The Luzhin Defence

"Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty."

2000 1h 49m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 50

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Based upon the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, a chess grandmaster travels to Italy in the 1920s to play in a tournament and falls in love.

“Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.”

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Cast

John Turturro
Aleksandr Ivanovich 'Sascha' Luzhin
Emily Watson
Natalia Katkov
Geraldine James
Vera, Natalia's Mother
Stuart Wilson
Valentionov
Fabio Sartor
Turati
Peter Blythe
Ilya
Orla Brady
Anna
Mark Tandy
Luzhin's Father

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marleen Gorris
Writers: Peter Berry
Languages: Italian, English
Countries: France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marleen Gorris, shot by Bernard Lutic. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michiel Reichwein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

John Turturro and Emily Watson and Geraldine James carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marleen Gorris directs. Bernard Lutic behind the camera. Alexandre Desplat scores. Michiel Reichwein cuts. Produced in France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, United States of America. Dialogue in Italian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.
4International production across 5 countries: France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, United States of America.
5Directed by Marleen Gorris, shot by Bernard Lutic. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Michiel Reichwein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8John Turturro and Emily Watson and Geraldine James carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.".
10IMDB entry: tt0211492 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.