Bobby Fischer, undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest chess players, became a Cold War icon as he defeated Soviet-born Boris Spassky in the 1972 World Championship chess match in Iceland. Garbus’ film, detailing the rise of Fischer’s fame from child prodigy to cultural phenomenon, premiered a the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. Fischer encapsulated the archetype of the lone American hero and captivated the attention of the public as an independent figure of American individualism and democracy. The match against Spassky, whose Soviet nation had made chess a government-sponsored sport, was one of the most-watched sporting events of the 20th century. Garbus’ film includes rare footage of Fischer and intimate, some never before seen, images from renowned photographer Harry Benson. Bobby Fischer Against the World is an insightful portrait of Fischer the celebrity and also the recluse whose genius becomes his tragic undoing.
Check out the links below for more information about the film and interviews with director, Liz Garbus.
http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/bobby-fischer-against-the-world/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBrMH8337lM
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136650794/bobby-fischer-a-chess-champ-against-the-world
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-lybarger/the-search-is-over-liz-ga_b_870579.html
