The HBO Doc will start showing on Monday June 6, 2011. Believe it will starting showing on demand then also.
Russell Miller Vancouver WA (Home of 2012 US Open)
Expect to see lots of Tony Saidy, Shelby Lyman and Larry Evans. Also, some Henry Kissinger, Malcolm Gladwell, Harry Benson, David Cavett.
Think I read some where that Sam Sloan is in the film also. Believe that was mentioned in Joel Benjamin’s article in CHESS LIFE.
Russell Miller
Vancouver WA (Site of US Open 113 in 2012)
Yes, some Sloan, some Zsuzsa Polgar, a bit of Allen Kaufman and Asa Hoffmann.
I saw this at its St. Louis premiere and I have to say it was a very interesting movie. It’s fantastic that chess players in St. Louis are being given so many opportunities like this. After the movie there was a question and answer period with a panel that included Hikaru Nakamura!
I thought the spots with Evans were great. Overall, though I enjoyed the movie, I was left with a profound feeling of sadness – as could be expected, I suppose. So much potential wasted…
Sam Sloan had a couple of brief but interesting parts and I thought he actually contributed a little something to the film. Polgar was just a “talking head” as far as I’m concerned – she would have been interchangable with any number of other players.
Thanks for information. Looking forward to watching it Monday night.
It is in the “on demand” section–HBO–documentaries. It is available anytime today (6-6-11).
Thanks TIM! I watched the film. Interesting stuff. I have the photo book by Benson on order from Amazon. Due out about June 14.
Such a sad movie, recorded it, just watched it. Excellent footage, much I had never seen. Good to see all the characters of the 70’s, especially Shelby Lyman. My dad never did figure out why I refused to go to the Met game that day, instead choosing to stay home and watch the adjourned 13th game (which is my vote for most exciting endgame in championship history)
We could have had 40 more years of masterpieces from this guy. I don’t believe at all the prevalent statements in the film that Fischer “had to be crazy” in order to be such a genius at chess. I’m sorry, I can’t be that pessimistic. In fact, had he gotten proper treatment, I think he would have been a BETTER player. With the demons eliminated or reduced, his mind would have been freer to create.
I'm especially miffed that we got robbed of a Fischer-Kasparov match probably in the mid-80's. Nobody really believes Kasparov's claim that Karpov would have beaten Fischer in 1975 (assuming Fischer stayed active). This would have set up a true "Ali-Frazier" match. I figure Kasparov in about 1986 isn't quite at his peak, and Fischer at 43 might be a tad past his, so, it would be tough to predict who would have won. But, like I said, we wuz robbed.
Is the torrent out there yet?
It was interesting to listen to everyone offer his very own psychoanalysis of Fischer.
The documentary on Fischer that was done several years ago is available from links at chesscafe.com. Was interesting to read in Jon Berry’s column in the Globe and Mail that there will be more Fischer material on the DVD verison of the recent HBO film. Lots of press about the HBO film is available via a google search.
Reposted from a locked thread on USCF Issues.
The document Fischer was spitting on was from the US State department. Spitting is not my style but the document was worthy of total contempt in trying to bully Fischer. Fischer had a right to travel to work in his chosen profession. Neither Spasski nor the 100’s of journalists (and assorted others) were threatened by their home countries. Yasser Seriwan was not threatened by the US government for being at the site and writing a successful book.
The US State Department played a cheap publicity stunt and got the deserved response. All travel restrictions on US citizens (short of declared war) are un-Constitutional and I admire those who treat these restrictions with contempt.
You need to look up Milan Panic, the American that played Bobby Fischer before the match.
If your point is Milan Panic is not a nice man, it is inmaterial. Fidel Castro is not a nice man, but Fischer should have had the right to travel to Havana.
I’m only using Fischer as an example because this is a chess forum. The over-all point is that the State Department should not restrict our right to travel and engage in commerce based on its current whims.
For the record, I am pretty sure the document in question came from the US Treasury Department. It was an economic sanction.
You’re probably right; I knew that it wasn’t a UN document.