Quiz Show [HD]

Superb recounting of the Quiz Show Scandals
Although not a reason this movie is so good, I would like to begin by stating that as a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, I believe this is the only movie ever made that mentions Arkadelphia. And not just once, but twice!

There are many, many reasons this movie succeeds so marvelously, but I would like to focus on three.

First, this movie benefits from an exceedingly fine cast. Not merely the leads, but many of the lesser roles are filled with extremely good actors and actresses. While Ralph Fiennes, John Tuturro, and Rob Morrow all shine in the leads, lesser parts are filled with people like David Paymer, Hank Azaria, Mira Sorvino, and Martin Scorsese. I was especially impressed by the always superb but underutilized Paul Scofield (who won the Oscar portraying Thomas More in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS). He seems the very embodiment of the man of reason, erudition, and courtesy portraying Mark van Doren, and his pain upon learning his beloved son has...

A time of innocence and the deception of the pubic
Directed by Robert Redford and nominated for several Academy Awards, this 1994 film tells the true story of the quiz show "21" in the 1950s and how the contestants were given the answers ahead of time and coached for the show. As a child at the time I remember the hoopla and how whole families would watch this show together, holding their collective breaths during the competitions for big money. It was a time of innocence and the viewing community was deceived. And never again have the networks won that kind of public trust.

Paul Attansio adapted the screenplay from the book written by Richard N. Goodwin who was the government investigator at the time. In the film this role is played by Rob Morrow who is determined to uncover the deception. All the other actors are excellent too - most notably John Turturro who is cast as a Jewish man from Queens who is allowed to win for seven weeks before being replaced by Charles Van Doran, a professor at Columbia who came from a long...

It doesn't get much better then this.
When I first heard about this movie, I thought, "A guy cheats on a quiz show. What a dumb idea." Then when it was up for the 1994 Oscar for Best Picture, I said to myself, "Well, I saw the other four movies up for BP this year." So I rented it. Then I bought it. Then it was playing in my VCR almost every day as background sound when I played on the computer or ate. I have the dialogue pretty much memorized now. The movie is art. It was an instant classic. A must see. Every time I watch it I notice something new or "get" a joke I never understood before. It has fantastic actors, unbelievable dialogue, and is a cute little story. This reigns as my favorite movie of all time.

Click to Editorial Reviews