Theme: Chess in the Movies for Tuesday's Overlooked Films, Audio and Video at Todd Mason's blog Sweet Freedom.
In many ways, chess has been integral to films. The 64-square board game has featured umpteen times in all kinds of movies, from mystery and fantasy to horror and espionage. It is one of a handful of games and sports frequently seen in a cameo role, others being golf, snooker, and cards.
There is something fascinating about chess that appeals to a lot of people including film-makers, even if not everyone understands the game or knows how to play. It has an air of allure about it which, I feel, has to do with intellect, chance, suspense, winning, subtlety, intelligence, strategy, plot, thrill, and style associated with chess as well as films.
The game can make quite an impact in a film and on the viewer. For instance, the symbolic match between the characters of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender in X-Men: First Class, in front of a fireplace, resonated with me because that’s the kind of setting in which I’d love to play the game. The two brothers, Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr (alias Magneto), play in a relaxed environment even though they have serious issues to deal with, such as preventing World War III.
Chess blends perfectly with most plots and settings, be it in a comedy with Charlie Chaplin, science fiction with Leonard Nimoy, fantasy with Daniel Radcliffe or action with Jason Statham.
Although chess is incidental and mostly used as a prop or a backdrop, it glamourises films more than any other game or sport. It is an equaliser, a diversion, a fairy tale, even if for a short cinematic moment.
Here is a chronological list of movies that have featured chess. Some of these films, like Shatranj Ke Khilari, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Queen to Play, are actually about the game.
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| Charlie Chaplin in The Masquerader, 1914 |
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| Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, 1942 |
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| Vladek Sheybal in From Russia with Love, 1963 |
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| Woody Allen in What's New Pussycat?, 1965 |
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| Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek, 1966-1969 |
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Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen
in The Thomas Crown Affair, 1968 |
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| Timothy Dalton in The Lion in Winter, 1968 |
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| Charlton Heston in The Omega Man, 1971 |
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Saeed Jaffrey and Sanjeev Kumar
in Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari
(The Chess Players), 1977 |
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| John Cleese in Silverado, 1985 |
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Max Pomeranc in
Searching for Bobby Fischer, 1993 |
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| Samuel L. Jackson in Fresh, 1994 |
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Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 2001 |
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Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellen
in X-Men 2, 2003 |
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| Jason Statham in Revolver, 2005 |
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Robin Williams and Christopher Walken
in Man of the Year, 2006. While Williams
was a prolific chess player in real life,
I'm not sure if this is a scene from the
film or they played on the set,
as actors often did. |
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Kevin Kline and Sandrine Bonnaire
in Joueuse, or Queen to Play, 2009 |
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| Steven Seagal in Born to Raise Hell, 2010 |
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James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender
in X-Men: First Class, 2011 |
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| Cliff Curtis in The Dark Horse, 2014 |
I haven’t seen many of these chess-o-pics. How about you? Which are the other chess flicks I missed?
Good timing as I am reading QUEEN'S GAMBIT about a female chess prodigy.
ReplyDeletePatti, thank you. I read about the book a while ago. I'm assuming you are referring to Elizabeth Freemantle's novel and not the one by Walter Tevis, I will take a look at both.
DeleteI never would have thought there were so many movies featuring chess. We recently watched a Midsomer Murders episode that centered around chess competitions.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I didn't realise it either. I was reading up on the game when I chanced upon an article about chess in the movies. Chess is everywhere.
DeleteThe one I remember most is the Wizard's chess Ron's plays in one of the Harry Potter films.
ReplyDeleteCol, I remember that life-threatening chess match Ron has towards the end of HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. I'd hate to play chess like that!
DeleteWho knew? So many movies with chess. Thanks for listing 'em, Prashant.
ReplyDeleteOscar, you're welcome. I did not know either. My passion for the game got me thinking about chess in the movies.
DeleteGreat list - I love chess scenes too, so I really enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Moira. I plan to watch some of these films that look good for reasons other than chess.
DeleteOne of my favorite story collections is "Pawn to Infinity," a collection of SF stories involving chess or similar game
ReplyDeleteCharles, thanks for mentioning the sf collection. I don't think I have read about the game in science fiction.
DeleteI am quite impressed, Prashant! I didn't know there were so many instances of chess in films! You've done a wonderful job of gathering all of these examples. I only wish I played better than I do.
ReplyDeleteMargot, thank you. I wish I had seen all these films and reviewed them in short. Some of these look really good. I don't play chess as often as I'd have liked to. In any case, when I do play it's usually online with faceless people and vice versa.
DeleteThere was chess playing in the early part of INDEPENDENCE DAY as well. Very interesting set of films. SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER may be my favorite, for film and the excellent soundtrack by James Horner.
ReplyDeleteRichard, thank you. I have been meaning to see SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER ever since one of our blog friends, Yvette, brought the film to my notice.
DeleteSome really wonderful examples there Prashant. I would add the human chess pieces in SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH as well as the crucial chess piece in STALAG 17. I remember some large chess pieces in a Harry Potter too but my favourite may well be a classic COLUMBO co-starring Laurence Harvey as a murdering chess master in "The Most Dangerous Match".
ReplyDeleteSergio, thank you. Barring HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS in which Harry and Ron play a violent game of chess with giant moving pieces, I haven't seen any of the other films you mentioned. STALAG 17 rings a bell.
DeleteMy favorite is SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER, a film that's worth re-watching or watching for the first time, for sure. I think there's a film based on Bobby Fisher's life that's either in production or coming up in the new year. Read something vaguely, but I might be wrong.
ReplyDeleteYvette, thanks for bringing SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER to my notice, as I noted in my response to Richard's comment. Until then, I hadn't heard of the film. I'm still looking for a DVD.
DeleteArthur Penn's Night Moves, where three knoght moves that were never made are the key to the film.
ReplyDeleteThe Seventh Seal?
ReplyDeleteRoger, thanks for visiting and commenting. I'll look up the film.I haven't seen NIGHT MOVES, starring Gene Hackman, one of my favourite actors, or THE SEVENTH SEAL.
DeleteR.T. I have barely seen Ingmar Bergman's films and I know what I have been missing.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. I recently read a novella by Stefan Zweig, The Chess Game which you might likel.
ReplyDeleteMel, thanks for the heads-up. I will check out the novella.
DeleteEntertainment has become synonymous to movies. Different people, regardless of age and gender, have ever since regarded watching solarmovies.co when they want to be amused or spend a quality time while relaxing and easing out their stress from work and daily routines.
ReplyDelete