Quiz Show (1994)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Robert Redford

Writers (WGA):

Paul Attanasio (screenplay)
Richard N. Goodwin (book)

Release Date:

14 September 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

Fifty million people watched, but no one saw a thing.

Plot:

Dick Goodwin discovers game shows are fixed: pretty boy WASP Charles Van Doren is fed answers so he beats geeky Jew Herbie Stempel.

Plot Keywords:

Columbia University | Television | Investigation | Fraud | 1950s

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

John Turturro	...	Herbie Stempel
Rob Morrow	...	Dick Goodwin
Ralph Fiennes	...	Charles Van Doren
Paul Scofield	...	Mark Van Doren
David Paymer	...	Dan Enright
Hank Azaria	...	Albert Freedman
Christopher McDonald	...	Jack Barry
Johann Carlo	...	Toby Stempel
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Dorothy Van Doren
Allan Rich	...	Robert Kintner
Mira Sorvino	...	Sandra Goodwin
George Martin	...	Chairman
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Lishman
Griffin Dunne	...	Account Guy
Michael Mantell	...	Pennebaker

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate no. 32957) | Netherlands:AL | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:6 (w) | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

Charles Van Doren's resignation was accepted at Columbia, and he went on to become editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica for two decades (and wrote "How to Read a Book" and others, though didn't publish under his real name for many years after the scandal).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the beginning, Goodwin overhears news about Sputnik's launch. Van Doren appeared on "21" from November 1956 to March 1957. The Soviets launched Sputnik in October 1957.

Quotes:

Charles Van Doren: [to Enright after his first fixed show] "So pure it floats", hmm?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Quiz Show (#2.22)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

DANCING IN THE DARK

Fantastic film, phenomenal performances

It would be pretty surprising if Quiz Show, Robert Redford's film about the 1950's quiz show scandals was anything short of excellent. The principal actors give phenomenal performances: Fiennes' Van Doren is usually unflappable and cold, but manages to allow vulnerability to surface at times, and Turturro's Stempel is a study in almost sociopathic and manic behavior. What allows both actors to transcend mere greatness is their ability to make the viewer both admire and detest their characters with something as subtle as a glance or body language. Morrow's character of the `whistle-blower' is there as the moral fiber; the outsider who looks upon the situation both with objectivity and as the devil's advocate.

Redford's direction is rich and well-paced. There were not any slow moments in the film, and he did not have to adhere to rapid-fire editing to achieve the momentum of the film. Perhaps the subject matter is a factor, but I have found that with the exception of `Ordinary People', the films I have seen under Redford's direction have been good in a technical respect but lean toward the maudlin. With Quiz Show, he does what should be done when telling a true story – he does not resort to preaching, rather he directs with an objectivity that allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions.

Quiz Show is an excellent film that I highly recommend, especially to see the razor-sharp performances of Fiennes and Turturro.

--Shelly