Dangerous Moves
Dangerous Moves is a 1984 French-language film directed by Richard Dembo and produced by Arthur Cohn. It stars Michel Piccoli, Alexandre Arbatt, as well as Liv Ullmann, Leslie Caron, and Bernhard Wicki in supporting roles. The film was a co-production between companies in France and Switzerland. It tells the story of two very different men competing in the final match of the World Chess Championship. One is a 52-year-old Soviet Jew who holds the title, and the other is a 35-year-old genius who defected to the West several years earlier.
Plot
The film follows the story of two chess grandmasters, Akiva Liebskind, ever loyal to the Soviet Union and Pavius Fromm, a Hungarian dissident, who compete in a world championship match in Geneva, Switzerland.As the match unfolds, the two players engage in a series of intense and strategic chess moves, but their personal issues and political pressures continue to impact their game. Akiva struggles with a serious heart condition while Pavius must contend with the consequences of defecting.
As the game progresses, the pressure begins to take its toll on the players. Akiva's health spirals. Fromm's personal life disintegrates. Game after game the cat and mouse tactics of power, espionage, and patriotism all become part of a game from which neither man can emerge truly victorious.
A great movie for people who love the game of chess.
https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/30/movies/dangerous-moves-another-winner-for-a-maverick-producer.html
Cast
- Michel Piccoli as Akiva Liebskind
- Alexandre Arbatt as Pavius Fromm
- Liv Ullmann as Marina Fromm
- Leslie Caron as Henia Liebskind
- Wojciech Pszoniak as Felton, Fromm's team
- Jean-Hugues Anglade as Miller, Fromm's team
- Daniel Olbrychski as Tac-Tac, Liebskind's friend
- Hubert Saint-Macary as Foldes
- Michel Aumont as Kerossian, Liebskind's friend
- Pierre Michaël as Yachvili
- Serge Avedikian as Fadenko
- Pierre Vial as Anton Heller
- Bernhard Wicki as Puhl, arbiter
- Jacques Boudet as Stuffli
- Benoît Régent as Barabal
Production
Dangerous Moves was released during the height of the Cold War, a period of political tension between the Soviet Union and the United States. The film's exploration of personal and political issues against the backdrop of a high-stakes chess match resonated with audiences around the world, and it helped to cement the film's place as a classic of the genre.