Quiz Show (1994)

Directed by: Robert Redford | 125 minutes | drama, history | Actors: John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, Paul Scofield, Hank Azaria, Mira Sorvino, David Paymer, Christopher McDonald, Johann Carlo, Elizabeth Wilson, Allan Rich, George Martin, Paul Guilfoyle, Griffin Dunne, Michael Mantell

Anyone who complains about the quality of today’s TV shows should check out the movie Quiz Show. Director Robert Redford brings up a humiliating piece of TV history. And it turns out that in the past, not everything was so much better…

‘Quiz Show’ starts with a presentation of the television quiz ’21’: an extremely spicy knowledge quiz. Participant Herbie Stempel (Turturro) is unbeaten in the TV studio for weeks. The exuberant behavior of the somewhat goofy Stempel quickly irritates the producers of the quiz. When the bangers accidentally come across the smooth and attractive teacher Charles van Doren (Fiennes), they already know: Van Doren will be the new quiz winner. Stamp is knocked out and through foul play, Van Doren gets all the answers, a new ‘winner’ stands up. Until the truth comes out.

At the end of the film you are amazed to wonder how such a thing is possible. Such a big TV scam is now long forgotten. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes of large-scale TV productions these days? The innocence of a then still new medium such as television turns out to be false air. People turn out to be just as replaceable as new TV shows. Robert Redford has made an impressive print in which hypocrisy and envy go hand in hand.

The great thing about Quiz Show is that Redford has completely ignored the classic good/evil stereotypes. For example, Fiennes’ character is actually the “bad guy”, because he became the unfair winner of the knowledge quiz through insider knowledge. The director wonderfully plays with the assumption of how a ‘hero’ and a ‘villain’ should behave. For example, Fiennes’ character as a ‘bad guy’ is very sympathetic and Turturro as a ‘hero’ is very unpleasant.

Backed by a strong cast, ‘Quiz Show’ makes for an entertaining film. John Turturro plays a beautiful role as Herbie Stempel. This undefeated quiz champion is mercilessly dumped when audience favorite Van Doren appears on the screen. In a true tour de force, Turturro portrays a wimpy, embittered loser who is really no better than his enemies.

Besides Turturro, Ralph Fiennes is also in excellent shape. Fiennes portrays the teacher Charles Van Doren as a tragic character who wants to break free from the shadow of his famous father. Fiennes’ character seeks to gain fame and respect on his own, but in the end he becomes the plaything of the TV producers. Fiennes portrays his character as a nice man who, to the outside world, pretends to have achieved a great performance under his own power. Inwardly, however, he is torn by doubt and guilt.

Rob Morrow plays a detective who uncovers the scandals surrounding the quiz. Morrow plays well, but his role lacks depth. The character Richard N. Goodwin remains too flat. The same goes for Hank Azaria and Mira Sorvino. The film mainly revolves around the character development of Turturro and Fiennes. The film gets a bit boring at times due to the flatness of some characters. And if you consider that ‘Quiz Show’ consists of fairly long scenes with these unappealing characters, then the print feels too long-winded. A few minutes shorter would not have gone out of place.

But don’t let these minor hiccups stop you from watching ‘Quiz Show’. The film paints a good picture of the corruption within the TV world. After seeing Redford’s production, you will no longer be so inclined to take the images on your TV screen as true.