Bobby Fischer Against the World

There is one scene that is probably the most telling about Bobby Fischer: he is talking about his childhood, talking about chess -- what else would he talk about, except for one topic that I will only briefly discuss below -- and he describes playing chess. Against himself.The media and the world think that Bobby Fischer was against them. But perhaps in some ways, he really worked more against himself. But he didn't have much choice. His mom left when he was in his mid-teens, as "he could take care of himself," and so just like chess, he had to learn the rules of life on his own. In some ways this is good -- many rules that the world imposes on people are very artificial and flawed -- but in some ways bad -- it's difficult to navigate life without understanding the social mores of the "commoners." And Mr. Fischer surely tweren't no commoner. Hey, that's the way it is.Awhile back, I read the book "Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall," and it was a terrific read. That book went into far more details about Mr. Fischer's life than this movie -- it's much easier with literature -- and it would have been nice in a way if this book dealt with his life a little more outside of chess. This film, if it has a weakness, is that it concentrates so much of its time on The World Championship Match in Iceland. Sure, that was the pinnacle of his success, but it was the point where he threw in the towel as well and decided to retire. I really wish that he would have played against Karpov in 1976 (or so), but it was not to be. Mr. Fischer did not like to lose, and while he probably would have won easily against a patser like Karpov (OK, Karpov was no patzer but he surely wasn't a Bobby Fischer), Mr. Fischer knew there was a chance that he could stumble.Now, there are a few things about Mr. Fischer that everyone (unfortunately) concentrates on. 1. He retired too early. Check. 2. He was obstinate and "childish" about playing for the world title. Personally, I think that he was a better businessman than people give him credit for. After all, he did make millions off chess, and he never would have if he hadn't pushed for higher earnings for ALL chess players. 3. Anti-Semitism. Well, there is a scene where Jeremy Schaap takes Mr. Fischer to task about this. While Mr. Fischer surely went overboard with his rants, I believe that journalists should report news and not make news. Take that.I've seen this film twice, and while it's not perfect, it's still really good. I just wish that Mr. Fischer could have fought off his own demons and fought off Karpov right after that.

This excellent documentary covers what is known about Bobby Fischer well. It traces his remarkable life in chess from the childhood he never had to his ultimate descent into madness and eventual death. Along the way it covers his world championship match against Boris Spassky, which I thought was the best part of the movie. The use of what original images and interviews of Bobby exist was good and it was nice to see him and hear him as he actually was. Obviously one is left with great disappointment that Bobby couldn't hold his mind together long enough to defend his title even once given how dominating he was leading up to and during the Spassky match, but that is part of the Greek Tragedy aspect of his life. The commentary was quite good in speculating about a relationship between brilliance (at least in chess) and mental illness and this also affected the other greatest American player -- Paul Morphy. As with all of the "brilliant but eccentric" type movies I have seen, this one doesn't in my opinion try enough to actually show the viewer Bobby's brilliance at what he was brilliant at -- Chess. I would have liked at least a token effort to play though one of his great games or at least part of one, and more perspective on how truly unbelievable his results were crushing the worlds finest on the way to the world championship, results that distinguish him from all others. But like movies on the brilliant but flawed, including those on Nash, Feynman, and Hawking, the movie aims for a broad audience who the film makers likely expect wouldn't understand or appreciate even a light explanation of what he contributed and why it was brilliant. Too bad. The serious chess player will miss that in this film. I look forward to the upcoming docu-drama about Bobby starring Toby McGuire, and this documentary would be good preparation for anyone who does not know the facts of Bobby's life before going to "Pawn Sacrifice" so one can distinguish the "docu" from the "drama."

Let me get this straight.Boris Spassky complained that electronic waves were messing with his brain but Bobby Fischer is crazy because 70s dinosaur tv cameras in the play area are making too much noise?The heavyweights in every major competitive event showboat to get more publicity, money, or mess with the opponent's mind, but Bobby Fischer doing it was crazy?Every "man on the street" interview show people loved him but a few supposed celebrities don't like him so that's everybody?People complained he had become reclusive. So, he agrees to a match with Spassky in a country we had no business dropping bombs on. Then right away the United States government under Clinton AND Bush chased this man to the ends of the earth (when they should have been devoting resources to finding Ben Ladin) for decades... into his 60s and these people charge him with being paranoid? As if he should not have been? Why wasn't Spassky treated this way? He played chess there, too. Fischer becomes bitter and resentful and pops off with the mouth a lot. As if this is not understandable?After he dies, for whatever reason, they dig up his remains even. And history wonders that he was bitter towards the world.Talk about his empathy what about humanity's empathy? See the late, great Murray Rothbard's alternative view in "Bobby Fischer: The Lynching of the Returning Hero (October 1992)."

Expensive for a DVD that lasts 1 1/2 hrs. However, it is obviously a 'niche' product, brought out by a small, specialist film company, so one can't complain. It is certainly interesting in that it gives an outline of Bobby Fischer's upbringing and his amazing chess playing skills. There was a lot of cutting to interviews with various professionals who knew him throughout his life, and of course, extensive shots of him playing chess - in Reykjavik during the world championships and elsewhere. All in all, not exciting, but a glimpse into the mind of a genius: someone who is obsessive about perfecting his one skill, to the exclusion / detriment of everything / everyone else around him.I noted that there was not much reference to his anti-semitic rantings and only a short passing reference to his outburst (in the Philippines, not in Japan) condoning the 9/11 attacks on New York. Which is a shame, because it would have given more of an insight into the whole person, and how a brilliant (single minded) mind can disintegrate into paranoia and withdrawal from the world.

I was a keen chess player of 9 at the time of the Reykjavik 1972 World Chess Championship between Fischer and Spassky, and even at this age was drawn to the "Cold War' clash between the US and the USSR, between the brilliant newcomer and the World Champion. I remember reading chess books after the event, and took a slight but definite long term interest in a chess hero of my youth. I was always hoping he would return to chess, and watched his slide from sanity with sadness.This DVD concentrates on the 1972 Reykjavik final, the 'Match of the Century', and then follows Fischer's life to his demise. So does the DVD capture the feel of that time? I think in large part it does. It is essentially a documentary with footage of the time, much of which I'd never seen. There are interviews with Fischer, which captures his single-mindedness, and total focus on chess throughout his early life. It also details his loss of sanity, and examines possible reasons for this. It contains interviews with those associated with chess and Fischer throughout his life. There is also detailed commentary on the 1972 match, with many of the games, and the shenanigans associated with the game arising from Fischer's game-playing/paranoia.Personally, and with a hopeless chess bias, I would have liked greater commentary on the chess, but that is available elsewhere. Where this DVD works is as a portrait of a real genius, set against the backdrop of the Cold War, his incredible early successes, and finally the slide into madness often associated with such intense and isolated focus on a single field.

It's a good film about a great player. I still remember the big match in 1972. Nice Special Features. I just wish that the DVD had some subtitles. I don't expect danish subtitles(!) but it would be helpful with english. Playing time (for the film only) is 93 min.The danish version (which I got in Denmark) only last 89 min (even though it says 92 min on the cover!), and I don't think that any scenes are missing. So maybe the English to Danish DVD transfer were speeded up by mistake??? My dvd-player is not broken!

An enjoyable film which showed some insight into a chess genius.Dvd delivered promptly.

Before watching this I had merely heard the name Bobby Fischer and knew he had been a chess champion at some point. This film however corrected that by building a comprehensive picture of his life from cradle to grave and raised/answered the questions of what made him special and what made him crazy. Worth watching whether you're into chess or not. Great, but tragic, story of a highly flawed genius.