Quiz Show (1994) PG-13, 133 mins
****(out of four)
Reviewed by Mike Brown
Directed by Robert Redford
Produced by Robert Redford, Michael Jacobs, Julian Krainin and Michael Nozik
Written by Paul Attanasio
John Turturro.................Herbert Stempel
Rob Morrow....................Dick Goodwin
Ralph Fiennes.................Charles Van Doren
Paul Scofield.................Mark Van Doren
David Paymer..................Dan Enright
Hank Azaria...................Albert Freedman
Christopher McDonald .........Jack Barry
Johann Carlo..................Toby Stempel
Elizabeth Wilson..............Dorothy Van Doren
Allan Rich....................Robert Kintner
Mira Sorvino..................Sandra Goodwin
"It's not like we're hardened criminals here. We're in show business." Albert Freedman from Quiz Show.
When I first saw Quiz Show I was reminded of such films like All the President's Men or The Paper. Although this film does not have anything to do with journalism it does involve a man on a quest in search for the truth. But in all three cases the reason to bring out the truth is questioned. Who is really the one who will get hurt and is it worth it? This is the question that is raised, among others, in this highly entertaining film about the true story of the much publicized game show scandal in the late 1950's. But what makes Quiz Show a great film is that it examines a time in the history of America that has been seen as innocent but is actually the end of an era where intelligence was looked upon as an asset. Now people become famous as a result of their actions no matter how idiotic.
Quiz show is set in a time that I only knew about from reading about or watching other films set in that era. It came across not only as a pleasant time but also one where issues like racism did not exist and people respected one another. But we can see that very little has changed since then even though we would like to think that we have come a long way. Human nature is still the same with greed and materialism present in all of us.
The story begins with an obnoxious working class Jew named Herbert Stempel (John Turturro) who has made a name for himself with his remarkable winning streak on a popular game show called "Twenty-One". Through his success he has gained fame and fortune but the producers find that ratings are declining and they believe it is because of him. Due to the declining ratings, the producers, Dan Enright (David Paymer) and Albert Freedman (Hank Azaria), set out to find a new "money maker". They find it in Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) a handsome university professor from one of America's most prominent intellectual families. With the producers convinced that they have found their new "golden boy", they persuade Herbert Stempel to take a dive only because they put it in his mind that he has a future in television. In one of the films most dramatic and tense scenes, we begin to see the extreme pressure the contestants as well as the producers are under. (There is a great shot where you actually feel like your are in the small claustrophobic booth where each contestant is contained.) But Herbert soon realizes that television will never be a part of his future and thus jealous of the fame and wealth acquired by Van Doren, the same fame and wealth he once had, Herbert begins to loosen his tongue about the real truth behind "Twenty-One". This attracts the attention of a young lawyer from Washington named Dick Goodwin (Rob Morrow) who begins to investigate the rigged game show and eventually takes on television, a battle we find out, he can not possibly win.
Quiz Show has many strong points but a particular one are the strong performances that can all be described in one word, perfect. However, John Turturro and Ralph Fiennes are the particular standouts among this great cast. We view both characters as society did with Herbert Stempel (John Turturro) being the nerdy working-class Jew and Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) being the successful good-looking young intellectual. Superficially, both characters are the exact opposite of one another but in actuality they are both morally weak and strive to be something they aren't. But in reality they both chose the same path of living a lie, a lie no one thought was hurting anyone. Both need to be something greater than what they were and being contestants on "Twenty-One" gave them that chance. Yet, these characters are not evil which is exactly how the media presented them. The true villains in this film are the Networks and the sponsors, specifically NBC and Geritol. But both, though making huge profits from contestants like Charles Van Doren, were seen as victims all the time knowing exactly what was going on. There is an interesting cameo from Martin Scorcese who plays the president of Geritol who knows exactly how everything will turn out. He has the answers Dick Goodwin is looking for but he also knows he doesn't have to tell him anything because like he said "the networks will go on and so will Geritol". It is they who profited from people like Charles Van Doren but they were not the ones who were labeled criminals. They simply offered them fame and fortune and the contestants accepted.
Also, much of my admiration goes toward Robert Redford as well. Ever since Ordinary People he has time and time again proven himself one of the best directors working today. He, unlike many other directors, gives us something to watch that is entertaining as well as interesting. He brings us back to a time in America that most people had forgotten. The questions he raises throughout the course of the film keep us involved in the story as we try our hardest to answer them. Through his direction we get an extremely interesting look at society's values at the time and how much they have changed. In what could have turned out to be an embarrassment actually became the best film of 1994 as well as one of my favourites.
Most importantly though, "Quiz show" is not simply about rigged quiz shows it is about a time in history when America lost its innocence. It portrays a time in America when greed took over and knowledge was no longer something to strive for. Some people may even think that greed has always existed and will continue to exist. It is a very cynical view about our society and where it is heading but if modern society bares any proof there has been a dramatic change and whether that change is for the better or the worse is up for the viewer to decide.
donna.brown@sympatico.ca
http://expage.com/page/mikesfilmguide
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