Quiz Show (1994)

reviewed by
Tim Voon


QUIZ SHOW 1994
 A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Rob Morrow, John Turturro, Paul Scofield, David Paymer, Mira Sorvino, Martin Scorsese, Barry Levinson Director: Robert Redford Screenplay: Paul Attanasio based on REMEMBERING AMERICA: A VOICE FROM THE SIXTIES by Richard N. Goodwin

Ask me a question, and I will guarantee you a correct answer (but first tell me what the questions are before hand).

That's what cheating is all about. This is the subject of Quiz show. A scandal that occurred in the 50's when ‘Twenty-One' was the biggest ratings game show on television. Whenever the ratings fell, the network would find new contestants to replace the sagging ones. They found their biggest ratings winner in Charles Van Doren (Fiennes), the son of one of America's leading intellectual family. That was until a inquest was made into the affairs of the show.

Unfortunately, the network (N.B.C.) escaped non-implicated. The scapegoats for this embarrassing scam fell on the producers of the show, and it's star contestant Van Doren, who bravely owned up to the cheating. The issues of money, ratings, and human character are nicely explored in this movie. It probes the viewer's mind, as to whether you would also cheat, if placed in a similar situation as Van Doren.

Crisp directing from Redford, intriguing movie material, and solid performances from Fiennes and Turturro.

Comment: I'd like to see them try it on Jeopardy.

Timothy Voon
e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au

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