Cheap The Luzhin Defence (DVD) (John Turturro, Emily Watson) (Marleen Gorris) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Luzhin Defence

An outstanding film
This film is an adaptation of a masterpiece chess novel, Vladimir Nabokov's The Defense. Director Marleen Gorris has put together a film that is both faithful to the novel and remarkably original. John Turturro is perfect as the lonely, unbalanced chess master, Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin, who is contending for the world champion title. A few days before the tournament begins, a young woman, Natalia (Emily Watson), hands him the chess pieces that have fallen out of his pocket. Luzhin is so captivated and so sure that she can turn his life around that he proposes marriage without so much as introducing himself. Natalia sees beyond his eccentricities and gives him a chance.

The relationship between Luzhin and Natalia is much more developed and intense than it is in the novel. The lead actors effectively and believeably portray this unusual relationship. Much of Nabokov's story is missing from the film. However, the viewer never loses the sense that there is some hope for Luzhin -- something that is decidedly lacking in the novel. From the outset, it is clear to the viewer that Luzhin is suffering a pathological chess obsession. The stakes in his chess games are entirely psychological and are unbearably high.

The chess match scenes in this film are mesmerizing. The chess moves, and the facial expressions and gestures of the players are well worth watching. The final scene in the film is original and satisfying. This is a film which appeals to the viewer's intelligence and sensitivity. It is one of the best I've seen in years.

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Seeing this isn't indefensible, but . . .
As with most cinematic adaptations of books, the makers of "The Luzhin Defense" haven't attempted to capture the qualities that made Nabokov's source novel great. Instead of aping the novelist's clinical detachment, they've made this story of a romance between an eccentric chess genius and a wealthy woman a passionate--albeit subdued--one. John Turturro and Emily Watson give typically mature, intelligent, interesting performances; while it's nice to see two people who seem drawn together by their minds as well as their hearts, the actors are both about a decade older than the apparent age of their characters. Their quirky, tragic affair plays out against lovely Merchant-Ivory-like European backgrounds, interrupted by a Machiavellian villain and occasional flashbacks to the chess master's darker Russian childhood. These latter scenes are slightly marred by the inclusion of the most effete child actor since the one who played the very young Hamlet in Kenneth Branagh's version of the Shakespeare play, and chess-knowledgeable viewers will be annoyed by the simplified depictions of the game throughout the film, but there are worse ways to spend one's money than on a matinee ticket to "The Luzhin Defense."

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Brilliant but confusing story of a mentally ill chess genius
Adapted from a novella by Vladimir Nabokov, this 2000 film is about the world of chess, genius, mental illness and romance. Set in the early 1920s in Italy, it stars John Turturro, cast as Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin, an unkempt, awkward and disturbed chess master who is about to compete in a world chess tournament in a upscale resort. Emily Watson is cast as Natalia, a wealthy socialite who is bored with her mother's matchmaking and is, instead, attracted to the lonely and weird chess genius.

We see flashbacks about Luzhin's life which tries to explain his madness. The relationship between the two lead characters deepen. The tournament begins. We're all rooting for Luzhin. And then, his former chess mentor, played by Stuart Wilson, appears out of the blue. Wilson wants to destroy his former protégé and plots with Luzhin's opponent to do this. I was confused by this character because I didn't think the background had set him up enough.

It all plays out with a sense of drama. The story was intriguing and held my interest. And, at the conclusion, Emily Watson is called upon to do something courageous. But in spite of excellent acting, fine lush settings and good direction by Marleen Gorris, the whole film just didn't jell for me. It was a good try, but there were too many parts that left me confused and it didn't add up to compelling drama. I therefore find it difficult to give this film more than a modest recommendation.