The Queen’s Gambit tells the story of Elizabeth Harmon, a young woman with a troubled past who turns out to be a true chess genius. Over the course of a decade (roughly) we follow Elizabeth’s life from orphan to chess superstar. Drama intertwines with passion, chess with addiction, the desire to be loved with the sacrifices the genius must make.
In short, the film is the bomb!
The Queen Gambits
one, let’s start at the beginning: Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon. The main character in The Lady Gambit is played by Isla Johnston (Beth as a child) and Anya Taylor Joy (Beth for most of the film). Both actresses are mega freaky and absolutely excellent acting. They both manage to portray extremely well the fact that Beth is a child who’s mother messed up badly as a child (as we discover over the course of the film). And both have an absolutely mesmerizing look about them.
What’s brilliant about The Lady Gambit is that it manages to portray extremely well (the phrase of the moment it seems) the anguish the genius goes through. At one point in the film I can’t remember who says to Beth… I think it’s Mr. Shaibel… something along the lines (I’m paraphrasing now, only the idea stuck with me, not its exact reproduction) that life is like a coin. On one side is talent and on the other side are the things you have to give up to cultivate your talent. Well, Beth has to give up a lot, but she’s also “lucky” in that her crazy mother is somehow preparing her to make it on her own in life. Not with the obvious substance addiction or fear of failure, just everything else.
The Queen’s Gambit Chess Move
Basically, I really liked that the writers didn’t idealize Beth’s life. Chess basically isn’t an easy sport and it’s by no means a popular sport, any more than it was in the 60s. Moreover, being a woman playing chess at a high level is still exceptional today, clearly not commonplace in a time when women were barely allowed to work. And last but not least, when any man excels in a field, let alone when he presents himself as a “child prodigy”, the pressure on him is incredible. Not going crazy under these conditions can only mean that you are a bit of a robot. So I expected Elizabeth Harmon to have a low moment, but not that low. I won’t say more because I don’t want to give away spoilers :D.
Another thing I really liked about the movie was that they didn’t go overboard with political correctness. I’ve had a problem with that since they banned Gone with the Wind on the grounds that it’s racist. I’m not racist, far be it from me to think so. However, it seems to me that the whole politically correct thing has gone a bit haywire in the desire to mainstream everyone. You can’t change history just because we’re all cumbaya now and holding hands people by people (that’s not even happening). Racism existed and exists. Slavery existed and exists. .
Walter Tevis – The Queen’s Gambit
Going back to the Lady Gambit, there were no characters of all races and nationalities in the movie just because that’s the way it should be so people don’t feel bad. We’re talking 1960s America. The world was the way it was then. People were the way they were then. Minorities had few rights, no access to education, no access to the greatest jobs and so on. What’s more, the film is based on a book (which I plan to read at some point), so the writers didn’t exactly have all the creative freedom in the world. As a result, I really liked it exactly as it was because I found the film much more authentic… not because I’m white and have lived my whole life with privilege.
Where did my observation in the previous paragraph come from, you may be wondering, well from watching this clip related to the style of dress in the film and beyond:
The clip is really cool. I learned a lot of stuff from it, especially in regards to the style in The Lady Gambit, which I loved. It drew my attention to some things that I had completely ignored that speak to the subtleties of the film. Such as the fact that at the time of the Paris match with Borgov Elizabeth is wearing a dress that is the exact colour of the pills she was addicted to. Or the fact that in her final outfit she looks exactly like the white queen on the chessboard. I really recommend the clip. I just didn’t resonate with the chick’s desire to see more diversity in terms of characters.
