Story of movie Searching For Bobby Fischer : Searching for Bobby Fischer, released in the United Kingdom as Innocent Moves, is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Steven Zaillian. The film was Zaillian's directorial debut, and stars Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne. It is based on the life of prodigy chess player Joshua Waitzkin, played by Pomeranc, and adapted from the book of the same name by Joshua's father Fred.
| Searching for Bobby Fischer | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Zaillian |
| Produced by | William Horberg |
| Screenplay by | Steven Zaillian |
| Based on | Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess by Fred Waitzkin |
| Starring |
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| Music by | James Horner |
| Cinematography | John Corso Conrad L. Hall |
| Edited by | Wayne Wahrman |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | August 11, 1993 |
Running time | 110 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $7,266,383 |
Screenplay
Josh Waitzkin's family discovers that he possesses a gift for chess and they seek to nurture it. They hire a strict instructor, Bruce Pandolfini (played by Ben Kingsley), who aims to teach the boy to be as aggressive as chess legend Bobby Fischer. The title of the film is a metaphor about the character's quest to adopt the ideal of Fischer and his determination to win at any price. Josh is also heavily influenced by Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne), a speed chess hustler whom he meets in Washington Square Park. The two coaches differ greatly in their approaches to chess, and Pandolfini is upset that Josh continues to adopt the methods of Vinnie. The main conflict in the film arises when Josh refuses to accept Pandolfini's misanthropic frame of reference. Josh then goes on to win on his own terms.
- Max Pomeranc as Josh Waitzkin
- Joe Mantegna as Fred Waitzkin
- Joan Allen as Bonnie Waitzkin
- Ben Kingsley as Bruce Pandolfini
- Laurence Fishburne as Vinnie
- Michael Nirenberg as Jonathan Poe
- Robert Stephens as Poe's teacher
- David Paymer as Kalev
- Hal Scardino as Morgan Pehme
- Austin Pendleton as Asa Hoffmann
- Vasek Simek as "the man who beat Tal"
- William H. Macy as Tunafish father
- Dan Hedaya as tournament director
- Laura Linney as Josh's school teacher
Some famous chess players have brief cameos in the film: Anjelina Belakovskaia, Joel Benjamin, Roman Dzindzichashvili, Kamran Shirazi, along with the real Joshua Waitzkin, Bruce Pandolfini, Vincent Livermore and Russell Garber. Chess master Asa Hoffmann is played by Austin Pendleton; the real Hoffmann did not like the way he was portrayed. Chess expert Poe McClinton, still a park regular, is seen throughout the film. Pal Benko was supposed to be in the film but his part was cut out. Waitzkin's real mother and sister also have cameos.
The Russian player in the park (played by Vasek Simek) who holds up the sign "GAME OR PHOTOGRAF OF MAN WHO BEET TAL 1953 • FIVE DOLLARS", was based on the real life of Israel Zilber. Zilber, Latvian Chess Champion in 1958, defeated the teenage Mikhail Tal in 1952, and during most of the 1980s was homeless and regarded as one of the top players in Washington Square Park.
Waitzkin's main chess foil character in the film, Jonathan Poe (played by Michael Nirenberg), is based on chess prodigy Jeff Sarwer. When Sarwer was asked what he felt about his portrayal in the film, he stated:
At the end of the day it was a Hollywood film, a work of fiction, and it helped popularized chess more so that's always a good thing. But I have a lot of distance to the actual book and film, the way I was portrayed was nothing at all like how I was in real life so what's the point in comparing myself to it?
| This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. |
At the end of the film in the final tournament, Josh is seen playing a tough opponent he's afraid of named Jonathan Poe. The character Jonathan Poe was not the actual name of Josh's opponent; his real name was Jeff Sarwer (a boy younger than Josh). In September 1985, Josh first played and was defeated by Jeff at the Manhattan Chess Club. In November of the same year, Josh returned to the Manhattan Chess Club and beat him in a rematch. The film depicts their third match in the 1986 US Primary Championship. Near the end of the game, where Josh offers Poe a draw, Poe rejects the offer, the play continues and Poe loses. Sarwer rejected the draw offer in the real-world game as well, but the play continued to a draw due to bare kings. Under tournament tie-breaking rules, Waitzkin was determined to have played more challenging opponents during the overall competition and was awarded first place, but they were declared US Primary School co-champions. Sarwer went on to win the 1986, World Championship Under-10 (Boys), with his sister Julia winning the World Championship Under-10 (Girls).
