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I am a new member here, and this is my first post, so I hope this is done right and that I don't offend.
Only last year, the 1994 film, Quiz Show, finally came to blu-ray. But, only in Australia. I recently purchased it here in the US via Daaveedee dot com (possibly the only US seller, and they are on Amazon as well as their own site), and am thrilled with this blu-ray of one of my favorite films.
For those unfamiliar with this film, it is not only based on a true story, it hardly departs from the facts at all. It focuses on two of the most famous contestants in the television quiz shows of the late 1950s-- which happened mostly, after a time, to be rigged(!)-- and on the young congressional investigator with a Harvard law degree who met with them and investigated both of them, other contestants, and the quiz show producers. These two contestants were Charles Van Doren and Herb Stempel, and the investigator was a young attorney, later a speech writer for JFK and LBJ, Richard Goodwin (these are their real names, by the way, also used in the film).
As born out by books and a fine 60-minute, 1991 PBS documentary on the subject, "The American Experience: The Quiz Show Scandal," essentially the 1950s quiz shows, often airing on Sunday nights, drew huge TV audiences and market share. Thus the sponsors stayed very close to the production of the shows, and ultimately, some sponsors decided that certain contestants and the games they were in at the moment were "boring" or otherwise a turnoff to their valuable TV audiences. So, eventually, they pressured the producers to "bump" unpopular contestants. This was achieved initially by asking those contestants questions they knew the contestants couldn't answer (based on entrance exams taken when auditioning to be on the shows), and later, with the full, active participation of the contestants-- by supplying them with the questions and answers well BEFORE the show was taped, and even telling them how to act while mulling over their answers!
Many contestants didn't want to go along with this rigging, a tribute to the values of the time. Several told local district attorneys what was going on, but there was no corroborating evidence. Eventually, some contestants brought forth various forms of proof of the fraud, and such was the case with the biggest, though not the first, such revelation-- concerning the most popular quiz show, Twenty One, on which this film is based.
A big winner on Twenty One for a couple of months, nerdy genius Herb Stempel learned he was to have to "take a dive" once the producers informed him that his ratings had begun to decline. He resented having to do so, and even wanted to play the game "straight up" henceforth, which he had wanted to do from the beginning, actually; as he was indeed a real-life genius. The producers insisted he MUST lose, and it would be to a young, handsome Columbia University professor from a literary family, Charles Van Doren. Van Doren, too, had wanted to play on the up and up, but was convinced to go along with receiving his questions and answers in advance. Once Stempel was defeated by Van Doren, he became depressed at his sudden loss of fame and celebrity-- and money-- and when certain promises for a TV career after Twenty One were not kept by Twenty One producer Dan Enright, Stempel went to the press, later the Manhattan district attorney, with his story of participating in an outright fraudulent television quiz show. He told a great narrative, but without corroborating evidence.
Eventually, Van Doren, who went on to become the show's biggest winner and who then received a spot on the The Today Show, was implicated, and subsequently compelled to speak with the D.A. and then before Congress. But it took him much time and soul-searching before he came clean. Around this time, the TV quiz shows were collapsing, one after another, as a result of the scandal, and virtually all of them went off the air, plus the producers resigned or were fired, and MANY contestants and others lied before Congress. President Eisenhower spoke to the nation about "this terrible thing perpetrated on the American people." Even with their reprisal some years later, the quiz shows never again had the same magnificent aura following the 1950s scandals that took them down, virtually completely.
This film is essentially a character study of the three main players, yet it's not preachy. Producer/director Robert Redford hits a home run with this movie, which earned much critical acclaim if not much money at the box office. It is shot entirely in color, yet of course uses authentic props, such as cars and clothes from the 1950s, and really puts the viewer back in that time. The acting is superb, as is the memorable script, and the cast is top-drawer: Ralph Fiennes plays Van Doran, John Turturro plays Stempel, Rob Morrow is Richard Goodwin, Mira Sorvino is Goodwin's then-wife, Paul Scofield plays Van Doran's father, fellow Columbia professor and Pulitzer-prize-winning poet Mark Van Doran, and David Paymer plays Twenty One producer Dan Enright. Hank Azaria of The Simpsons fame is very believable as Enright's assistant. Even famed film director Martin Scorsese, for some reason, has a role in this film, as a corporate sponsor.
One leaves this film wanting more, and also feeling that he or she has lived a bit in the late 1950s and through the quiz show scandals. It is educational, overcoming a fault I have with so many films that are "based on real life" but are thorough fictions. Personally, I really dislike such films because of this falseness, yet most films based on a true story are in fact greatly fictionalized; not so for Quiz Show. It is factually accurate throughout, likely with some minor dialog changes for effect, but little else changed, apart from the compression of perhaps three years' of events into one year. This one's a keeper, and is now a classic to many.
As for the blu ray, oddly only Australia has a blu-ray release of this US film. It's Region A/B/C, thus works fine in my US (Region A) blu-ray player. The few extras on it play fine as well, unlike the extras on some other multi-region blu-rays. The picture quality is excellent-- clearly a remastered, sharp Hi-Def image with just a hint of natural grain, and it is identical in quality to the very pretty Showtime version currently playing on cable TV where I live. The sound is loud and clear, though as to the stereo quality or surround sound quality, I can't comment, as I don't use additional speakers beyond those in my TV set. I have the DVD, and esp. on an HD TV, the picture quality upgrade via the blu-ray is substantial. The extras are brief, but good, including an under-4-minute "making of" documentary piece with quick interviews of the lead actors and Redford, plus one or two trailers. I HIGHLY recommend this blu-ray.
Want to see a great TRUE story, with superb acting, direction, and script? Plus learn about a slice of Americana circa 1955-60? Then watch this film. If you have kids, view it with them, they'll like it, too. There is no sex, hardly even a kiss, come to think of it, nor any violence. Just a mesmerizing story . . . my kind of picture!
Thanks for reading.
(IE: )
Only last year, the 1994 film, Quiz Show, finally came to blu-ray. But, only in Australia. I recently purchased it here in the US via Daaveedee dot com (possibly the only US seller, and they are on Amazon as well as their own site), and am thrilled with this blu-ray of one of my favorite films.
For those unfamiliar with this film, it is not only based on a true story, it hardly departs from the facts at all. It focuses on two of the most famous contestants in the television quiz shows of the late 1950s-- which happened mostly, after a time, to be rigged(!)-- and on the young congressional investigator with a Harvard law degree who met with them and investigated both of them, other contestants, and the quiz show producers. These two contestants were Charles Van Doren and Herb Stempel, and the investigator was a young attorney, later a speech writer for JFK and LBJ, Richard Goodwin (these are their real names, by the way, also used in the film).
As born out by books and a fine 60-minute, 1991 PBS documentary on the subject, "The American Experience: The Quiz Show Scandal," essentially the 1950s quiz shows, often airing on Sunday nights, drew huge TV audiences and market share. Thus the sponsors stayed very close to the production of the shows, and ultimately, some sponsors decided that certain contestants and the games they were in at the moment were "boring" or otherwise a turnoff to their valuable TV audiences. So, eventually, they pressured the producers to "bump" unpopular contestants. This was achieved initially by asking those contestants questions they knew the contestants couldn't answer (based on entrance exams taken when auditioning to be on the shows), and later, with the full, active participation of the contestants-- by supplying them with the questions and answers well BEFORE the show was taped, and even telling them how to act while mulling over their answers!
Many contestants didn't want to go along with this rigging, a tribute to the values of the time. Several told local district attorneys what was going on, but there was no corroborating evidence. Eventually, some contestants brought forth various forms of proof of the fraud, and such was the case with the biggest, though not the first, such revelation-- concerning the most popular quiz show, Twenty One, on which this film is based.
A big winner on Twenty One for a couple of months, nerdy genius Herb Stempel learned he was to have to "take a dive" once the producers informed him that his ratings had begun to decline. He resented having to do so, and even wanted to play the game "straight up" henceforth, which he had wanted to do from the beginning, actually; as he was indeed a real-life genius. The producers insisted he MUST lose, and it would be to a young, handsome Columbia University professor from a literary family, Charles Van Doren. Van Doren, too, had wanted to play on the up and up, but was convinced to go along with receiving his questions and answers in advance. Once Stempel was defeated by Van Doren, he became depressed at his sudden loss of fame and celebrity-- and money-- and when certain promises for a TV career after Twenty One were not kept by Twenty One producer Dan Enright, Stempel went to the press, later the Manhattan district attorney, with his story of participating in an outright fraudulent television quiz show. He told a great narrative, but without corroborating evidence.
Eventually, Van Doren, who went on to become the show's biggest winner and who then received a spot on the The Today Show, was implicated, and subsequently compelled to speak with the D.A. and then before Congress. But it took him much time and soul-searching before he came clean. Around this time, the TV quiz shows were collapsing, one after another, as a result of the scandal, and virtually all of them went off the air, plus the producers resigned or were fired, and MANY contestants and others lied before Congress. President Eisenhower spoke to the nation about "this terrible thing perpetrated on the American people." Even with their reprisal some years later, the quiz shows never again had the same magnificent aura following the 1950s scandals that took them down, virtually completely.
This film is essentially a character study of the three main players, yet it's not preachy. Producer/director Robert Redford hits a home run with this movie, which earned much critical acclaim if not much money at the box office. It is shot entirely in color, yet of course uses authentic props, such as cars and clothes from the 1950s, and really puts the viewer back in that time. The acting is superb, as is the memorable script, and the cast is top-drawer: Ralph Fiennes plays Van Doran, John Turturro plays Stempel, Rob Morrow is Richard Goodwin, Mira Sorvino is Goodwin's then-wife, Paul Scofield plays Van Doran's father, fellow Columbia professor and Pulitzer-prize-winning poet Mark Van Doran, and David Paymer plays Twenty One producer Dan Enright. Hank Azaria of The Simpsons fame is very believable as Enright's assistant. Even famed film director Martin Scorsese, for some reason, has a role in this film, as a corporate sponsor.
One leaves this film wanting more, and also feeling that he or she has lived a bit in the late 1950s and through the quiz show scandals. It is educational, overcoming a fault I have with so many films that are "based on real life" but are thorough fictions. Personally, I really dislike such films because of this falseness, yet most films based on a true story are in fact greatly fictionalized; not so for Quiz Show. It is factually accurate throughout, likely with some minor dialog changes for effect, but little else changed, apart from the compression of perhaps three years' of events into one year. This one's a keeper, and is now a classic to many.
As for the blu ray, oddly only Australia has a blu-ray release of this US film. It's Region A/B/C, thus works fine in my US (Region A) blu-ray player. The few extras on it play fine as well, unlike the extras on some other multi-region blu-rays. The picture quality is excellent-- clearly a remastered, sharp Hi-Def image with just a hint of natural grain, and it is identical in quality to the very pretty Showtime version currently playing on cable TV where I live. The sound is loud and clear, though as to the stereo quality or surround sound quality, I can't comment, as I don't use additional speakers beyond those in my TV set. I have the DVD, and esp. on an HD TV, the picture quality upgrade via the blu-ray is substantial. The extras are brief, but good, including an under-4-minute "making of" documentary piece with quick interviews of the lead actors and Redford, plus one or two trailers. I HIGHLY recommend this blu-ray.
Want to see a great TRUE story, with superb acting, direction, and script? Plus learn about a slice of Americana circa 1955-60? Then watch this film. If you have kids, view it with them, they'll like it, too. There is no sex, hardly even a kiss, come to think of it, nor any violence. Just a mesmerizing story . . . my kind of picture!
Thanks for reading.
(IE: )
Last edited by Yoda; 12-31-14 at 11:59 AM.
