Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011)

'Bobby Fischer Against the World' is a documentary feature exploring the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer. The drama of Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable, ... See full summary »

Director:

Liz Garbus

Stars:

Bobby Fischer, David Edmonds, Anthony Saidy

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bobby Fischer	...	Himself (archive footage)
David Edmonds	...	Himself - Author
Anthony Saidy	...	Himself (as Dr. Anthony Saidy)
Susan Polgar	...	Herself
Henry Kissinger	...	Himself
David Shenk	...	Himself - Author
Gudmundur Thorarinsson	...	Himself - Match Organizer
Boris Spassky	...	Himself
Mikhail Tal	...	Himself (archive footage)
Garry Kasparov	...	Himself
Mikhail Botvinnik	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tigran Petrosian	...	Himself (archive footage)
Russell Targ	...	Himself
Larry Evans	...	Himself - Former Champion
Shelby Lyman	...	Himself

Storyline

'Bobby Fischer Against the World' is a documentary feature exploring the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer. The drama of Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable, from his troubled childhood, to his rock star status as World Champion and Cold War icon, to his life as a fugitive on the run. This film explores one of the most infamous and mysterious characters of the 20th century.

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Plot Keywords:

chess | troubled childhood | cold war | 1970s | iceland | 

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Taglines:

Tracing the life of the troubled chess genius from brilliant beginning to troubled endgame.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History | Sport

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK Iceland

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

6 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

64 cases pour un génie: Bobby Fischer

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Documentary Films, LM Media Production, Moxie Firecracker Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.20 (2011)

User Reviews

He let chess out of the board

A very comprehensive documentary about Bobby Fischer, this film doesn't constitute in itself a masterpiece of the documentary genre, yet its subject is very interesting to me.

Bobby Fischer is this brilliant chess player coming out of Brooklyn and literally living the American dream. He starts playing at 6 years old, quickly outshining players in his categories, reaches a moment when he fights the Russian chess world champion in the height of the cold war and wins, thus making popular the game of chess even in an anti- intellectual country as the US and revolutionising the game of chess itself.

Alas, soon after he pretty much goes insane, with bouts of paranoia and psychosis and ridiculous antisemitism (he was Jewish himself). The greatest win of the chess world was in the same time its greatest loss. It is painful to watch this great mind shrink and die under the weight of mental illness. The film is merciless in displaying it and does as much in bringing forth the legend of the greatest chess player of all time as it does to totally demolish it in the end. It is one of those stories where you would wish for the main character to die right after he wins the world championship. Too sad.

As for the chess itself, there was none. It is strictly a layman's story, about Bobby the man and of the people around him and the human footprint of his existence.