A winner of the Oscar Edward Zwick’s film takes us to the times of the Cold War and confrontation of two world superpowers: the USSR and the USA. This confrontation continued on the intellectual level - in chess tournaments. The one of the most important “battle of the century” or as some called it “the battle of the titans” took place in Reykjavik between the two great chess players Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer. “Sacrificing a pawn” is an exemplary dramatic film, telling us about the most mysterious, most extravagant and unpredictable behaviour and actions of a chess champion, the genius of chess Bobby Fischer.Robert Fisher: Is he a genius or a madman? The director of the film Edward Zwick is trying to find the answer to this question. “Sacrificing a pawn” is a story about a duel with Boris Spassky for the title of world chess champion unfolding in the midst of the Cold War in1972. The contest was accompanied by numerous scandals and greatly attracted the attention of the audience who watched the psychological and political confrontation between the American and Soviet grandmasters.
1951. Bobby Fisher, an eight-year-old boy living in Brooklyn with his mother and sister, demonstrates his unique abilities in chess. At age 14, he becomes the youngest ever US champion. But what was really hidden behind his mask of self-confidence? The film shows the chess player as a lonely young man surrounded by a crowd of journalists.
The realism of the events taking place in the film, the bright personality of the hero and exciting plot turn the film into a tense intellectual thriller in which the protagonist carefully tries to calculate any situation several steps forward. Winning the duel for a champion title is not just a Fisher’ goal, but a task set by the state. Tens of thousands of eyes fixed on the chess player put enormous pressure on him. Robert rushes about in the cage of his own madness, obsessed with the idea of victory over the Soviet player. The director of the film skilfully puts emphasis on what Fisher was so annoyed with: the sound of clicking reporters' cameras, the whisper of the audience and the ticking of the clock. The music of James Newton Howard plays an important role in achieving the desired effect.
Toby Maguire looks incredibly impressive as an ingenious chess player, prone to bouts of paranoia and psychosis. Perhaps this was one of the best and most difficult roles for his entire career. Maguire actually made this film alone; everyone's attention is focused on his hero, balancing on a thin line between madness and genius. Liv Schreiber was also perfect choice for the role of Boris Spassky.
The film “Sacrificing a pawn" proves once again that chess is a spectacular sport. The confrontation between the two superpowers taking place on a chessboard makes the audience with bated breath follow the movements of the pieces in grandmasters’ hands. And when the film moves on to the famous sixth game, we understand what chess genius is.
