Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.
Scenes
Reviews
★★★★★
Obsession comes in many flavors, and exists for a variety of reasons; for some it may be nothing more than a compulsive disorder, but for others it may be an avenue of survival. Lack of nurturing, combined with an inability to negotiate even the simplest neces...
★★★★★
A movie of outstanding brilliance and a poignant and unusual love story, the Luzhin Defence charts the intense attraction between an eccentric genius and a woman of beauty, depth and character.
It gives John Turturro what is probably his finest role to date (...
★★★★★
John Turturro, Emily Watson, Geraldine James, Stuart Wilson; directed by Marleen Gorris, loosely based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov The Luzhin Defence is set in nineteen-twenties Italy's lake district where the world championships of Chess are being staged...
★★★★★
'The Luzhin Defence' is a good film with fine central performances, but too much of the novel and not enough of the filmmaker's craft shines through. It felt through most of the film that the characters just helped to push the narrative along. Marlene Gorris c...
★★★★★
Alexandr "Sascha" Luzhin (John Turturro) is a former leading chess player attempting a comeback at an Italy-hosted tournament. His brilliance is unquestioned but his obsession with chess has stunted his growth in all other aspects of his life. Natalia (Emily W...
