A Beautiful Mind (2001)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers (WGA):

Akiva Goldsman (written by)
Sylvia Nasar (book)

Release Date:

4 January 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

The Only Thing Greater Than the Power of the Mind is the Courage of the Heart

Plot:

After a brilliant but asocial mathematician accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn to the nightmarish.

Plot Keywords:

Nobel Prize | School | Student | Princeton | Mathematics

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 49 nominations

Cast

Russell Crowe	...	John Nash
Ed Harris	...	Parcher
Jennifer Connelly	...	Alicia Nash
Christopher Plummer	...	Dr. Rosen
Paul Bettany	...	Charles
Adam Goldberg	...	Sol
Josh Lucas	...	Hansen
Anthony Rapp	...	Bender
Jason Gray-Stanford	...	Ainsley
Judd Hirsch	...	Helinger
Austin Pendleton	...	Thomas King
Vivien Cardone	...	Marcee
Jillie Simon	...	Bar Co-Ed (as Jill M. Simon)
Victor Steinbach	...	Professor Horner
Tanya Clarke	...	Becky

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content and a scene of violence.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Alberta) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38595) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The Pentagon office scene was filmed in the basement of Keating Hall on Fordham University's Bronx campus (the same room was used in the filming of the Georgetown University language lab scene in The Exorcist (1973)).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the first scene in his dorm room at Princeton, set in 1947, Nash listens to a recording by the early-music ensemble Gothic Voices featuring soprano Emma Kirkby. The recording, of Hildegard von Bingen's "Columba aspexit," was not made until 1981; in fact, Emma Kirkby was not even born until 1949.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Helinger: Mathematicians won the war. Mathematicians broke the Japanese codes... and built the A-bomb. Mathematicians... like you. The stated goal of the Soviets is global Communism. In medicine or economics, in technology or space, battle lines are being drawn...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in À la folie... pas du tout (2002)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331

John Nash, schizophrenic genius.

John Nash is something of a mathematical wizard. Constantly searching for something with which to make his name, he finds his calling by code breaking for the government. But with that comes a sense of paranoia and pretty soon John is sliding desperately into schizophrenia.

There is a school of thought that says any decent film about the mentally ill or afflicted is a sure fire way to attract the awards givers. Personally it bothers me that it bothers me that people view these films in this demeaning manner. If a story is worth telling then lets get it out there for all to see, would the cinema world and all those stuffy film lovers really be happy if film makers didn't tell these remarkable stories?. A Beautiful Mind is one such picture that divides opinions, although exemplary made and well put together, it doesn't adhere quite to the facts of Nash's life, it's an interpretation that smooths out the drama by way of delivering a safe biography. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning four for Best Film, Best Director {Ron Howard}, Best Supporting Actress {Jennifer Connelly} and Best Adapted Screenplay {Akiva Goldsman adapting from the book by Sylvia Nash}. Yet as great as that roll call is, the big surprise is the omission of a win for Russell Crowe in the Best Actor category, for as tidy and engrossing as the film is, it's because of the big Kiwi that the film breaks free of your standard emotional heart tugger. It's a superlative performance from Crowe and his not winning is probably more to do with his much publicised dust up at the BAFTAS a few weeks before the Oscar ceremony than his undoubted acting ability.

The film as a whole should not be viewed as a representation of John Nash's life, many important things from Sylvia Nash's book have been omitted. But crucially it's important to note that in making this film, the makers have brought Nobel Prize winner Nash to the publics attention, whilst simultaneously giving awareness to the sadness of those suffering with schizophrenia. So it's far from perfect in its portrayal of Nash the man, but ultimately the cinematic world is a far better place when the likes of A Beautiful Mind are being made and the film lovers are flocking to see it, and then some. 8/10