The Luzhin Defense

Writer: Peter Berry

Director: Marleen Gorris
Director of Photography: Bernard Lutic
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Editor: Michiel Reichwein
Lead Actors: John Turturro, Emily Watson
Year: 2000

The Luzhin Defense is a beautifully filmed and acted period piece. The film’s screenplay is loosely based on Vladimir Nabokov’s book, “The Defense”. It is the story of a man so absorbed in his game he, in some ways, lost grasp of real life. This left him with an eccentric disposition and a queer way of communicating and relating to others. The match that could leave him with the world championship was the climax of his pursuit. This tournament not only brought him in front of the goal, but also face to face with what his life meant.

The man, Aleksandr Ivanovich (Luzhin) played exceptionally well by John Turturro, was indeed an odd fellow, but at times in a charming kind of way. Certainly this strangeness was one of the major factors for which Natalia fell for him. She was attracted to him despite the intense disapproval of her mother, who clearly missed whatever it was her daughter saw. Natalia liked the idea of marrying a genius, but had her work cut out for her as she would need to expand her love’s exclusive world.

Then Aleksandr’s old chess ‘tutor’ shows up, who seems to have some queer motivations for getting back involved. This man is intent on seeing the outcome of the tournament, which is beginning to weigh heavily both physically and emotionally on the master. Not for the least of reasons is Natalia’s pressure to lay the obsession aside. Poor Aleksandr is being pulled from both arms, the pressure of which causes major ill-affects. It seems the defense Luzhin chooses is to resign.

Interspersed throughout the film were glimpses into John’s childhood, which seemed to be hard for others and thus hard for him. His obsession with chess caused the exclusion of other things. His childhood, as it is with all of us, seemed to shape who the man was. I didn’t always catch the things that were meant to add continuity to the flashbacks (perhaps I’m not as trained at noticing those things), so things seemed a bit choppy to me when we went to see John as a child. But really didn’t bother me or take me out of the film.

I am very familiar with Alexadre Desplat’s music, but hadn’t heard any of it paired with a film, so that was one of the reasons The Luzhin Defense interested me. Once again, the French maestro composes a delightful score. There are moments full of calculated energy, dark and brooding moments, and tense ones. And of course, we wouldn’t have a Desplat score without a waltz.

The locations in the film were wonderful. The outdoor ones especially as we see the Italian lake settings and the hotel grounds that held the tournament. It all suited the film well, without getting too glamorous to cloud the intimate heart the story has.

The love story ends with a crash and crashes to an end. But picks up where it left off in a great, dramatic way. Although the end is heartbreaking, I don’t think one would be entirely disappointed by the finish.