The Luzhin Defence

Rating:
Summary: Stereotypes, not archetypes
Review: I watched "The Luzhin Defense" last night for the first time. I have a passing familiarity with Nabokov having read the first hundred pages or so of "Lolita." Yet I suppose this is another way of saying that I am not at all familiar with his work (and I abandoned "Lolita" when its style, while impressive, wasn't what I was looking for at the time. The recent film adaptation, however, with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain, was stunning.)

I planned to wait until I was older, perhaps having more time, to plumb the depths of Nabokov, particularly his novella "The Defense" upon which director Marlene Gorris's adaptation is based. I like chess, though am terrible at it, know that Nabokov played (it is called the other form of Russian alcoholism), and wanted the time to fully appreciate the writer at the height of his powers.

Considering the state of television in general, getting a chance to watch anything else is opportunity indeed. So I was keen, in this respect, to see the film. Gorris had written and directed "Antonia's Line;" Emily Watson, I admitted later to my girlfriend, I am in love with due either to her immense talent or beauty; and John Turturro continues to add to his important contributions to independent film.

But "The Luzhin Defense" is more disaster than disappointment. It can't seem to decide what it wants to be while falling into the trap, I assume, of attempting to be true to the novel by copying it chapter for chapter. The result is linearity, the chance for real character development and explosive dramatic tension all but squandered.

The actors, scene by scene, seem to know what to do, know their respective characters, and know well the mood or atmosphere of each scene as it relates to the overall story. Thus, this ultimately is a failure of direction.

With such intelligent individual performances to come off as well-worn stereotypes -- eccentric genius; gorgeous debutante quickly entranced by him; dismissive, wealthy mother opposed to the match; arch-chess enemy threatening to beat genius yet again; and jealous former teacher looking to undermine genius -- the film is something on par with an all-star sports team looking silly as it is trounced by a less than spirited pick-up squad.

I searched around for other reviews online and found this by Alan Stone of the Boston Review:

"I can think of none that is more disrespectful to the spirit of its author than The Luzhin Defence. Gorris, who started her career as a fiercely independent feminist, has made a cinematographically beautiful film empty of Nabokov's ecstatic genius, his prescient psychology, and her own original talent."

Rating:
Summary: "Loose adaptation" : Nabokov :: Chess : Love
Review: I watched "The Luzhin Defense" last night for the first time. I have a passing familiarity with Nabokov having read the first hundred pages or so of "Lolita." Yet I suppose this is another way of saying that I am not at all familiar with his work (and I abandoned "Lolita" when its style, while impressive, wasn't what I was looking for at the time. The recent film adaptation, however, with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain, was stunning.)

I planned to wait until I was older, perhaps having more time, to plumb the depths of Nabokov, particularly his novella "The Defense" upon which director Marlene Gorris's adaptation is based. I like chess, though am terrible at it, know that Nabokov played (it is called the other form of Russian alcoholism), and wanted the time to fully appreciate the writer at the height of his powers.

Considering the state of television in general, getting a chance to watch anything else is opportunity indeed. So I was keen, in this respect, to see the film. Gorris had written and directed "Antonia's Line;" Emily Watson, I admitted later to my girlfriend, I am in love with due either to her immense talent or beauty; and John Turturro continues to add to his important contributions to independent film.

But "The Luzhin Defense" is more disaster than disappointment. It can't seem to decide what it wants to be while falling into the trap, I assume, of attempting to be true to the novel by copying it chapter for chapter. The result is linearity, the chance for real character development and explosive dramatic tension all but squandered.

The actors, scene by scene, seem to know what to do, know their respective characters, and know well the mood or atmosphere of each scene as it relates to the overall story. Thus, this ultimately is a failure of direction.

With such intelligent individual performances to come off as well-worn stereotypes -- eccentric genius; gorgeous debutante quickly entranced by him; dismissive, wealthy mother opposed to the match; arch-chess enemy threatening to beat genius yet again; and jealous former teacher looking to undermine genius -- the film is something on par with an all-star sports team looking silly as it is trounced by a less than spirited pick-up squad.

I searched around for other reviews online and found this by Alan Stone of the Boston Review:

"I can think of none that is more disrespectful to the spirit of its author than The Luzhin Defence. Gorris, who started her career as a fiercely independent feminist, has made a cinematographically beautiful film empty of Nabokov's ecstatic genius, his prescient psychology, and her own original talent."

Rating:
Summary: Stereotypes, not archetypes
Review: I watched "The Luzhin Defense" last night for the first time. I have a passing familiarity with Nabokov having read the first hundred pages or so of "Lolita." Yet I suppose this is another way of saying that I am not at all familiar with his work (and I abandoned "Lolita" when its style, while impressive, wasn't what I was looking for at the time. The recent film adaptation, however, with Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain, was stunning.)

I planned to wait until I was older, perhaps having more time, to plumb the depths of Nabokov, particularly his novella "The Defense" upon which director Marlene Gorris's adaptation is based. I like chess, though am terrible at it, know that Nabokov played (it is called the other form of Russian alcoholism), and wanted the time to fully appreciate the writer at the height of his powers.

Considering the state of television in general, getting a chance to watch anything else is opportunity indeed. So I was keen, in this respect, to see the film. Gorris had written and directed "Antonia's Line;" Emily Watson, I admitted later to my girlfriend, I am in love with due either to her immense talent or beauty; and John Turturro continues to add to his important contributions to independent film.

But "The Luzhin Defense" is more disaster than disappointment. It can't seem to decide what it wants to be while falling into the trap, I assume, of attempting to be true to the novel by copying it chapter for chapter. The result is linearity, the chance for real character development and explosive dramatic tension all but squandered.

The actors, scene by scene, seem to know what to do, know their respective characters, and know well the mood or atmosphere of each scene as it relates to the overall story. Thus, this ultimately is a failure of direction.

With such intelligent individual performances to come off as well-worn stereotypes -- eccentric genius; gorgeous debutante quickly entranced by him; dismissive, wealthy mother opposed to the match; arch-chess enemy threatening to beat genius yet again; and jealous former teacher looking to undermine genius -- the film is something on par with an all-star sports team looking silly as it is trounced by a less than spirited pick-up squad.

I searched around for other reviews online and found this by Alan Stone of the Boston Review:

"I can think of none that is more disrespectful to the spirit of its author than The Luzhin Defence. Gorris, who started her career as a fiercely independent feminist, has made a cinematographically beautiful film empty of Nabokov's ecstatic genius, his prescient psychology, and her own original talent."

Rating:
Summary: A good movie, but a ghostly adaptation
Review: I would recommend this movie to anyone who is not or only passingly familiar with Nabokov. My wife loved it; I almost walked out. I welcome any film adaptation of any Nabokov work because it is interesting to see that work unfold outside of one's skull. However, in the screen adaptations I've seen, Kubrick disregarded Nabokov's novel as well as his awe-inspiring screenplay, while Marlene Gorris and Peter Berry (as I understand) rearranged their victim apparently in sheer ignorance of what damage their tinkering was causing. The plot of The Defense is the rind, the peel; it is not a feast, and should not be made up as one: an orange peel propped up as the center piece. Perry/Gorris had only to glance at the ever-growing mountain of criticism on VN (the ten or so relevant pages of Boyd's biography would have sufficed) to know that to gloss, reshuffle, ignore, or tweak any of the key details would irrevocably muddy the pool; namely, 1) The glossing of Luzhin's father's career as a hackneyed writer of boy's books - the viewer knows him only as a writer 2) the absence of the connection between Luzhin's musical grandfather and chess (through the intermediary of a pianist) 3) the bloating of Luzhin's past mentor from an opportunistic pawn to the monstrous bulk of an Evil queen, which set off a chain reaction of distortions and conventions, all overpowered the artistic, unconventional magic of The Defense.

More specifically, these distortions cut off all access to the metaphysical realm where the author dwells. The grandfather and father are competing spiritual forces who play a cosmic game with Luzhin's life, each trying to fulfill his own agenda - the viewer of the film wouldn't even know their agendas. This level isn't accessed through the surface, but through intricate treads embedded in the text (wordplay, anagrams, as well as visually recognizable reoccurrences), the pursuit of which is geared to resemble the Hegelian synthesis in the form of a whorl. Even the bones of what I know of VN's The Defense were not evident in the film. Even sadder was that once vulgarized, the imprint of VN's creation was marketed to the philistines who would and did regard the movie as not simply a diversion but an intellectual experience, no doubt. (I have no bone to pick with those who simply enjoyed watching an intriguing story.)

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: Nabokov's tale of chess, love, and madness might have been challenging to bring to the big screen canvass, but apparently not so for Marlin Gorris. The chess figures come to life, the city hall where the chess championship is being played for. It seems a struggle between life and death itself for Alexander Luzhin, a Russian virtuoso whose life basically divides into three parts: the brief childhood before chess, then a long life after he learned to play, and finally a moment when he came to the resort in Italy and fell in love with his beautiful countrywoman, played here with gentleness and strength (a combination that only she could pull off) by Emily Watson. John Turturro and she share a chemistry that is hard not to sympathize with, and their plight to survive what seems an increasingly high-stakes game is admirable.

Luzhin is obsessed with chess to the point approaching insanity; we see flashes of his childhood and youth that perhaps led to his rapidly worsening condition. He is a strange figure, eccentric and lovable. It's no surprise that Nataliya feels the need to rescue him from himself - he can barely take care of his clothes or health, spending most of his time rehearsing chess matches in his head and rarely aware of his surroundings. What doesn't help either of them is the appearance of a devious, jealous mentor from Alexander's past who feels the need to ruin his ex-prodigy's possible happiness or the first place in the tournament. Nataliya's family who is very much against this coupling is fun to watch - her mother and father provide some not so rare and very welcome moments of mirth in this sometimes dark film. Watching this story unfurl, one indeed comes to understand why behind every great man there stands a great woman.

Without disclosing the ending, I will simply say that it stays with the viewer, and the entire experience is profound and touching. The best movie about chess I've seen, the best movie based on Nabokov that I've seen, one of the best movies I've watched in a long time. Fantastic. I can't recommend it enough.

Rating:
Summary: Turturro and Watson "Shine"
Review: Obsession comes in many flavors, and exists for a variety of reasons; for some it may be nothing more than a compulsive disorder, but for others it may be an avenue of survival. Lack of nurturing, combined with an inability to negotiate even the simplest necessities of daily life or the basic social requirements, may compel even a genius to enthusiastically embrace that which provides a personal comfort zone. And in extreme cases, the object of that satisfaction may become a manifested obsession, driving that individual on until what began as a means of survival becomes the very impetus of his undoing, and as we discover in "The Luzhin Defence," directed by Marleen Gorris, a high level of intelligence will not insure a satisfactory resolution to the problem, and in fact, may actually exacerbate the situation. Obsession, it seems, has no prejudice or preference; moreover, it gives no quarter.

At an Italian resort in the 1920's, Alexander Luzhin (John Turturro) is one of many who have gathered there for a chess tournament, the winner of which will be the World Champion. Luzhin is a Master of the game, but he is vulnerable in that chess has long since ceased to be a game to him; rather, it is his obsession, that one thing discovered in childhood that saw him though his total ineptness in seemingly all areas of life, and enabled him to cope with the subtle disenfranchisements of his immediate family. So Luzhin is a genius with an Achilles heel, a flaw which perhaps only one other person knows about and understands, and furthermore realizes can be exploited for his own personal gain at this very tournament. That man is Valentinov (Stuart Wilson), Luzhin's former mentor, who after an absence of some years has suddenly reappeared and made himself known to Luzhin.

Valentinov is an unwelcomed, disconcerting presence to Luzhin, and once again life threatens to overwhelm him. Not only is he about to face a formidable opponent in the tournament, Turati (Fabio Sartor), against whom in a previous match he emerged with a draw after fourteen hours, but he is also attempting to resolve a new element in his life-- his feelings for a young woman he's just met at the resort, Natalia (Emily Watson). And, genius though he may be, dark clouds are gathering above him that just may push Luzhin even deeper into the obsession that has been the saving grace, as well the curse, of his entire life.

To tell Luzhin's story, Gorris effectively uses flashbacks to gradually reveal the elements of his childhood that very quickly led to his obsession with chess. And as his background is established, it affords the insights that allow the audience to more fully understand who Luzhin is and how he got to this point in his life. For the scenes of his childhood, Gorris textures them with an appropriately dark atmosphere and a subtle sense of foreboding that carries on into, and underlies, the present, more pastoral setting of the resort. The transitions through which she weaves the past together with the present are nicely handled, and with the pace Gorris sets it makes for a riveting, yet unrushed presentation that works extremely well. She also underplays the menace produced by the presence of Valentinov, concentrating on the drama rather than the suspense, which ultimately serves to heighten the overall impact of the film, making Luzhin's tragedy all the more believable and unsettling.

The single element that makes this film so memorable, however, is the affecting performance of John Turturro. For this film to work, Luzhin must be absolutely believable; one false or feigned moment would be disastrous, as it would take the viewer out of the story immediately. It doesn't happen, however, and the film does work, because the Luzhin Turturro creates is impeccably honest and true-to-life. He captures Luzhin's genius, as well as his inadequacies, and presents his character in terms that are exceptionally telling and very real. It's a performance equal to, if not surpassing, Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of David Helfgott in "Shine." And when you compare his work here with other characters he's created, from Sid Lidz in "Unstrung Heroes" to Pete in "O Brother Where Art Thou?" to Al Fountain in "Box of Moonlight," you realize what an incredible range Turturro has as an actor, and what a remarkable artist he truly is.

As Natalia, Emily Watson is excellent, as well, turning in a fairly reserved performance through which she develops and presents her character quite nicely. Though she has to be somewhat outgoing to relate to Luzhin, Watson manages to do it in an introspective way that is entirely effective. Most importantly, because of the detail she brings to her performance, it makes her accelerated relationship with Luzhin believable and lends total credibility to the story. You have but to look into Watson's eyes to know that the feelings she's conveying are real. It's a terrific bit of work from a talented and gifted actor.

The supporting cast includes Geraldine James (Vera), Christopher Thompson (Stassard), Peter Blythe (Ilya), Orla Brady (Anna), Mark Tandy (Luzhin's Father), Kelly Hunter (Luzhin's Mother), Alexander Hunting (Young Luzhin) and Luigi Petrucci (Santucci). Well crafted and delivered, "The Luzhin Defence" is an emotionally involving film, presented with a restrained compassion that evokes a sense of sorrow and perhaps a reflection upon man's inhumanity to man. We don't need a movie, of course, to tell us that there is cruelty in the world; but we are well served by the medium of the cinema when it reminds us of something we should never forget, inasmuch as we all have the ability to effect positive change, and to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Rating:
Summary: Chess and Nabokov Make for A Niche Film
Review: Obsession, love, tragedy are the always fertile, though familiar, subtexts of The Luzhin Defense, a Nabokov novel adapted into a visually gorgeous film. Unfortunately, for all Luzhin's passion for chess, for all the beauty of the lakefront location where it takes place, the film itself unfolds almost clinically and predictably. John Turturro looks throughout like an actor playing the part of a driven, socially inept genius. That of course is the problem --for me, at least, he never transcended his actor self to inhabit the part. Some of the plot devices are wooden, particularly one in which Luzhin's Svengali and former master teacher, Valentinov, somehow manages -- we are to believe -- to bribe the post-match limousine driver to lose Luzhin deep in the country, triggering his insanity.

This is not a movie for mass audiences. In fact, it passed virtually unnoticed in theater release. Its best selling point is the pleasure of watching the superb Emily Watson as Natalia Katkov. Leave aside the fact that she looks about as Russian as, say, Derek Jeter. Instead, watch the subtle and many ways she conveys by expression, body movement, and spare words the astonishment and joy of having a simple vacation with her pushy mother turn into a love affair she herself, and all around her, would never in her strangest reveries have considered possible.

One final note: The Luzhin Defense would probably have annoyed me no end if I knew more about chess. Knowing the little I do, two flaws are immediately apparent. First, in the scene when Luzhin's (John Turturro)clock falls, he is allowed to seal his next move, rather than losing, as is the case in chess competitions. Second, in the championship, one game is played for all the marbles (to mix metaphors as well as games). This is of course a huge disadvantage to the person playing black.

Bottom line: it's never going to make your all-time top ten list, but it is worth a watch.

Rating:
Summary: Sumptuously realised portrayal of a chess obsessive
Review: The depiction of chess on screen has had a chequered history (almost no pun intended). THE SEVENTH SEAL awarded the game its life-and-death status, but did not attempt to portray the impact of the game on a professional player. THE LUZHIN DEFENCE excels in portraying the obsessive, helpless creatures that sometimes emerge at the highest levels of the game. (And there are plenty down at the lower levels of regional tournament chess, I can assure you.)

John Turturro, whose haggard eyes bear a passing resemblance to an agonized Jeremy Irons, takes as his chess role model perhaps Viktor Korchnoi (in his youth) or the late Mikhail Tal. His opponent is more clearly modeled on the suave Capablanca. The psychological aggression employed by Luzhin's former mentor recalls the Korchnoi-Karpov battle of 1978 in Baguio City. There Korchnoi made all sorts of accusations about the Russian camp employing messages-in-yoghourt (that's not in this movie, by the way) and telepathic control from the front row of the audience (which is in the movie).

The mental game is reasonably well done -- I even appreciated the fast-action visualization of possible positions -- but the simplified rendering of a world chess championship made it seem ludicrous:

- After a preliminary pair of mini-leagues, the film implies that the world championship could then be decided by just one game between the winners of those two mini-leagues. (Not even in the 19th century was the world championship ever settled by fewer than 10 games between champion and challenger.)

- At one crucial stage, Luzhin's clock falls, which should always mean he has lost. But in the movie he is immediately given an unspecified amount of time to seal his 43rd move.

-Luzhin's not-quite-widow, who never plays chess earlier in the film, is allowed to take his place again the contender and finish off the game for him. (She doesn't even press the clock after playing the key ... Rh3 move.)

Sorry, this is all getting too chess-technical.

Bizarrely, the film has a debt to Alan Parker's BIRDY -- i.e. in both the slow-motion death leap from the window and the flapping exhilaration on the roller coaster.

I liked the understated and unresolved elements: the arc of the red dress (worn by both his aunt and his fiancee), and the mystery of the glass chess set (why did he bury it? was it now beneath the giant chess set in the hotel grounds?)

Lake Como is a beautiful place, and this movie makes it even more beautiful. (I must now go to Bergamo!) Hungary also comes across as a gorgeous substitute for Russia. The nocturnal flashback scenes could occasionally be confusing -- was this their Russian mansion or the Italian hotel?

I really enjoyed watching the DVD, but I question whether in the future I'll want to watch it more than once a year. The plot was straightforward, and I don't believe there are many revelations to be discovered on a repeat viewing. But I much appreciate the other Amazon reviews of this movie, and will certainly add Nabokov's book to my must-read list.

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad movie, actually.
Review: The main good thing about this movie is that it deals with "chess fever," an assuredly real phenomenon that remains completely unexplained. (I can only think of one other work of literature that does, and that's a story by Stefan Zweig.) But that aside, it does have its share of flaws. True, Turturro is very convincing and believable in his role, easily the best actor in the film, and most of the other actors do a fine job. But in some places the movie feels cut short - we never really realize why Luzhin's ex-mentor wants to see him lose so much, or even why Helen falls in love with the former. Another very aggravating thing is the fact that Luzhin's early obsession with chess is very poorly and confusingly explained - there are numerous childhood flashbacks, but the events seen in them seem random and unrelated; at one point we see young Sasha burying his chessboard, at another being yelled at for playing chess too much. We never grow to fully understand the story, and that's the main flaw of the movie. I would recommend seeing/renting it, but not buying.

Rating:
Summary: A cinematic patzer
Review: The novel of the same name by Nabokov should strike a reader as conventionally unfilmable. Perhaps in the fingers of Fellini, or David Lynch, something could be done, but if ever Ron Howard were to purchase the rights then it would be time to lament; Marleen Gorris is, sorrowfully, of the same school as the redoubtable Mr.Howard, although she most likely graduated with an even lower mark.
*
While the novel is less about obsessiveness and genius and more an example of both, the film is both about and an example of cliched emotions and hackneyed dramaturgy. Emily Watson and John Turturro are immensely talented but, frankly, their services are wasted, and I for one would have preferred a somewhat less gifted performer in the title role, say, Rush Limbaugh, for then, at least, I would not have been tempted to rent this movie, and the time given over to its viewing might have been more fruitfully spent cleaning the refrigerator shelves or, for that matter, playing chess.
*
Nabokov's book is not a realist novel, and one feature which betrays this is the virtual absence of motivation for Luzhin's behaviour (as an example: his autism is enigmatic, and prior to any childhood insult he is innately strange); the film-makers clearly feel that a character needs motivation, and so they inflict a crudely Freudian one upon him (this is especially ironic given Nabokov's ambivalent, but largely disparaging, opinion of glib Freudian analyses). Similarly, Nabokov takes extreme pains not to name the Emily Watson character, who is defined in terms of a morbid inclination to compassion, and who is otherwise seen as 'plump, pale, and quiet', and 'not particularly pretty' - of course, all this is unsatisfactory for Hollywood-style mass entertainment, and so we have the ravishing Ms.Watson. In like fashion, the somewhat seedy milieu of between-the-wars chess cafes is exchanged for the grandeur of the Northern Italian lakes, and the very shadowy figure of Valentinov becomes a technicolor villain. Perhaps the greatest irony is that all this pandering to entertainment proves anything but entertaining. The script is stilted and the drama, tired. The depiction of genius as intertwined with mental instability is very weary indeed, and borders on the offensive. The music is generic to the point of being fit for the supermarket aisles.
*
The cinematography deserves special condemnation. For a subject that remains personal and internal (even distorted unrecognisably from Nabokov's intentions), we see huge vistas, gardens, palaces and halls, Latinate grandeur and Russian opulence; the camera swoops and pans, and frames everything in a pretentious scale; even on its own terms, all this is done badly. Third-rate Merchant Ivory at best.
*
As for the chess...in the novel, Luzhin's obsession is rekindled when he is taken to his first motion picture, and where incidentally the heroine's 'grizzled father' is seen playing chess with the family doctor; a short quote, "In the darkness came the sound of Luzhin laughing abruptly. 'An absolutely impossible position for the pieces,' he said...". In the film, some positions are plausible, some not, but clearly no interest is shown in the game itself.
*
This was one of the worst films I have ever seen. Its pretence to seriousness and the promise of the actors made the disappointment all the greater.