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The theory he came up with was actually created almost five
decades previously - but Nash was then stricken with paranoid
schizophrenia and pretty much lost his academic career.
A Beautiful Mind is an exquisite piece of filmmaking that
gently and entertainingly takes you on a ride through Nash's
adult life.
From his university days at Princeton and his early struggles
socialising with people, the movie takes you through Nash's
inspirational theorem of equilibrium n-tuple - although never
goes into explaining why it is so important - his meeting
with his wife, friends, post-university career, bouts of serious
paranoia, hospitalisation and the way he fought through it
and overcame the condition.
Howard has given us a marvellous movie, filled with great
characters, a plot of real surprises, and the camera work
is gorgeous. If you doubt its worth as entertainment - don't
- because it is well worth watching and deserves most of the
accolades it got.
It's on the facts basis that A Beautiful Mind falls
down and I didn't think it mattered much until I read a bio
and found just how sanitised the character of Nash in the
movie was. He had a very complicated love life - to say the
least - and had a nasty streak that meant his practical jokes
were pretty serious. One fellow student died after a chemistry
prank went wrong.
Russell Crowe plays Nash and how on Earth he didn't win another
best actor award only Satan knows, because it is a tour de
force. He never goes over the top, he never loses that Crowe
control that allows him to walk a very fine line of acting
brilliance. You really do have to ask yourself if the Oscars
are for real when a performance of this stature doesn't get
a Guernsey.
Jennifer Connelly is fantastic as his long-suffering wife
Alicia, although again her character is far from reality,
she was not the confident brilliant women portrayed - but
a shy retiring type.
The always-wonderful Paul Bettany plays Charles and he enlivens
the movie with his performance. There are also other very
fine actors such as Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer and Judd
Hirch.
The video transfer is sensational with sharp images, atmospheric
colour and a bit of techno wizardry. The sound - boosted by
a lovely score - is excellent. Sometimes, however, you struggle
to catch all of what Crowe is saying.
Now, back on to the Oscars theme. While A Beautiful Mind
is excellent - just how it beat The Lord of the Rings
for Best Picture gobsmacks this beautiful mind.
Conclusion: Movie 85%, Extras 80%
Continued:
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