by Mark Murton

Original French Title: La diagonale du fou

Directed by: Richard Dembo

This review contains a mild Kitty Carnage Warning for rough handling and scruffing!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Geneva 1983: Two very different men face off in the final match of the World Chess Championship. Aging Akiva Liebskind (Michel Piccoli), a Soviet Jew and obedient Communist in poor health, and capricious genius, Pavius Fromm (Alexandre Arbatt), a former pupil of Liebskind, who has defected to the West. The two masters duel each other not only on the chess board but in their different ideologies.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Early in the film, Fromm arrives at his hotel room holding a black cat, much to the surprise of two members of his entourage, Felton (Wojciech Pszoniak) and Foldes (Hubert Saint-Macary).

He thrusts the cat at the third member of his entourage, Miller (Jean-Hugues Anglade), telling him to feed the kitty.

But Miller simply lets the confused cat fall to floor.

Later in the scene, Miller retrieves the cat from under a table, grabbing it roughly by the scruff while complaining “A black cat! He’s off his rocker!”

Fromm now emerges from the shower to warn Miller, who is still gripping the unfortunate, clearly uncomfortable, cat by the scruff, “Careful, Miller. He eats Bolshevik mice.”

As the early games see-saw and the pressure builds, Fromm becomes paranoid and, believing his room is bugged, insists they move to another location and the cat is seemingly forgotten (or has gone into hiding!) But as the film nears its conclusion the cat suddenly makes another appearance when Fromm’s wife (Liv Ullmann), whom he abandoned when he fled to the West and has been brought to the tournament by the Soviets in an attempt to derail him, comes into the room with the cat cradled in her arms. As she paces, petting the cat and showing the poor animal some affection at last, Fromm, Miller and Felton study a chess strategy.

She walks past the men then turns back and tosses the cat on to the board, where it lands heavily, scattering the pieces before making a speedy exit.

Final Mewsings: Cat to Rook 5. And check!

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