(1994, Dir. Robert Redford)
In Short: 1t's 1958, and Herb Stempel (John Turturro), reigning champion of television quiz show 21, is asked by the producers to "take a dive" so he can be replaced by someone who will bring better ratings to the program: the charming, handsome, intellectual, young professor Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes). Everything goes swimmingly for Charles and the network until a lawyer from Washington (Rob Morrow) notices there's something fishy going on. It's based on a true story. The morality of the characters in this film is fascinating! Charles starts off as a good guy, but he caves to the fraudulent whims of the TV execs when he sees the fame and fortune that could be his. Sometimes it feels like you ought to root for Herb, but he's got his personality flaws, too. There are a lot of different, clashing motivations that make for a very interesting plot. This is an excellent film. Rob Morrow, John Turturro, and Ralph Fiennes give excellent performances as very complex characters. The cinematography is beautiful; I especially loved the opening sequence that followed the questions being transported to the set of the show. The only thing that was lacking was a little clarity as far as who all the TV bigwigs were, exactly, and how they played into the whole affair. Otherwise, this was an engrossing, entertaining movie that I really enjoyed! 9/10 slices of chocolate cake.
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AuthorEileen here, writing reviews for film class. Archives
April 2018
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