I've always thought that there are some great chess movies waiting to be made. When you look at the elements: intriguing characters, personal hatred, high drama, Cold War rivalries - there must be opportunities.
Anyone aware of any already out there or waiting to be made?
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I have seen two movies that deal with chess, but neither are period pieces or have Cold War implications. Searching for Bobby Fischer, which is much more about the relationship between a father and son and what it like for a young boy who is a chess prodigy, and The Kings of New York, which is about a teacher and a group of kids in his chess team. I enjoyed both, especially Searching for Bobby Fischer. Both were also excellent books.
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One movie I remember is Knight Moves, a crime mystery set in the world of chess (which is more that just a background). Not too bad. There is also the Luzhin Defence, based by a novel by Nabokov. It's more of a character study. A good film overall, but the ending is an affront to anyone who knows anything about chess (I think it was added to the book). I remember also an episode in Colombo, where the killer is a world champion.
There are indeed great stories waiting to be written in chess. But most of them, I think, will still have to wait, as not many people know about the history of the game. Few people (including those who play chess) follow are interested in the lives of the players. I mean chess is not exactly a spectators' chess.
I would strongly recommend Fresh (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109842/combined), but I would say that the best acting performance in any chess movie ever made is Cliff Curtis in The Dark Horse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2192016/combined).
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