I just saw on Netflex the French movie “Queen to Play.” It is about a married woman, who cleans homes for a living, going through a mid-life crises and decides to learn to play chess and become a tournament chess player. Although how fast she became good at chess was unrealistic, I thought it was a nice movie to watch.
That movie has been mentioned previously on these forums. I saw it at the Music Box theater in Chicago. Yes, definitely of Music Box quality! I’m glad Roger Ebert lived long enough to give it a favorable review.
Bill Smythe
I thought the film wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great either. Here’s my review from imdb:
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I figured out the plot in the first 20-30 minutes.
The chess scenes are well done. At least we don’t see the common goofs of having the board 90 degrees wrong (white on right), or the king and queen on the wrong squares (queen goes on its color). The mate in two problem is accurate. Kudos to the chess technical adviser.
Some pretty nice photography of the French (or is it Corsica?) countryside. Kevin Kline’s character is well drawn. They could have developed the teenage daughter a little more.
All in all, a nice chess fairy tale, even though I found the film very predictable.
I didn’t mind the predictability at all. It was a very nice, “feel good” movie for us chess enthusiasts.
Bill Smythe
Kevin Kline said he did zero ad-libbing during filming because he does not really speak French, and in the movie that is all they spoke.
The story line was lame, because she was just too instantly really good at chess.
Better if she had grown up playing her father, but had later lost touch with the game into adult-hood. All unbeknowst to anyone in her life now as an adult.
Then her interest in chess would have been re-kindled when she saw the chess set at Kevin’s house while she cleaned, much as the actual story line. But she never reveals her past experience with chess.
Then she could have surprised all the embarrased doubters, all the while keeping her chess past a secret.
And they lived happily ever after.
I think it was Samkovich.
Some previous discussion is at: main.uschess.org/forums/viewtopi … 01#p214301