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The Great Chess Movie

Name: The Great Chess Movie
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1982-09-10
Cast: Pascal Rollin, Anatoli Karpov, Viktor Kortchnoi, Fernando Arrabal, Boris Spassky

1982 | 79 min | Documentary

Monday Morning Maybeearly rating

Why it’s a Monday Morning Maybe

With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Right up the alley of the curious. You'll come away knowing something you didn't.
The mood: Eye-opening.
The pace: Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 19 min. Done before bedtime.
What might put you off: It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

In this Gilles Carle feature documentary on the game of chess, the international chess match is cast as a classic Western shoot-out. Three chess greats dominate the film: Russia's Anatoly Karpov; Viktor Korchnoi, a Russian defector; and American Bobby Fischer. Chess aficionados Camille Coudari and Fernando Arrabal analyze the personalities and strategies of the players and comment on the interplay of politics and chess.

How it earned its rating

CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 1K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Camille Coudari, Gilles Carle

Pascal RollinNarrator (voice)
Anatoli KarpovSelf
Viktor KortchnoiSelf
Fernando ArrabalSelf
Boris SpasskySelf
Bobby FischerSelf (archive footage)