Quiz Show

Fifty million people watched, but no one saw a thing

QUIZ SHOW (15)

D: Robert Redford

Hollywood/Wildwood/Baltimore (Robert Redford, Michael Jacobs, Julian Krainin & Michael Nozik)

US 1994

132 mins

Drama

W: Paul Attanasio [based on the book "Remembering America: A Voice From The Sixties" by Richard N. Goodwin]

DP: Michael Ballhaus

Ed: Stu Linder

Mus: Mark Isham

PD: Jon Hutman

Ralph Fiennes (Charles van Doren), Rob Morrow (Richard N. Goodwin), John Turturro (Herb Stempel), Paul Scofield (Mark van Doren), David Paymer (Dan Enright), Hank Azaria (Albert Freedman), Christopher McDonald (Jack Barry)

Quiz Show is an intelligent dissection of both American media and the American dream, focusing on the real life scandal of a popular quiz show during the 1950's, which fed its most popular contestants the answers to the questions before the show went on air.

The most popular contestant at the time was Herbert Stemple (John Turturro), a Jew from Brooklyn who was experiencing more fame and fortune than he could dare dream. But after he loses his place on the pedestal to Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), college professor from a wealthy family, Stemple blows the whistle on the producers and Boston journalist Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow) investigates.

Robert Redford's film is blessed with both superb acting performances and an intelligent screenplay of witty and incisive dialogue.

If anything, it fails to answer the big $50,000 question, which is just left hanging at the end like an unwritten chapter. But then again, does anyone care?

8/10