THE LUZHIN DEFENCE A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
"Nine thousand, two hundred and sixty-three days, four hours and five minutes," that's precisely how long it has been since Alexander Luzhin (John Turturro) started playing chess, and he's the kind of guy who doesn't lose count. Alexander, played with pensive intensity by John Turturro, is a compelling and endearing character who's rather like an idiot savant. A chess champion, Alexander is at a fancy hotel where he is busy defending his title against an Italian Grand Master, Jean de Stassard (Christopher Thompson). Alexander's former teacher and manager, Valentinov (Stuart Wilson), is there to cast an evil eye on Alexander in the hope of pressuring him into failure.
Marleen Gorris's THE LUZHIN DEFENCE, based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov (LOLITA), uses chess not only as the sole focus of Alexander's life but also as a universal metaphor. We learn, for example, that the king is the center of attention but has limited powers, whereas the queen is more cunning and agile.
Also staying at the hotel is Natalia Katkov (Emily Watson) and her mother (Geraldine James). Two-time Academy Award nominee Watson (BREAKING THE WAVES and HILARY AND JACKIE), whose talent is so large and impressive that she quietly dominates most movies she appears in, manages to be no less accomplished this time, but her performance is eclipsed by an even better one by Turturro.
Thanks to strange but instant chemistry, Alexander and Natalia fall in love. In order to convince Natalia's mother that he would make a proper son-in-law, Alexander has to engage in what is the most difficult thing of all for him -- small talk. After a long pause, he tells her mother, "Your daughter likes -- uh -- cooling beverages." With his bad suits, unkempt hair and constant need for a shave, Alexander sticks out like a sore thumb at the expensive resort. No amount of awkward small talk can convince the mother that he is anything other than the last man on earth whom she would want her daughter to marry.
The exquisite story, which is filmed in a Merchant-and-Ivory kind of period lushness, lays the proper groundwork for Alexander's many demons with several key flashbacks to his childhood. We learn that he is the product of an uncaring mother and a philandering father and that he is basically addicted to the game of chess. And, like a drug, chess is consuming his life. You will be consumed watching the movie. After several twists, only some of which are easy to guess, the story ends quite surprisingly and quite satisfactorily, although not in any conventional sense. One shudders to think how a big studio version of this story would conclude.
THE LUZHIN DEFENCE runs 1:48. It is rated PG-13 for some sensuality and thematic elements. Although it would be acceptable for most kids, it has little to offer those under 13.
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