Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Searching for Bobby Fischer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 26, 2023

Steven Zaillian's "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by film historian Scott Harrison; new program with writer Brian Satterwhite; and several archival cast and crew interviews. In English, with optional English SDH subitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Thirty years ago, Steven Zaillian made his directorial debut with Searching for Bobby Fischer, which attempts to tell three different stories. As you can guess, one of them is about the legendary American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer, who in 1972 shocked the world by defeating the great Soviet chess grandmaster Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Island. It is said that their clash was so closely monitored and consequential that in some ways rivaled the FIFA World Cup, which is an event that takes place every four years and slows down the entire planet. The other two stories overlap and eventually become one. They are about young boys, both in love with chess, one of them playing the other.

Zaillian worked with original material that came from a good novel written by Fred Waitzkin, the father of Josh Waitzkin, who is one of the three characters whose stories are told in Searching for Bobby Fischer. The real Josh does appear in the film -- and then very quickly disappears -- but is played by Max Pomeranc, who was an aspiring chess player as well. All of this is very important to underscore because later it will help you understand why the overlapping of the two stories that is mentioned above was almost certainly unavoidable.

Fischer’s perplexing disappearance after his triumph in Reykjavik is the starting point of the film -- it establishes a direct link to Josh’s fascination with chess, which is the catalyst of everything that happens in it. In other words, the title of the film mimics a smart chess play because it reveals an intent to go in one direction but then surprises by heading in a different direction. Despite frequently highlighting different aspects of the mystique that surrounded Fischer after his disappearance, the film then begins to follow closely Josh’s transformation into a formidable chess player. The transformation surprises his father (Joe Mantegna) but not his mother (Joan Allen) and introduces two older men into his life with drastically different understandings of how the game of chess ought to be played. The first (Laurence Fishburne) is a poor amateur chess player who spends virtually all his time in Washington Square Park in New York City, engaging in games that are played for money. The second (Ben Kingsley) is a retired chess master with a great reputation who occasionally mentors young and very promising chess players. As Josh learns from both and begins participating in major chess events across the country, it gradually becomes obvious that he is paying a hefty price.

The information about Fischer, which is a combination of some archival material and narrated commentary on his life, is well-known, so it cannot be described as illuminating. (It could be illuminating only to viewers who discover Fischer through the film and begin to realize that he was a most unusual, often oddly controversial character). Josh’s story is essentially a carefully scripted emotional tale about a child whose childhood is being taken away from him by adults who supposedly want the best for him. Unfortunately, this story is hardly intriguing. Why? Because it is the story of every child who has suffered while being reshaped into a virtuoso violinist or pianist, virtuoso ballet dancer, or the next Albert Einstein. In other words, it is a story about a painful trade in which a childhood is sacrificed for the same version of a supposedly glorious future.

Pomeranc’s character is not a perfect replica of the real Josh, who won the U.S. Junior Chess championship in 1993 and 1994. In an interview that was conducted with him shortly after the film was released and is included on this release, the real Josh also clarifies that he did not aspire to be the next Fischer. However, at the time Pomeranc was interested in evolving into a proper chess player, which is likely why as the film progresses it very much begins to look like there is some unintentional overlapping of elements from two similar stories.

Fischer publicly complained that he was never contacted with a request for permission to use his name in the film. Later, he described it as a “monumental swindle”, which seems fair considering how the film takes advantage of his name and life story.

Searching for Bobby Fischer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Searching for Bobby Fischer arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

This recent release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures, which is not good. It produces visuals that quite simply do not have proper delineation and depth, so quite often many of them look like upscaled material. Clarity is problematic too, especially during indoor and darker footage where there should be plenty of nuances. Grain exposure is very problematic. It is quite easy to tell that filtering adjustments were applied when the master was finalized, possibly to make it look smoother and cleaner. As a result, the entire film has a very unattractive digital appearance. Color balance is stable. However, neither the primaries nor the supporting nuances look healthy. Image stability is good. However, I noticed several very oddly framed shots -- some close-ups and some wider shots -- so I do not think that everything is properly framed even in the 1.78:1 ratio. Some blemishes and dark spots can be seen, but there are no large cuts, damage marks or debris. To sum it all up, Searching for Bobby Fischer will have to properly remastered, either in 2K or 4K, so that it regains its organic qualities and looks as it should in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Searching for Bobby Fischer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and did not perform any comparisons with the LPCM 2.0 track. I thought that the 5.1 track was very nice. All exchanges were very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Balance was good, too. The music score creates plenty of memorable contrasts as well, but because there are no action sequences dynamic intensity is rather limited. If there is any room for improvement, I would say that all possible adjustments will be cosmetic. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Searching for Bobby Fischer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film historian Scott Harrison. I have to be honest and write that I found it a bit perplexing. Mr. Harrison discusses Steven Zaillian's work and rightfully points out that some areas of Searching for Bobby Fischer are lensed quite well. However, the grain he addresses is not on the current master, plus the interesting shadow and contrast effects are practically eliminated. I also disagree with the statement that Zaillian's best work is in The Irishman, but at least this is simply an opinion.

• "Maybe it's Better Not to Win: Scoring Searching for Bobby Fischer" - in this new program, writer Brian Satterwhite discusses James Horner's soundtrack and how it impacts the progression of the drama. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Archival Interviews (1993) - the bulk of the information addresses the production of Searching for Bobby Fischer and the dilemmas the main characters face, as well as the life and public image of the iconic chess grandmaster. Josh Waitzkin's comments are particularly interesting. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Director Steven Zaillian. (5 min).
  2. Ben Kingsley. (6 min).
  3. Joan Allen. (5 min).
  4. Laurence Fishburne. (5 min).
  5. Chess author Bruce Pandolfini. (6 min).
  6. Actor/prodigy chess player Max Pomeranc and prodigy chess player Josh Watzkin. (7 min).

Searching for Bobby Fischer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The controversial chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer had some extremely harsh words for Steven Zaillian's film, but it is not at all difficult to understand what inspired them. The great irony is that the film attempts to tell multiple stories, and for different reasons they all feel oddly underwhelming and incomplete. I saw the film theatrically when it opened in my neck of the woods, and I vividly remember that there were many more viewers in the theater like me that were quite surprised by it -- some liked it a lot, some felt cheated. Imprint Films' release is sourced from an old and weak master, but has a good selection of bonus features. If you want it in your collection, you should try to pick it up when it goes on sale.