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All Movie Info
Starring:
John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, Paul Scofield, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, Christopher McDonald, Johann Carlo, Elizabeth Wilson, Mira Sorvino, Griffin Dunne, Martin Scorsese, Barry Levinson, Illeana Douglas
Directed By:
Robert Redford
Written By:
Paul Attanasio
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Quiz Show (1994)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
May 10th, 2008
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The quiz shows of the 1950s were a phenomenon primarily because they existed at a time when people were praised by the public for their intellect, where academics and university professors were highly respected, and could be every bit as famous as movie stars. These shows rewarded contestants for their knowledge on a variety of topics, essentially made them celebrities because of their intelligence, or at least their ability to recall information they may have memorized. There is a distinction between quiz shows and what are now called game shows. The quiz shows of old were about answering trivia questions, most of which could only be answered successfully by those of above-average education, those who had attended college or maybe just high school, only a few may have dealt with popular culture, a vast majority dealt with more substantive topics, like history, literature, and science. Game shows in modern society (with the possible exception of Jeopardy) are more about being lucky than smart, involving games of some kind, ones that are simple, ones that are more complex, but all of which could be solved by pretty much anybody. The Price Is Right, for instance, requires knowledge of how much certain items cost, whether cars, kitchen appliances, or grocery products. However, one could do well on it by guessing, picking some random number and hoping it fits somewhere. Wheel of Fortune is nothing more than a sophisticated version of Hangman.
Quiz shows are a thing of the past, they no longer have the appeal they once did, and this has to due primarily with the quiz show scandals of the 1950s, depicted here in this remarkable drama from Robert Redford. This movie focuses on the scandal surrounding the show Twenty-One (briefly revived with Maury Povich as the host a few years back), where contestant Charles Van Doren (the Ken Jennings of his day), from a prominent family of academics, with a teaching position at Columbia, went on a weeks-long streak that riveted national audiences, boosted ratings of NBC, and the stock price of Geritol, until he fell into disgrace after it was revealed that he had been given the answers to the questions in advance. Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) is a handsome, well-groomed WASP brought in to replace Herbert Stempel (John Turturro), a geeky, obnoxious Jew whose appeal is running out, according to slimy executive Dan Enright (David Paymer), the producer of the show. Van Doren is troubled by the idea that he will be participating in a show that is rigged in his favor; it is a blow to his personal integrity, and certainly to that of his honorable father Mark (Paul Scofield), an esteemed poet and literary scholar.
Van Doren is not an extremely wealthy man, so is swayed by the prospect of earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, and also by the fact that he will become a national icon. No one is supposed to know what is really going on. But Herbert, who has gambled away and made bad investments with his winnings, is ready to spill the beans. This catches the attention of Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow), a young investigator for a congressional committee, who intends to find out if there is any truth behind Stempel's allegations. He finds that the truth goes deeper than anyone could have suspected. It is never any real secret that the show is rigged; Van Doren is informed of it right from the start. It is suspenseful as we wait to see if Van Doren will be caught, if he will be implicated, Goodwin is willing to leave him out of it, simply out of fondness.
It makes us wonder if we would have done what Van Doren did if confronted with the same circumstances, a guaranteed get-rick quick scheme. Stempel accepted it, too, but was apparently not fed as many answers as Van Doren, only those he did not know. The real trick is to make it look natural, and we are shown that the fans in those small, soundproof booths are turned off so that the contestants sweat profusely, coached on how exactly to wipe their brow, and look like they are really struggling to think of an answer. Redford and his screenwriter Paul Attanasio are not afraid to name names, implicating Enright, his partner Al Freedman (Hank Azaria), NBC president Bob Kintner (Allan Rich), the company that sells Geritol (represented here by a character played by Martin Scorsese), and show host Jack Barry (Christopher MacDonald), whose entertainment career was nearly ruined, even though he eventually made a comeback (as did Enright) and amassed a fortune. The most unfortunate victim was Van Doren himself, whose reputation was forever tarnished; he lost his job at Columbia, and never escaped his shameful legacy. The corporations always manage to dodge responsibility and repercussions it seems.
This is an interesting and involving film, with terrific performances, especially from Fiennes and Turturro, Morrow and the exquisite supporting cast, which includes Mira Sorvino as Goodwin's wife, Oscar nominee Scofield (who shares a poignant and powerful scene with Fiennes as Charles tells his father that he cheated on the show, and the old man reacts with speechless pain and humiliation), and a very effective Paymer. I also really liked MacDonald, who portrays the image-obsessed Barry to perfection. The sense of authenticity is overwhelming, as is the attention to the fine behind-the-scene details. Redford's best directorial effort; it earned a deserved Best Picture nomination.
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