Week 11 Screening 1

Bobby Fischer Against the World. 2011. Dir Liz Garbus.

The films opening introduction is by way of a cacophony of voiceovers underscored with music, the theme of the montage being the exploration of the life of Bobby Fischer. This technique is an excellent means to set the scene for the film that follows as it directs the mind towards wondering who is Bobby Fischer. It is a technique that could easily have gone wrong and been a needless distraction but in this instance it is done with skill. this film is primarily a talking heads documentary. The people that are interviewed for the film are from the center of the world of chess or are close to the subject of the film, this gives the films content an authenticity and fidelity.

Much like in the documentary Pulling John the film points out that the Russians are given state support while the Americans are given no such support. The observation is out of context and sticks out because of this. This attempt to slant the film is the one subjective pitch in an otherwise objective analysis of an individuals wasted potential and is noticeable because the rest of the film maintains its objective integrity. Charting the arc of Fischer's career from childhood until his death the documentary moves fast enough through the stages to not get stuck or bogged down at any one stage. Because this is a retrospective biography most of the footage is archival but it is brought to life with interviews. The interviews are responsible for the content but how they are edited and orchestrated in postproduction is what determines the ebb and flow of the film.  In this sense documentaries are an orchestration of content, and in the case of Bobby Fischer Against the world it is a well-orchestrated film that maintains viewer interest when it could have been immensely boring. It is after all a film about chess.