The Chess Player (2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chess Player is the English title of a historical and romantic drama which premiered in Spain in 2017.

 

The story of this drama is set in two countries: Spain (1934-1940) and France (1940-1944).

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** The Spanish title: El jugador de ajedrez

** Directed by Luis Oliveros

** Based on or inspired by the short novel The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig (first published in 1942)

** Screenplay written by Julio Castedo

** Languages: Spanish, French, and German

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 98 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Marc Clotet as Diego Padilla – a chess player

** Melina Matthews as Marianne Latour – a reporter

** Alejo Sauras as Javier Sanchez – Diego’s friend

** Lionel Auguste as Pierre Boileau – Marianne’s ex

** Stefan Weinert as Colonel Maier

** Iris Valles Torres as Margaux (age 3) – Diego & Marianne’s daughter

** Blanca Zurdo as Margaux (age 7)

 

As stated above, this is a historical and romantic drama, a fictional story placed in a historical context.

 

In this case, the context is Spain 1934-1940 and France occupied by Nazi Germany 1940-1944.

 

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say much about what happens in this drama. I will only tell you how the story begins:

 

Diego Padilla is a young chess player who lives in Madrid. In 1934, he defeats the national champion of chess. He is the new national champion of chess.

 

In the audience, watching the match, is the French reporter Marianne Latour. After the match, Diego and Marianne meet each other. They fall in love.

 

Two years later, in 1936, they are married and they have a daughter who is named Margaux.

 

It is a happy family. But fate is not kind to them. There are big problems around them:

 

** Spain is torn apart by the Civil War 1936-1939

** In 1939, World War II begins

** In 1940, when Diego, Marianne and Margaux are living in Paris, the northern and western part of France is occupied by Nazi Germany

 

This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends.

 

If you want to know what happens to Diego, Marianne, their daughter Margaux, and the people around them, you must watch the drama all the way to the end.

 

What do reviewers say about this drama?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 63 per cent

 

Six user reviews are posted on IMDb

 

Five reviews offer a specific rating, while one does not, but when I look at the contents, I think this reviewer offers a rating of around 80 percent.

 

Here are the headlines and the ratings offered by the other five reviews

 

70 percent = Great

80 percent = A finely crafted film

90 percent = A simple story, beautifully told

90 percent = Patience

100 percent = Humanizing

 

As you can see, the five user reviews posted on IMDb offer a rating which is higher than the average rating posted on the website.

 

I understand the positive ratings offered by the user reviews. I think the average rating posted on the website is too low.

 

Why?

 

I have at least three reasons:

 

# 1. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well.

# 2. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional.

# 3. While fictional, the story is placed in a historical context which seems very realistic.

 

One thing which makes this drama very realistic is the fact that several languages are spoken in this movie.

 

** When we are in Spain, people speak Spanish.

** When Diego, Marianne and Margaux move to France, the people around them speak French.

** The German soldiers who are in France speak German among each other.

 

The actors are well-chosen for their roles:

 

** Marc Clotet, who plays the Spanish chess player Diego Padilla, is a Spanish actor

 

** Melina Matthews, who plays the French reporter Marianne Latour, was born and raised in Barcelona.

 

Her father is from Wales, while her mother is French of Spanish descent.

 

She speaks four languages: English, French, Spanish and Catalan.

 

** Stefan Weinert, who plays the German Colonel Maier, is a German actor

 

** Lionel Auguste, who plays the French businessman Pierre Boileau, is a French actor

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS # 1. There are many movies and documentary films about chess and chess players.

 

Here is a recent example:

 

The Queen of Katwe is a biographical drama about Phiona Mutesi, a poor girl from Katwe - a district in Kampala, Uganda - who learns how to play chess, which changes her life in many ways.

 

Phiona Mutesi was born in 1996. The drama about her life and her career as a chess player premiered in 2016.

 

PS # 2. More movies about chess:

 

Searching for Bobby Fischer

(1993)

The Luzhin Defence

(2000)

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine

(2003)

Queen to Play

(2009)

Me and Bobby Fischer

(2009)

Bobby Fischer Against the World

(2011)

Barbaric Genius

(2011)

Brooklyn Castle

(2012)

Computer Chess

(2013)

Pawn Sacrifice

(2014)

Magnus

(2016)

The Coldest Game

(2019)

The Queen’s Gambit

(2020)

Chess Story (aka The Royal Game)

(2021)

Kasparov: Chess Rebel

(2022)

 

*****

The Spanish poster:

El jugador de ajedrez

A historical drama 

which premiered in 2017

 

*****

The Royal Game

(also known as Chess Story)

 A short novel by Stefan Zweig

First published in 1942

 

*****

The Austrian writer

Stefan Zweig

(1881-1942)

 

*****