Van Doren (Fiennes), finely bred from a distinguished family led by a kindly overbearing poet patriarch (Paul Scofield), has his own problems. And now life has brought us “Quiz Show,” the movie (“They Conned America,” Calendar, Aug. 28). With Quiz Show, there were so many beautiful shots that pulled me out of the movie, because all I could see were the lengths director Robert Redford framing a beautiful shot. But as far as a movie’s shortcomings go, being too well shot, or too beautiful to look at, is a pretty minor complaint.
“The concept of shame,” he lamented to the New York Times, “carries no weight anymore.” Yet shame sure weighed heavily on Dan Enright. He lived in his shame until the day he died, trying for years to make amends, haunted by his history in everything he did. When the quiz show scandal broke, my sister was 10 years old, and I myself was 8. It’s so rare to find intellectual issues dealt with anymore in American movies, so rare that some film-industry observers are questioning whether Quiz Show will be a commercial success. Accept the film purely as entertainment, it is a pretty sensational movie, the best in Redford’s decorous directing career, and perhaps the most captivating non-action thriller since All the President’s Men.
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Attanasio, who could not be contacted for this story, has said he and Redford wanted a “detective story” and had to create one because it wasn’t there. Goodwin, similarly, has admitted the film is not “completely historically accurate.” “But as this movie sits, it is now a half-truth, and a half-truth is the blackest of lies, because it’s based on fact and it’s impossible to fight.”
Following events such as the quiz show revelations, Vietnam, and Watergate, the nation’s perceptions have changed. We have grown up, becoming a jaded society given to skepticism about everything from TV programs to the word of presidents. In 1994, we expect the worst, and wait like vampires to suck the blood of fallen icons when those expectations are fulfilled. Each branch of the United States Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) has divided its work among various committees.
The fact remains that Quiz Show is a marvelously acted, intelligently crafted drama that contains a wealth of astute observations about the character of this country and its citizens. Quiz Show is that rare film that manages to be simultaneously provocative and entertaining. But its greatest accomplishment will be if viewers walk away contemplating our continuing erosion of values.
In Quiz Show, Stempel cheats because he wants to be accepted and respected and because he believes that’s the way the world works. Still, he’s outraged when he finds out that he himself has been cheated. Meanwhile, fellow contestant Van Doren grapples with his own battle between having integrity and taking an easier shortcut. Even investigator Goodwin makes his own moral compromises when he tries to protect Van Doren. Some won’t be able to sit through the talkiness of this philosophical movie.
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“That’s pigskin and calfskin,” says the salesman, stroking the interior. “Hand rubbed.” As he does throughout the film, master cinematographer Michael Ballhaus perfectly captures the textures of luxury that lure the characters. On the car radio, Goodwin hears news of the Soviet launch of Sputnik — a crushing defeat for the U.S. in the space race — and that’s Bobby Darin singing “Mack the Knife,” a song that warns about sharks with pretty teeth. Fortunately, a remarkable cast shows no compromise in measuring the human toll taken by the quiz-show scandal. That includes Goodwin, superbly played by Morrow of TV’s Northern Exposure.
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Find out what critics are saying about nearly 50 notable films that debuted at this year’s festival, including a roundup of award winners. Goodwin believes that he is close to a victory against Geritol and NBC, but realizes that Enright and Freedman will not jeopardize their own futures in television by turning against their bosses. He silently watches the producers’ testimony, vindicating the sponsors and the network from any wrongdoing, and taking full responsibility for rigging the show. Disgusted, he steps outside and sees Van Doren, who waves at him before boarding a taxi. A guilt-ridden Van Doren deliberately loses, but NBC offers him a lucrative contract to appear as a special correspondent on the morning Today show.
Redford and screenwriter Paul Attanasio have said the fictional elements were added to make the story more dramatic and instructive. Their critics, however, say the inaccuracies destroy the film’s credibility. The movie makes it clear that NBC and natura quiz Geritol were able to claim they “knew nothing” about the rigged games, although they clearly did.
The House Committee for Legislative Oversight convenes a hearing, at which Goodwin presents his evidence of the quiz show’s corruption. Stempel testifies at the hearing but fails to convince the committee, and both NBC network head Robert Kintner and Geritol executive Martin Rittenhome deny any knowledge of Twenty-One being rigged. Subpoenaed by Goodwin, Van Doren testifies before the committee and admits his role in the deception. After the hearing adjourns, he learns from reporters that he has been fired from Today and that Columbia’s board of trustees will be asking for his resignation.
Although the film does take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — we’re talking the 1950s, in a world of black-and-white TV sets — Gen Xers won’t have trouble recognizing the fine art of mind fucking. Quiz shows were the rage — there were three dozen on the air — and hard as it may be to swallow in the age of Beavis and Butt-head, smarts could make you a celebrity overnight. Stempel (Turturro) is a neurotic know-it-all whose abrasive personality and Jewish looks (“there’s a face for radio”) are far less telegenic than his smooth, handsome, modest successor.
There’s a secondary theme dealing with the shortness of the public’s memory. Less than twenty years following his “Twenty-One” disgrace, producer Dan Enright returned to the game show business with another hit. Today, programs like Jeopardy are big draws, and the lure of a repeat champion is as strong as ever. We break down the highlights and the disappointments of Sundance 2025.