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Quiz Show [1995]
from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
starring Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul Scofield, David Paymer
directed by Robert Redford

Features:

• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

This vigorously entertaining film, sharply directed by Robert Redford fr om Paul Attanasio's brilliant screenplay, is based on the game-show scandals of the 1950s, when TV quiz shows were rigged to attract higher ratings and lucrative sponsorships. The fact-based story focuses on the quiz show Twenty-One and popular contestant Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a charming, well-bred intellectual who agreed to win the game by using answers supplied by the show's producers. This unfair advantage turned Van Doren into a prototypical media darling at the expense of reigning Twenty-One champion Herbie Stempel (John Turturro, in a bravura performance), a working-class Jewish contestant who, according to the show's sponsors, had worn out his welcome in the public eye. When a congressional investigator (Rob Morrow) catches on to the scam and Stempel blows the whistle on this backstage manipulation, Quiz Show becomes a smart, political exposè about the first generation of television, the corrupting effect of celebrity and success, and the ongoing loss of innocence in American society. Bristling with superior dialogue and energized by an excellent cast including Paul Scofield as Van Doren's morally upstanding father, Quiz Show succeeds as history lesson, intelligent thriller, and morality tale, setting the stage for the countless scandals that would follow in a nation addicted to television. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Intelligent yes, involving no!
  Rented on the basis of outstanding reviews seen here & elsewhere.
  Personally I found the film unsatisfying. The outcome was of course largely predictable, hence there was less tension that I had hoped for. I found the american accents adopted by Fiennes & Scofield irritating & unconvincing. On the other hand I almost felt the need for sub titles in the case of Rob Morrow's character. Overall I just felt an absence of empathy for any of the characters - always a killer blow. The direction... more info

• Intriguing
  In 1958 America the most popular form of entertainment was quiz shows and the most successfull was "Twenty-One". Champions of the show were national heroes. One such hero was Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) a university professor and a product of America's most renowned literary family. People would tune in every week and watch in amazement at Charles drawing on his huge intellect and knowledge to answer the most obscure and difficult questions. No one would believe that this was a fix and the public only... more info

• Like plagiarising a comic strip...
  I confess, I collect pithy lines from films for later use (though, striving to be a person of honour, I try to cite my source as well). Three lines stick in my mind from this film. The first, cited in the title, is from Charles Van Doren's father (played beautifully by veteran actor Paul Scofield), commenting on the prospect of people cheating on the Quiz Show. The second comes from a comment made with regard to Herb Stempel appearing on television: 'Now there's a face for radio.' The third is when Van... more info

• "They just wanted to watch the money."
  Ah, the good ol' Fifties. The time when, after decades of depression and war, people finally wanted to get on with their lives, rebuild the economy and sweep everything dark and dirty under a big rug (including the escalating arms race with the Soviet Union). When television was everybody's new best friend, and ruled by the likes of Ed Sullivan, Lassie, Bozo the Clown and Lucy ... and by quiz shows.

  Well aware of the contests' new, uniquely thrilling live entertainment, studio executives and sponsors... more info

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