The Luzhin Defence Movie Review 2000

Luzhin (Turturro) is an eccentric Russian chess genius who is staying at an Italian lakeside resort in 1929 preparing for an important match. Also preparing for a match--the marital kind--is Russian emigre Natalia (Watson) and her aristocratic mother Vera (James). And Luzhin is not the man Vera has in mind for her daughter, no matter what Natalia thinks. But as the stress of the match takes its toll on Luzhin, he believes he cannot have both love and the game. Based on the 1930 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.

Distribution

Sony Pictures Home Video, Sony Pictures Plz., 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: (310)244-7306, Fax: (310)280-2485, URL: http://www.spe.sony.com, Remarks: Formerly Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 106 minutes.
Originally from French, British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Chess, Romantic Drama, Italy, Period Piece: 1920s, Books to Film: Vladimir Nabokov, Marriage

Screenplay

Peter Berry

Cast

John Turturro, Emily Watson, Geraldine James, Stuart Wilson, Christopher Thompson, Peter Blythe, Orla Brady, Fabio Sartor

Cinematography

Bernard Lutic

Director

Marleen Gorris

Music

Alexandre Desplat

Other

Peter Glossop, Craig Irving, Michael Reichwein, Jany Temime, Tony Burrough

Producer

Caroline Wood, Stephen Evan, Louis Becker, Philippe Guez, Renaissance Films, Clear Blue Sky Productions, Sony Pictures Classics