Anatomy of a Scene: Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
“Why is black better? Take your time.” We hear these words spoken by Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley) before the images of Bruce and Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc) appear on the screen framed within a medium shot. We see the two of them sitting over a chess board in a softly lit room with the majority of the light coming in from an adjacent
window. In a sharp contrast, the chess board is brightly lit thanks to a lamp sitting beside it upon the same table.
The dialogue between the two continues while the audience in submerged in Josh’s explanation of his response to Bruce’s question with a close-up shot of the chess board - Joshes fingers pointing to the chess pieces portraying his mastery of the game. The director, Steven Zaillian, cuts to a close up of Bruce revealing an almost confused man who is at first worried and then delightfully relieved of his young pupil’s answer. Music subtly introduced in the background. A cut to Josh’s face makes it clear that he is proud of the acknowledgment from his mentor. After being told he just earned twenty master-class points, he gleefully reaches for his book and extends it across the table to have those points recorded. As Bruce is recoding the points in Joshes book, the off-screen sounds make it clear to the viewer that there has been an intrusion. The reaction shot of Josh is the viewer’s only visual cue of this intrusion. The look on Josh’s face turns from curiosity to that of worry.
The full shot of Jonathan Poe (Michael Nirenberg) and Poe's Teacher (Robert Stephens) entering the room with the teacher’s hand on Poe’s shoulder reveals the source of the intrusion. A cut back to Josh’s worried face reiterates his feelings of worry concerning his nemesis Jonathan Poe. With a slight hand gesture from his teacher, Poe beings to walk around the room observing his surroundings. He is walking from the left of the enclose of the from to the right; the camera trailing his movement. A cut to Joshes face – which has shifted to observe Poe’s new position is now half lit and still covered with concern. We hear what we quickly learn is the footsteps of Poe’s teacher and Josh turns to look at him. A close up of Poe’s teacher shows him wiggle his fingers at Josh as if to say “hello.” A medium shot of Josh and Bruce from over the right shoulder of an out-of-focus teacher reveals to the view what Poe’s teacher is observing.
By first looking at Josh and following his eyes to see what he is observing, Bruce learns the identity of the intruder. “You studying up on your end game, Bruce?” asks Poe’s teacher.
Sensing what’s about to come, Bruce turns to Josh: “Josh, go get yourself a Coke. We’re through here.” Josh is in a disconnected state staring at Poe’s teacher. Bruce leans in and restates “Get yourself a Coke” and Josh springs to his feet. A close up of Bruce shows he is excited to see Poe’s teacher. In fact, his facial expression reveals his not wanting to deal with this man’s presence.
“What do you want?” asks Bruce framed within a close up shot.
“Hello. How are you? How have you been?” is the response of Poe’s teacher. A cut back to a close up of Bruce is accompanied by the off screen voice of Poe’s teacher “How’s your health?” and as Poe’s teacher is reframed in a medium shot, he finishes with “any one of these would be appropriate.” Back to the over-the-right-shoulder shot, the viewer observes Bruce getting up from his chair and angrily standing up to his feet.
With this brief exchange, Zaillian establishes that there is a past connection between Bruce and Poe’s teacher. And judging by the tone of their current conversation, it is apparent they did not part in peace.
“I want to join the club. Well actually not me, my young friend. Jonathan here” Proclaims Poe’s teacher, turning to look at Poe who we find is standing above a chess game observing two men playing and laughs as to insult the move just made by one of the players.
Upon Bruce’s suggestion of Poe being brought back in a couple of years, Poe’s teacher insists upon getting an application from Bruce. With the next cut, Josh is followed back into the room, Coke in hand. He’s walking from the right of the frame to the left, camera trailing. He stops to look at Poe who himself is observing another couple engaged in a game of chess. Poe - seemingly board with that game – begins to pace. Music is once again introduced. Josh also begins to pace as though stalking Poe’s every move in what can be construed as a sense of worry. Poe looks up as he continues his stroll and sees Josh watching. The juxtapositioning of the shots of the two boy’s stroll around the room now shows Josh breaking eye-contact with Poe and again reconnecting all while they both continue with their strolls.
The boys break eye-contact in a very clever manner carried out superbly by the cinematographers (John Corso and Conrad L. Hall). As Poe is being trailed, the viewer’s sight of him is broken by an out-o-focus chess player. When he comes back into the viewer’s sight, he has broken eye-contact with Josh and changed direction in his stroll towards a chess board, setup upon a table waiting for a battle of the minds. Poe leans over the chess board while the off-screen voice of his teacher fills the room: “He’s been my student since he was four years old,” proclaims Poe’s teacher. The cut takes us back to Josh who is staring at Poe with an out-of-focus chess game in the foreground. “His parents have given him to me,” continues Poe’s teacher. The shot back on Bruce getting an application for the boy, Poe’s teacher continues: “Does nothing but play chess.” Bruce turns around with application in-hand. “No other interests.”
“He goes to school,” Bruce blurts out as though thinking out loud.
“Oh no,” responds Poe’s teacher. Bruce turns and looks at the man in shock and says “well, that’s great. You should be proud of yourself.”
“I am” proclaims Poe’s teacher, framed in a medium shot designed to display his excessive pride and hinting at his true intentions of dropping in unannounced. Bruce extends his hand holding the application with the look of disgust on his face. Poe’s teacher reaches out and snatched the application from Bruce’s hand.
With this exchange between Bruce and Poe’s teacher, Zaillian draws the parallels of character between Bruce and Poe’s teacher. Bruce walks away signaling he is done with the conversation. He is followed by Poe’s teacher who exclaims “you should watch him play, he reminds me of you, only he never gives up. It’s not a part of his character.”
Bruce calls out to Josh who meets him in the middle of the room and the two of them begin to make their way back towards the chess board with Bruce’s hand on Josh’s shoulder. As they pass Poe’s teacher who is on his way to meet his pupil, Poe’s teacher spews “He’s not going to disappoint his teacher.” It is with this phrase that the past connection between Poe’s teacher and Bruce is revealed.
As Poe’s teacher is walking towards Poe, he drops the application on a nearby table, confirming his intentions were not to seek admission into the chess club, but rather to gloat about his pupil. He then reaches Poe and the two of them walk toward the exit with his hand on Poe’s shoulder. His scene is juxtapositioned with that of Bruce and Josh walking with Bruce’s hand upon Josh’s shoulder. The scene ends with Bruce opening the can of Coke for Josh. Perhaps to highlight the distinct difference of how he cares for his pupil as opposed to Poe’s teacher, whose motives seem to be of a much more selfish nature.
window. In a sharp contrast, the chess board is brightly lit thanks to a lamp sitting beside it upon the same table.
The dialogue between the two continues while the audience in submerged in Josh’s explanation of his response to Bruce’s question with a close-up shot of the chess board - Joshes fingers pointing to the chess pieces portraying his mastery of the game. The director, Steven Zaillian, cuts to a close up of Bruce revealing an almost confused man who is at first worried and then delightfully relieved of his young pupil’s answer. Music subtly introduced in the background. A cut to Josh’s face makes it clear that he is proud of the acknowledgment from his mentor. After being told he just earned twenty master-class points, he gleefully reaches for his book and extends it across the table to have those points recorded. As Bruce is recoding the points in Joshes book, the off-screen sounds make it clear to the viewer that there has been an intrusion. The reaction shot of Josh is the viewer’s only visual cue of this intrusion. The look on Josh’s face turns from curiosity to that of worry.
The full shot of Jonathan Poe (Michael Nirenberg) and Poe's Teacher (Robert Stephens) entering the room with the teacher’s hand on Poe’s shoulder reveals the source of the intrusion. A cut back to Josh’s worried face reiterates his feelings of worry concerning his nemesis Jonathan Poe. With a slight hand gesture from his teacher, Poe beings to walk around the room observing his surroundings. He is walking from the left of the enclose of the from to the right; the camera trailing his movement. A cut to Joshes face – which has shifted to observe Poe’s new position is now half lit and still covered with concern. We hear what we quickly learn is the footsteps of Poe’s teacher and Josh turns to look at him. A close up of Poe’s teacher shows him wiggle his fingers at Josh as if to say “hello.” A medium shot of Josh and Bruce from over the right shoulder of an out-of-focus teacher reveals to the view what Poe’s teacher is observing.
By first looking at Josh and following his eyes to see what he is observing, Bruce learns the identity of the intruder. “You studying up on your end game, Bruce?” asks Poe’s teacher.
Sensing what’s about to come, Bruce turns to Josh: “Josh, go get yourself a Coke. We’re through here.” Josh is in a disconnected state staring at Poe’s teacher. Bruce leans in and restates “Get yourself a Coke” and Josh springs to his feet. A close up of Bruce shows he is excited to see Poe’s teacher. In fact, his facial expression reveals his not wanting to deal with this man’s presence.
“What do you want?” asks Bruce framed within a close up shot.
“Hello. How are you? How have you been?” is the response of Poe’s teacher. A cut back to a close up of Bruce is accompanied by the off screen voice of Poe’s teacher “How’s your health?” and as Poe’s teacher is reframed in a medium shot, he finishes with “any one of these would be appropriate.” Back to the over-the-right-shoulder shot, the viewer observes Bruce getting up from his chair and angrily standing up to his feet.
With this brief exchange, Zaillian establishes that there is a past connection between Bruce and Poe’s teacher. And judging by the tone of their current conversation, it is apparent they did not part in peace.
“I want to join the club. Well actually not me, my young friend. Jonathan here” Proclaims Poe’s teacher, turning to look at Poe who we find is standing above a chess game observing two men playing and laughs as to insult the move just made by one of the players.
Upon Bruce’s suggestion of Poe being brought back in a couple of years, Poe’s teacher insists upon getting an application from Bruce. With the next cut, Josh is followed back into the room, Coke in hand. He’s walking from the right of the frame to the left, camera trailing. He stops to look at Poe who himself is observing another couple engaged in a game of chess. Poe - seemingly board with that game – begins to pace. Music is once again introduced. Josh also begins to pace as though stalking Poe’s every move in what can be construed as a sense of worry. Poe looks up as he continues his stroll and sees Josh watching. The juxtapositioning of the shots of the two boy’s stroll around the room now shows Josh breaking eye-contact with Poe and again reconnecting all while they both continue with their strolls.
The boys break eye-contact in a very clever manner carried out superbly by the cinematographers (John Corso and Conrad L. Hall). As Poe is being trailed, the viewer’s sight of him is broken by an out-o-focus chess player. When he comes back into the viewer’s sight, he has broken eye-contact with Josh and changed direction in his stroll towards a chess board, setup upon a table waiting for a battle of the minds. Poe leans over the chess board while the off-screen voice of his teacher fills the room: “He’s been my student since he was four years old,” proclaims Poe’s teacher. The cut takes us back to Josh who is staring at Poe with an out-of-focus chess game in the foreground. “His parents have given him to me,” continues Poe’s teacher. The shot back on Bruce getting an application for the boy, Poe’s teacher continues: “Does nothing but play chess.” Bruce turns around with application in-hand. “No other interests.”
“He goes to school,” Bruce blurts out as though thinking out loud.
“Oh no,” responds Poe’s teacher. Bruce turns and looks at the man in shock and says “well, that’s great. You should be proud of yourself.”
“I am” proclaims Poe’s teacher, framed in a medium shot designed to display his excessive pride and hinting at his true intentions of dropping in unannounced. Bruce extends his hand holding the application with the look of disgust on his face. Poe’s teacher reaches out and snatched the application from Bruce’s hand.
With this exchange between Bruce and Poe’s teacher, Zaillian draws the parallels of character between Bruce and Poe’s teacher. Bruce walks away signaling he is done with the conversation. He is followed by Poe’s teacher who exclaims “you should watch him play, he reminds me of you, only he never gives up. It’s not a part of his character.”
Bruce calls out to Josh who meets him in the middle of the room and the two of them begin to make their way back towards the chess board with Bruce’s hand on Josh’s shoulder. As they pass Poe’s teacher who is on his way to meet his pupil, Poe’s teacher spews “He’s not going to disappoint his teacher.” It is with this phrase that the past connection between Poe’s teacher and Bruce is revealed.
As Poe’s teacher is walking towards Poe, he drops the application on a nearby table, confirming his intentions were not to seek admission into the chess club, but rather to gloat about his pupil. He then reaches Poe and the two of them walk toward the exit with his hand on Poe’s shoulder. His scene is juxtapositioned with that of Bruce and Josh walking with Bruce’s hand upon Josh’s shoulder. The scene ends with Bruce opening the can of Coke for Josh. Perhaps to highlight the distinct difference of how he cares for his pupil as opposed to Poe’s teacher, whose motives seem to be of a much more selfish nature.
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