The psychological biographical drama A Beautiful Mind (in the domestic box office, âMind Gamesâ, 2001) is an original development of genius and insanity topics that are attractive in the film industry. The script of the picture is based on the biography of the really existing famous mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., who in his youth developed the theory of games. In adulthood, he developed a progressive form of paranoid schizophrenia. But thanks to the support of a loving wife and the will to live, John managed to return to active scientific work and even became a Nobel laureate in 1994. The movie "The Game of the Mind" in chronological sequence reflects events from the life of Nash Jr.
More about the plot. Tie
In 1947, John Nash , a budding student, came to a town called Princeton. A little strange, suspicious, he can not find a common language with the surrounding society. John does not even go to classes, but is completely immersed in research. The career of the young scientist continues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a teacher. Nash is focused on Alicia, one of the students. He has a relationship with her, the girl will soon become his wife.
Agent Parcher comes to John, who offers a job in a special department of the CIA. The task is to analyze information published in various open sources. The purpose of the search is secret data. This information is exchanged between US enemies, conspirators. John leaves reports on the work done in the mailbox at the indicated location. Once during a visit to his destination, Nash is attacked, and he miraculously survives.
Sad reality
It soon turns out that everything he did for the CIA was only in his imagination. The roommate, Agent Parcher and Marcy - John's niece - are made up. Nash has schizophrenia. Alicia learns about the disease. She seeks to cure the protagonist by contrasting her love of illness. Only after passing a long course of therapy, John takes control of his ailment. The scientist's hallucinations continue, but this is no longer dangerous for others, which allows him to return to scientific activity. Nash gains fame and recognition for discovering game theory. During a speech at the Nobel Prize, John talks about how grateful he is to his wife for their support and understanding. Marcy, Parcher and Charles are in the audience listening to Johnâs speech.
How it all started
It all started at the moment when producer Brian Grazer caught the eye of an article by Sylvia Naser called âVanity Fairâ. This publication told the story of a mathematical genius who gained worldwide recognition, but at one point lost almost everything due to schizophrenia with echoes of paranoia. The article became a source of inspiration for Brian, he set about trying to create a movie masterpiece based on the material he read.
The drama âGame of the Mindâ was created by a truly stellar creative team: film director Ron Howard, already known to the viewer from the works âApollo 13â and âThe Grinch, the kidnapper of Christmasâ; cameraman Roger Deakins, who shot all the successful pictures of the Coen brothers; the script was written by Akiva Goldsman, who knows firsthand the psychiatric illnesses - he was born and raised in a family of professional psychiatrists; and Oscar-winning James Horner worked on the musical accompaniment, writing soundtracks for The Titanic.
Casting cast
To ensure the continued success of the film, the producer carefully engaged in the selection of leading actors. To star in the film "The Game of the Mind", the actors had to be able to express a lot without words. Such performers were the brilliant Russell Crowe (John Nash) and the rising Hollywood star Jennifer Connelly (Alicia Lard). Crowe, as expected, showed brilliant skill. After the strong-willed and determined âGladiatorâ, his transformation into a weak-willed scientist was discouraging.
Jennifer, despite the poor filmography, under the strict guidance of the director and experienced partner, she also perfectly coped with the task, playing the faithful, patient and infinitely devoted wife of the genius-madman in the movie âMind Gameâ.
Actors who played secondary roles became a good addition to the benefit of Crowe.
Chronological episodes
The drama âGame of the Mindâ is called by the audienceâs reviews very believable, this, undoubtedly, is a significant merit of the creators. The director, trying at all costs to convey to the viewer the thick emotional coloring of the story, made a bold decision to make a film so as to maintain a strict chronological sequence.
Currently, films of this kind are extremely rare. Shooting episodes in chronological order is a real luxury that few can afford. From the point of view of organizing the shooting process, this is extremely problematic, however, it was much easier for the actors to get used to the role of the characters in the movie âMind Gameâ. Reviews of film critics attribute the decisive argument in such a structuring of the work to Russell Crowe, however, Ron Howard already had a similar practice during the filming of the main scenes of Apollo 13.
The taste and color ...
After the premiere of The Game of the Mind, the trailer for the film was criticized by the entire American press. International film critics ambiguously reacted to the film - the majority called it the next exploitation of the theme, which was successfully covered in The Scent of a Woman, Rain Man and Awakening. They explained their dissatisfaction with the fact that putting pressure on feelings for the sake of success was unprofessional. Others, watching the movie âGame of the Mindâ, left positive reviews, noted that the picture was a success, and the star creative team did its best, doing everything at the highest level.
As a result, the tape did not receive any of the proposed eight Oscars, which caused the viewer to be ironic. Many compatriots blame the picture for hyperbolic political correctness and overt propaganda of the notorious American way of life.
Focus on sentimentalism
No wonder the picture "Game of the Mind" reviews are called the next exploitation of a burning topic. Various directors to one degree or another relied on the sentimentalism of the viewer, many filmed biographical dramas. But stylistic goodness does not exclude those unsightly moments that are in every such picture, the âGame of the Mind" is not an exception.
Similar films are distinguished by a subtle acting, but their most important feature is the plot, fascinating in the author's interpretation. But skeptics will still find in them a flaw like the tears of the audience after watching a movie. If you try to choose films like the work âThe Game of the Mindâ, you should look for similar films in the âBiographical Dramaâ or âDrama with Thriller Elementsâ section. Vivid examples, in addition to the aforementioned, will be the following: âMy left footâ, âPhiladelphiaâ, âGood Will Huntingâ, âPiâ, âSocial networkâ, âSimulation gameâ, âSecret windowâ and âStephen Hawking Universeâ .
One of many
The film âGame of the Mindâ is a movie masterpiece that you want to constantly review, each time finding something new. The creators managed to bring to perfection the world surrounding the central characters, reliably recreating the distant period of the Cold War, to achieve the perfect balance between the scenery and the acting. Professional work can be recognized by observing how the frame is built. If the picture consists mainly of close-ups of the actors, it means that the creators did not have either the skill or the budget. To make any conclusions, you must watch the movie "Game of the Mind", the trailer does not give a complete picture. He will not show that in addition to an intriguing story, the atmosphere reigns in the film, carefully recreated by the directors according to eyewitnesses.