Quiz Show

1. raydff

   Jun 19, 2013

   10

   "I can't decide if you think too much of me or too little." Redford keeps enlightening me on issues I wasn't previously aware of. Eye-opening"I can't decide if you think too much of me or too little." Redford keeps enlightening me on issues I wasn't previously aware of. Eye-opening (as to what networks could get away with) and entertaining. It is everything you could possibly ask for in a film.… Expand

   • 5 of 5 users found this helpful
2. NathanT.

   Aug 11, 2006

   10

   "Quiz Show" can proudly take its place as the most underrated of all great 90s films. Taken from a brief passage in Richard Goodwin's "Quiz Show" can proudly take its place as the most underrated of all great 90s films. Taken from a brief passage in Richard Goodwin's excellent "Remembering America: A Voice From the Sixties," it tells the story of corruption in a game show circa 1957. Howard Stempel, the Jewish working class intellectual played by John Turturro to perfection, is made to take a dive so that the good looking affluent Charles Van Doren can improve the show's waning ratings. Ralph Fiennes gives an incredible performance as a good decent WASP thinker; a man who has seen people do manual labor---as he was walking to his class on astrophysics or Germanic literature. Rob Morrow plays Dick Goodwin, the bright-eyed attorney who smells something totally afoul with the show and follows every lead he can with only nominal support from the government office where he works. Why does any of this matter now? The point is that the specifics of the quiz show scandal don't matter really, but there ramifications have been felt more than ever in the age of Enron and corporate malfeasance. This is Robert Redfiord's meditation on the slow death of everything America once stood for, yet he never indicts us as viewers. The ethical conflicts seen in the main characters, especially Van Doren, rise to the level of Shakespearian drama in parts. Also enjoy phenomenal supporting work from Mira Sorvino as Goodwin's wife ("You are like the Uncle Tom of the Jews," she says to him near the climax) and English actor Paul Scofield as Van Doren's father in a performance that was nominated for an Academy Award. All of these performances could have been nominated. They're that good. Above all though, "Quiz Show" succeeds on the most important level a film can: it's ridiculously entertaining.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. claudiuanophel

   Feb 12, 2014

   10

   A very well created fresco of this behind the scenes film. It caches in a brilliant way how mass media, this giant agent of socializationA very well created fresco of this behind the scenes film. It caches in a brilliant way how mass media, this giant agent of socialization manipulates people. It just gives them what they want to see, keeping them away from the real problems of life. Even one of the greatest intellectual figures of that time is trapped in this game, giving us a great example of the strength that surrounds the men we cannot see. They are simply there, playing with the weakness of the human being, turning it in their favour.… Expand

   • 3 of 3 users found this helpful
5. JackL.

   Jul 25, 2007

   8

   A very intelligent and thoughtful film. Also very entertaining of course. It makes us ponder on the morally complex issues of fame, money, A very intelligent and thoughtful film. Also very entertaining of course. It makes us ponder on the morally complex issues of fame, money, reputation, free choice, temptation, justice, and truth. Good film!!!… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Compi24

   Nov 28, 2012

   8

   "Quiz Show" is a 1994 Best Picture Nominated film directed by Robert Redford. The film tells the true story of a Congressional investigator"Quiz Show" is a 1994 Best Picture Nominated film directed by Robert Redford. The film tells the true story of a Congressional investigator (Rob Morrow) who is soon wrapped up in a web of conspiracy surrounding a popular game show called "Twenty One". Now, the plot of the movie has always been something of interest to me because I always love a good quiz show now and then. The thought of a quiz show being rigged has entered my mind on occasion, and this film properly explores that subject in depth. One of the greatest aspects of this film is its performances from Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro. Turturro's character is the man who is told to "take a dive" because he is not as aesthetically pleasing as Fiennes' character, and their performances really help draw a line of contrast between the two of them. Rob Morrow also did a very good job in the film's leading role. The Academy-Award Nominated script is also something I found to be very well executed as well. There's some fairly memorable, compelling, and even at times amusing dialogue all throughout this screenplay and I truly enjoyed watching this story unfold on screen. Robert Redford's Directorial work really shines in his fourth film - he's proven himself to be a jack-of-all-trades. The movie also does an astounding job of exploring just how pivotal TV was to the American population during the 1950s. Overall, I felt that "Quiz Show" was a riveting period drama that presented a very fascinating look into the Game Show Scandal of the 1950s.… Expand

   • 3 of 3 users found this helpful
7. Spangle

   Jun 2, 2015

   8

   Honestly, I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did, but yet, here I am. Quiz Show is a truly great film from the typically sureHonestly, I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did, but yet, here I am. Quiz Show is a truly great film from the typically sure handed Robert Redford featuring strong performances from a great cast that includes John Turturro, Rob Morrow, and Ralph Fiennes. A film about quiz shows and how fixed they truly are, this one really manages to create incredible tension throughout as you watch everything unfold. There were numerous scenes that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what unfolded, which I most certainly did not expect. An interesting film about networks, how they operate, and how they create/market celebrities to the public, Quiz Show is a film that often gets lost in the shuffle of the 1990s, but that is too bad. Ultimately, nothing it reveals is overly groundbreaking, yet it still manages to really captivate its viewers and provide an interesting statement on networks and the idea of celebrity. Overall, Quiz Show is a very well made, well written, and well acted, film that works on multiple levels.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. Mr_Muumi

   Jul 14, 2013

   6

   The Quiz Show is slow-paced, clever historical drama that doesn't need to rely on other means of capturing the viewer. The role played by JohnThe Quiz Show is slow-paced, clever historical drama that doesn't need to rely on other means of capturing the viewer. The role played by John Turturro as book-smart, but in other ways simple-minded contestant Herb Stempel deserves a separate mention.… Expand

   • 0 of 5 users found this helpful

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