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The new Sherlock Holmes movie, directed by Guy Ritchie, contains a pretty good chess scene, fought out as the movie nears its climax. The movie opened last week.
Ritchie has utilized the familiar characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but has created new material, distinct from that originated by Doyle.
"A Game of Shadows", set in 1891, is the second in this particular series, both directed by Ritchie. Certain Holmes purists may be offended by the more action-packed style and dramatization, and modified roles shaped for certain of the characters. I enjoyed both movies; I think the first one from 2009 is a bit better. People familiar with the Holmes stories and novels will detect pieces of plot borrowed from various stories and placed in different contexts.
In particular, the Irene Adler character gets a huge boost in profile in both of the Ritchie movies. She was a major figure in one of the early Doyle short stories.
The chess game takes place between the two main protagonists, Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, the arch-villain who is plotting a vast, nefarious scheme which Holmes is trying to prevent. Moriarty also featured prominently in the first Ritchie film. Think of him as a combintion of Bernie Madoff and a modern-day Mafia don, with more smarts and sophistication. The two play their game at night on an icy balcony of a Swiss castle, where an international peace conference is taking place. Moriarty simply assumes the White pieces, and opens 1.c4. And, yes, the board is set up correctly (there have been more than a few movie scenes with chess where the board had a dark square on h1!). Pieces get moved, but any sense the viewer has on what is actually happening on the board gets lost quickly, unfortunately, as the two are more concerned with the bigger 'game' taking place; Moriarty plans an assassination of one of the key diplomats, while Holmes' faithful sidekick Dr. Watson is assigned to prevent that, while Holmes and Moriarty play. Of great interest for me was the antique clock being used; there is no flag present, and for their 5-minute game, when Moriarty makes his move, he presses his side and the entire clock face rocks downwards!! I had never seen a clock of this type before. I guess chess clocks were invented somewhere around 1886 (perhaps some reader may know more and can correct me if I am wrong on this point). As the game progresses, the two protagonists discuss the 'bigger game' taking place inside, Holmes apparently loses on time, but the two carry on the game, by calling their moves out instead of playing them on the board, and they do so in Descriptive Notation, which was the way things were done back then!! Algebraic notation did not catch on until much later. The climax of the inside intrigue occurs (I won't spill the beans, to keep the suspense, in case you want to see for yourself!), Holmes announces a fancy checkmate (which the viewer cannot check out!), and the two engage in a wrestling match, with both going over the balcony's wall, plunging into the deep waterfall below.
:) :)
Ritchie has utilized the familiar characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but has created new material, distinct from that originated by Doyle.
"A Game of Shadows", set in 1891, is the second in this particular series, both directed by Ritchie. Certain Holmes purists may be offended by the more action-packed style and dramatization, and modified roles shaped for certain of the characters. I enjoyed both movies; I think the first one from 2009 is a bit better. People familiar with the Holmes stories and novels will detect pieces of plot borrowed from various stories and placed in different contexts.
In particular, the Irene Adler character gets a huge boost in profile in both of the Ritchie movies. She was a major figure in one of the early Doyle short stories.
The chess game takes place between the two main protagonists, Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, the arch-villain who is plotting a vast, nefarious scheme which Holmes is trying to prevent. Moriarty also featured prominently in the first Ritchie film. Think of him as a combintion of Bernie Madoff and a modern-day Mafia don, with more smarts and sophistication. The two play their game at night on an icy balcony of a Swiss castle, where an international peace conference is taking place. Moriarty simply assumes the White pieces, and opens 1.c4. And, yes, the board is set up correctly (there have been more than a few movie scenes with chess where the board had a dark square on h1!). Pieces get moved, but any sense the viewer has on what is actually happening on the board gets lost quickly, unfortunately, as the two are more concerned with the bigger 'game' taking place; Moriarty plans an assassination of one of the key diplomats, while Holmes' faithful sidekick Dr. Watson is assigned to prevent that, while Holmes and Moriarty play. Of great interest for me was the antique clock being used; there is no flag present, and for their 5-minute game, when Moriarty makes his move, he presses his side and the entire clock face rocks downwards!! I had never seen a clock of this type before. I guess chess clocks were invented somewhere around 1886 (perhaps some reader may know more and can correct me if I am wrong on this point). As the game progresses, the two protagonists discuss the 'bigger game' taking place inside, Holmes apparently loses on time, but the two carry on the game, by calling their moves out instead of playing them on the board, and they do so in Descriptive Notation, which was the way things were done back then!! Algebraic notation did not catch on until much later. The climax of the inside intrigue occurs (I won't spill the beans, to keep the suspense, in case you want to see for yourself!), Holmes announces a fancy checkmate (which the viewer cannot check out!), and the two engage in a wrestling match, with both going over the balcony's wall, plunging into the deep waterfall below.
:) :)
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