« The Queen’s Gambit » is quite a risky proposition in itself Netflix’s seven-part limited series features an emerging star in Anya Taylor-Joy; the escape best known for her work in horror hits like « The Witch » and « Split » is already a favorite of critics and young people. And yet, if her gripping performance is already a given, the lure of the story surrounding is anything but Scott Frank’s adaptation of Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel focuses on a subject typically deployed in film and television as a metaphor, typically by mature writers and aimed at an equally experienced audience. Chess, after all, is rarely described as a game for young people
It’s not particularly appealing to watch, either. Small wooden pieces slid slowly around a table don’t lend themselves easily to absorbing cinema, especially given the challenging nature of the game itself. « Pawn Sacrifice », « Computer Chess » and even Pixar’s short film « Geri’s Game » earned accolades for their performances, but none set the world on fire
« The Queen’s Gambit » may be the exception He deserves it, and Frank’s last limited series certainly was, when he took another old-fashioned genre – the western – and turned « Godless » into a considerable success (given its cultural impact) That same delicate attention to character, outstanding production design (via Uli Hanisch of « Babylon Berlin »), and excellent performances from a well-chosen cast transform her second Netflix limited series on chess into a compelling coming-of-age story with more info about her mind than what’s on the board
Take, for example, his first tease Using the tried-and-true flashback structure, Frank’s story begins in 1967 in Paris, as a young woman (Taylor-Joy) wakes up and crawls out of the room. bathtub, struggles to get together in her ransacked hotel suite and bangs back a few pills with a bottle of airplane vodka before going downstairs for her chess match.When she sits across from her opponent, the memories run through her head and the story begins over 10 years earlier, where Beth Harmon (played by Isla Johnston at age 9) is orphaned in a car accident and sent to live at home Methuen for girls
In and of itself, this glimpse into what’s to come also serves as an assurance of the type of story you’re watching You know Beth will become a chess star You know she will do it while battling addiction Very shortly after the time jump you even know how his mother died and what happened to his father « The Queen’s Gambit » is not a mystery, nor does it sound like a traditional sports story; you know she’s going to win – if not all of them, so most of the games she plays – so the suspense doesn’t come from the games themselves It comes from how she wins and why
An intimate character portrayal (but not a true story at all), « The Queen’s Gambit » embraces its main cast so warmly that it seems one of them could have worn their own series Bill Camp plays Mr. Shaibel, the guardian of the orphanage who teaches Beth to play chess via secret training sessions at the Camp basement, one of our best character actors, is arguably the third most important figure in the series. limited series, although it may have a few dozen words Mr. Shaibel is reserved and private; it is only through Beth’s stubborn curiosity that he even gives in to teaching her the rules, and their time transcends teaching orders on a few well-placed instances.However, Frank’s script and Camp’s focus make it easy understandable, understood and deeply felt; Camp’s muffled reaction to taking a photo with his precious student confirms a revealing moment that might otherwise have been overlooked
Yet just like your attachment to M Shaibel climaxes, Beth is taken to her foster family, and Marielle Heller, as Beth’s new mom, becomes a more than adequate surrogate, uh, Heller presence, who is best known lately for her directorial exploits in » A Teenage Girl’s Diary, ”“ Can you ever forgive me? ” and « A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood » turns into a performance that should make her as sought-after for acting roles as she is for directing concerts. As Alma Wheatley, Heller plays a housewife made complacent by her husband voluptuous and humiliating Mr. Wheatley (Patrick Kennedy) is still on the road and seems to have adopted Beth only to offer his wife another internal project to keep her busy
Again, Frank’s screenplay and performance come together to take a close look at the kind of person Alma has become without restricting who she really is to these stereotypes Many housewives of the 1950s have suffered like Alma, but her individuality blossoms as she and Beth embark on adventures – traveling the country to compete in chess tournaments, each daring to dream beyond the four walls or the tiny house their provides the company
Watching this relationship develop is fun in itself, but « The Queen’s Gambit » remains Beth’s story as well as Taylor-Joy Lumière’s showcase of the kind of big, showy acting scenes that grab attention. on themselves (and reward voters), Taylor-Joy trusts the character, the context, and her own command to keep viewers in love, and it works wonderfully Being so focused on the here and now helps keep the audience there with her, as so many unspoken moments – especially during chess matches – only connect through her richly detailed process Taylor-Joy understands people watching her to understand what’s going on in her competitions , and Frank trusts him to handle a silent exposure via a quick glance or a slight curl of his usually straight face Additionally, as Beth ages, becomes wiser and more confident, Taylor-Joy subtly transforms the way she walks, the way she responds to the world, and the way she absorbs new information. It’s so natural it’s easy to forget, but growing up on screen is hard and precise work, and this young talent makes it look easy
« The Queen’s Gambit » still suffers from structural issues and a few minor pacing issues With so many chess scenes, unsurprising redundancies appear, although it is usually not the matches that seem repetitive A loose middle section seems to have been cut into episodes based on time limits rather than definitive arcs (as Frank wrote a long movie instead of a short TV show), and there is a neatness in the resolution of the series that seems a bit at odds with his messy central figure That being said, the ending is a smash hit Frank manages to tie together several of his once disparate pieces for a climax too satisfying to be tarnished by plausibility issues; how badly you want to see those moments unfold should transcend any complaints about over-fitting writer’s bookends
Frank’s second limited series is another risk and another unexpected charmer Saying cast stealing is both real and a bit offhand about the measured work of each department that makes these seven episodes blackmail The time will tell if viewers young and old will enjoy « The Queen’s Gambit », but they absolutely should
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This article is related to: Television and tagged Anya Taylor-Joy, Netflix, Scott Frank, The Queen’s Gambit, TV Reviews
The Queen’s Gambit
World news – United States – « The Queen’s Gambit » review: beyond an impeccable Anya Taylor-Joy, Netflix’s delicate ploy carries its fruits
