A Review of Chess Movies

Many people have many misconceptions about chess. There is a stereotype of chess players as being squirrelly introverts tucked away in dimly lit rooms. In reality, chess actually has somewhat of a storied history. Indeed, chess has been featured predominately in chess films and chess movies through the years.

Through this article, a reader is provided a review of some of the chess movies that have lit up the silver screen through the years. By way of this article, a reader will be able to come to an understanding of the powerful role that chess has played throughout the years.

According to chess film aficionados, there are three films that have had a tremendous impact on the entire chess film genre. These films trace the presence of chess movies that have appeared on the silver screen since the birth of the film. These films are

Chess Fever (Soviet Union 1925)
Brainwashed (Germany 1960)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (U.S.A. 2001)

Chess Fever is a 28 minute silent film produced in the Soviet Union. Chess film analysts consider this piece of film to be one of the best depictions of the game of chess of all time. They contend that the film goes beyond merely showing a couple of people playing the game. In the short, silent film, the passion that chess players have for the game is clearly brought to the front. Indeed, the film is said to convey the addictive nature of the game of chess.

Brainwashed

Brainwashed (which was originally titled Die Schachnovelle) is a very dramatic work. The film is based on the novella written by Stefan Zweig. The novella itself actually was published in 1944 after the author of the work and his wife committed suicide. Many people considered the novella to be a perfect foundation upon which a chess film could be built.

Most people do consider the novella to be the best written piece of fiction about chess of all time. The novella became a chess movie in 1960. This chess film tells the story of a man’s slow descent into insanity while imprisoned and tortured in Nazi occupied Vienna during the Second World War. The film centers around the man’s connection to the game of chess, perhaps his only relief in an otherwise horrific existence.

The game of chess played a fairly significant role in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Indeed, this film perhaps presented the game of chess to the broadest possible audience of any of the chess movies or movies that have included chess in their plots that have been released since the birth of the motion picture. This film was one of the most widely released and viewed motion pictures of all time. Indeed, as a chess movie or a chess film, this movie exposed more people to chess in film fashion than any other production.

Of course, there are dozens of other films that feature chess in their plots (and in their themes). The dynamics of chess likely will continue to form a basis for character and plot development and as a foundation for thematic expression in films well into the future.