Il re degli scacchi

First of all, I love Stefan Zweig's literary source. And Oliver Masucci does a great job as the psychologically tortured protagonist Dr Bartok. The escape of an oppressed spirit into a parallel world of chess in order to withstand the torture of isolation is still brilliant. Unfortunately, all changes to the template lead in the wrong direction. However, the film sets, which are supposed to represent the saloon of an ocean liner, look like a film studio from start to finish. Sorry, that looks cheap. The discussion of the origins and socialization of the world chess champion would be essential, but is very short. Too short. It's a pity. The film is good, but it could have been so much better.

This movie is great on many bases. It shows the power of mind in a way, which is very understandable. I see no flaw in this movie, but it clearly is difficult content, because it deals with a time that is gone a long time ago. I can imagine that many younger people can't understand the meaning of that all. The movie is being carried perfectly by the whole cast and especially by Oliver Masucci. It tells the story also in flashbacks, which are clear enough. One of the best German literature filming. I recommend it especially for people who are interested in this timeframe of history of Austria and Germany and literature. Also it isn't biographical, it shows likewise circumstances.

Wonderfully visual adaptation of Stefan Zweig's chess novella. Intelligent and emotional. Reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Memento" and "Shotter Island". From now on I am a Philip Stölzl fan. Excellent casting. Oliver Masucci is breathtakingly good, just terrific. Go out and watch this movie.

Oliver Masucci knows how to act. First in "Er ist wieder da" & now in "Schachnovelle". Tough order, since Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens created a show stopping performance earlier. Michael Wortmann has to be applauded for the special effects & the cinematography is spectacular. Read Stefan Zweigs short story first, if you haven't already. The reviewer wonders, how the quote "Life is a game of chess" played a role in writing the novel as well as personal experiences. Wish Stefan Zweig had published more.

This film evokes an interesting thought process about the mind and still largely unknown brain. The acting is stellar as is the directing & editing. Prisoner's Dilemma and Viktor Emil Frankl's work make watching this film more interesting, although not closely connected to the film & short story, rather to the Angst, current events and the following two quotes by Stefan Zweig:

"In chess, as a purely intellectual game, where randomness is excluded, - for someone to play against himself is absurd ... It is as paradoxical, as attempting to jump over his own shadow." And: "All my life I have been passionately interested in monomaniacs of any kind, people carried away by a single idea. The more one limits oneself, the closer one is to the infinite; these people, as unworldly as they seem, burrow like termites into their own particular material to construct, in miniature, a strange and utterly individual image of the world." Enjoy watching & let us know, what you think.

A very commendable production of a high cinematic standard, despite a lacking plot development. The protagonist's performance is masterful, immersing us in first-person suffering, an acting prowess that alone justifies watching the film. In addition to the protagonist's acting, there's a good technical production in terms of photography and lighting, although not masterful, it's of a fairly high standard. It's a shame that the plot couldn't make better use of a story with a short narrative journey, barely saved by the surprising twists at the end that leave the viewer astounded, making them forget all those sequences, while valid, not strictly necessary for visual storytelling. With a more developed plot, the film could have achieved a higher level of cinematic quality, but it still deserves credit for turning a theatrical drama into a respectable film.