next shot the button on his side is still raised.

Dialogzitate:

Josh Waitzkin: [throwing baseball inside mansion against the wall] Come on, Bruce!
Bruce Pandolfini: All right.

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in "Saturday Night Live: Alec Baldwin/Tori Amos (#21.11)" (1996)

The thinking man's "Rocky".

Chess is a challenging game that hasn't been given its due in the art of cinema, so it's a pity "Searching for Bobby Fischer", one of the few "chess movies" out there, offers an unconvincing, Hollywoodized treatment of the subject. This is one of those completely conventional, crowd-pleasing entertainments that make everything look too easy (it almost argues that one doesn't need to practice or study to become really good at something, as long as he has a natural gift for it; I'm sure the real Josh Waitzkin would dismiss all that as pure baloney), and rely on a predictable "Rocky"-type final showdown (in this case, against a mean-spirited little chess whiz). Nonetheless, with such a splendid cast (including an excellent performance by newcomer Max Pomeranc), it would be impossible for this film not to have its interesting and affecting moments. (**1/2)