Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Quiz Show (1994)

Director: Robert Redford                            Writer: Paul Attanasio
Film Score: Mark Isham                            Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow and Paul Scofield

You've got to hand it to Robert Redford; the guy makes beautiful movies. And nowhere is that more apparent that in Quiz Show. I know, I know, what about The Horse Whisperer? The thing is, anyone could have made that film beautiful, but historical dramas are particularly difficult when it comes to capturing realism. When the little girl comes out of the corner store in The Untouchables, you can tell that the camera setup was positioned just that way to avoid seeing anything modern in the shot. And in Peal Harbor, the whole thing looks like it was filmed in CGI in front of a green screen. But every set, even the exteriors, in Quiz Show seems organic and real and . . . beautiful.

The story today seems almost ludicrous. In our world of reality shows, professional wrestling and Jerry Springer, the fact that someone could be cheating on a game show is positively blasé. In the late 1950s, however, after the the communist witch hunts on capitol hill had ended, the country needed a new scandal and that kind of open deception was very salacious. Geritol, the sponsor of the popular game show, Twenty-One, was regularly giving answers to contestants. Into this stepped the brilliant instructor and on track to be professor at Columbia University, Charles Van Doren. He accepted the answers, became an overnight star, and soon found himself the target of an investigation by the congressional oversight committee.

In telling the story it’s not just the scenery that is beautiful. Because of Redford’s stature, he is able to acquire the services of A-List actors. Ralph Fiennes is brilliant as the conflicted Van Doren, who desperately wants the fame and the money, but feels incredibly guilty for lying to the public. Paul Scofield, in one of his last roles, is particularly effective as the model for ethical behavior that his son has violated, and the only actor to be nominated that year for an Oscar. The real tour de force, however, is John Turturro as the Jewish contestant Herbie Stempel, who despite trying to do the right thing doesn’t understand that what is important is implicating the network, and so only winds up making himself into a laughing stock. As Dan Enright, the producer of the show, David Paymer has one of his fines roles, and along with Hank Azaria, is a potent on-screen team.

But while the acting is top notch, the real scene stealer is the setting. Redford’s production designer, Jon Hutman is the star of the show, and it’s incomprehensible why he wasn’t at least nominated for an Academy Award that year. Each set, each exterior, is lovingly created, supremely believable, and a full immersion into the 1950s. The direction by Redford, as is his way, is fairy invisible, which is a compliment. Rather than having the direction slap you in the face, he allows the actors and the sets to enfold you into the story, allowing you to experience the story in a direct and powerful way. Quiz Show one of Redford’s best, and a film that comes highly recommended.

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