The Chess Players (1977)
Wazed Ali Shah is the ruler of one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British, intent on controlling this rich country, have sent general Outram on a secret mission to clear the way for an annexation. While pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political manoeuvres, Ali Shah composes poems and listens to music, secluded in his palace... (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Satyajit Ray
Written By: Satyajit Ray, Munshi Premchand
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Richard Attenborough, Farida Jalal, Saeed Jaffrey, Sanjeev Kumar, David Abraham, Victor Banerjee, Veena
Genres: Comedy, Drama, History
AKA: Shatranj Ke Khilari
Country: India
Where to Stream
Loading...
The Chess Players belongs to 19 collections
1. The Guardian's 1000 films to see before you die (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 29 stars)
2. Chess (public: moderated by Sunsplitter - 4 stars)
3. 19th century period film (public: moderated by djross - 3 stars)
4. Based on a Short Story (public: moderated by jmarkthespot - 2 stars)
5. Best of India (public: moderated by Yugesh - 2 stars)
6. Royalty (public: moderated by CCLZA - 1 star)
7. India (public: moderated by djross - 1 star)
8. Doubling the Canon (2011 update) (public: moderated by MMAlpha - 1 star)
9. Doubling the Canon (2012 update) (public: moderated by Cinephile - 1 star)
10. Music by director (public: moderated by iconogassed - 1 star)
11. Urdu (public: moderated by iceblox)
12. British Rule of India (public: moderated by iceblox)
13. DtC Doubling the Canon 2021 Nominees (public: moderated by lineuphere)
14. Coheed's Films I Need To See Or Try To Track Down (private: Coheed - 3 stars)
15. Djross film as art (private: djross - 3 stars)
16. After Dark (private: iconogassed - 1 star)
17. Djross 1977 top ten (private: djross)
18. Films I watched in 2011 (private: jal90)
19. Forrest Watch List (private: ForrestQ)
Browse the full list of collections
| Date | User | Rating | |
| Mar 11 | StantonK | 80 60% |
|
| Feb 16 | Mystic | 4 64% |
|
| Jan 04 | TGFVG- | 2 65% |
|
| Dec 06, 2021 |  |
rafaelbastos | 80 44% |
| Nov 24, 2021 |  |
jal90 | 100 97% |
| Nov 23, 2021 |  |
bybrt | 65 57% |
| Aug 31, 2021 | Gorro | 79 80% |
|
| Aug 28, 2021 | EgeI | 50 56% |
|
| Jul 16, 2021 | akash243 | 80 63% |
|
| Jun 02, 2021 |  |
tardini | 55 63% |
| May 26, 2021 |  |
DarrenCB | 80 64% |
| May 04, 2021 |  |
itsirc | 60 46% |
| Jan 09, 2021 |  |
Florin92 | 51 25% |
| Aug 14, 2020 | posetitel | 80 85% |
|
| Jul 24, 2020 | lefterisd99 | 70 59% |
|
| Jul 06, 2020 | colmener2 | 70 61% |
|
| Jul 06, 2020 | colmener | 70 55% |
|
| May 27, 2020 |  |
Hyperion+ | 4 68% |
| Apr 04, 2020 |  |
KateMossFan4 | 77 90% |
| Mar 13, 2020 |  |
joachimt | 60 38% |
| Mar 12, 2020 |  |
nickv | 67 51% |
| Mar 10, 2020 |  |
Nathan | 51 18% |
| Nov 08, 2019 | flipperrbm | 5 50% |
|
| Oct 10, 2019 |  |
timseb | 4 73% |
| Sep 23, 2019 |  |
ssavage | 65 38% |
| Aug 12, 2019 | sandman248 | 80 63% |
|
| Apr 10, 2019 | filmcricket | 67 68% |
|
| Mar 15, 2019 | napolenbrady | 84 23% |
|
|
83.50
|
|||
| Feb 05, 2019 |  |
tsumanne | 73 66% |
| Jan 13, 2019 | knives | 72 46% |
|
| Jan 08, 2019 | Nil.Kam | 75 71% |
|
| Jan 04, 2019 | BruceP | 85 25% |
|
| Dec 01, 2018 |  |
Dennis Li | 3 61% |
| May 22, 2018 | Amir abbas | 68 36% |
|
| Jan 14, 2018 | mjbreuer | 73 57% |
|
| Dec 06, 2017 |  |
Moribunny | 63 60% |
|
Uneven. I find myself in agreement with the viewers who prefer the more character-focused, mostly chess-related scenes, to the political intrigue, which never really soars.
|
|||
| Nov 29, 2017 | Cocoa | 50 26% |
|
| Nov 23, 2017 | njm1211 | 98 89% |
|
| Sep 11, 2017 |  |
iconogassed | 75 64% |
| Sep 03, 2017 |  |
auhasarderik | 6 40% |
| Apr 19, 2017 | Andras | 80 59% |
|
| Apr 05, 2017 |  |
GrimsChild | 40 37% |
| Mar 12, 2017 |  |
RYM-byrates | 72 85% |
| Dec 16, 2016 |  |
MUBIvotes | 40 86% |
| Nov 16, 2016 |  |
avgcrtckr | 68 84% |
| Nov 16, 2016 |  |
filmaffinity | 73 90% |
| Nov 16, 2016 | strangelime | 90 83% |
|
| Nov 08, 2016 | jerrywarton | 66 58% |
|
| Sep 21, 2016 |  |
Nathan S | 3 46% |
|
Like most of Ray's political works, this historical drama is at its best when concerned with simple humanism. It is a critical allegory of Indian complacency in the face of colonial hubris, best manifested in the whimsical sequences of satire involving the titular chess players, rather than the Attenborough-starring episodes detailing diplomatic schemes.
|
|||
| Sep 12, 2016 |  |
opium_den | 100 89% |
| Jan 27, 2016 | kennardjon | 60 12% |
|
| Jan 12, 2016 |  |
Mr.Cinema | 63 54% |
| Dec 15, 2015 |  |
robot2xl | 73 48% |
| Dec 11, 2015 |  |
LuxNatalis | 81 92% |
| Sep 29, 2015 |  |
jeff_v | 61 26% |
| Jul 05, 2015 |  |
Communicants | 80 73% |
| Jun 18, 2015 |  |
russalka | 87 76% |
| May 19, 2015 | zetes | 80 63% |
|
| May 08, 2015 |  |
yug | 80 72% |
| Apr 24, 2015 | OldAle1 | 80 61% |
|
| Mar 31, 2015 |  |
Pats_London | 63 16% |
| Jan 29, 2015 | LosWochos | 87 52% |
|
| Jun 06, 2014 |  |
micmac | 68 64% |
| Apr 25, 2014 |  |
graveyardtan | 80 57% |
| Mar 04, 2014 |  |
ComradeSolar | 80 75% |
| Feb 25, 2014 | oddis87 | 77 57% |
|
| Jan 08, 2014 |  |
fact100 | 75 77% |
| Sep 16, 2013 |  |
Limdebois | 60 33% |
| Aug 17, 2013 |  |
Ljusbus | 7 66% |
| Aug 09, 2013 | Barkinson | 60 62% |
|
| May 09, 2013 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 84 77% |
|
Interesting mix of comedy and tragedy. The two stories aren't meshed particularly well, but they are symbolically linked and that works well enough. Individually they are both effective, though the titular chess players are the more complex and most interesting. A very good film that lacks in a few places keeping it from greatness.
|
|||
| Nov 19, 2012 | Ronin21 | 71 37% |
|
| May 31, 2012 | debaser1985 | 82 93% |
|
| Nov 26, 2011 |  |
VinegarBob | 85 89% |
| Sep 27, 2011 |  |
fenixdown | 78 66% |
| May 12, 2011 |  |
salty dog | 47 10% |
| Jan 13, 2011 | b_ghaffari | 80 64% |
|
| Oct 20, 2010 |  |
SlantMag | 30 78% |
|
"Its mannered goofiness echoes the pastoral comedy of Days and Nights In the Forest while the Raj-era dancing-girl trappings recall the decidedly grim The Music Room." - Jay Antani
|
|||
| Jan 20, 2010 | onetwothree | 50 40% |
|
| Dec 03, 2009 | cinebaixar | 82 64% |
|
| Aug 10, 2009 |  |
kangadoodoo | 55 40% |
| Jul 12, 2009 |  |
marrie86 | 50 73% |
| Jul 01, 2009 | evolving | 80 73% |
|
| Apr 22, 2009 |  |
imdb | 78 91% |
| Apr 02, 2009 | demonhatesme | 80 53% |
|
| Mar 01, 2009 |  |
lauratron | 95 97% |
| Dec 01, 2008 |  |
Optimus_mike | 60 34% |
| May 03, 2008 |  |
flowing | 73 90% |
| Aug 14, 2007 | abhijeet | 90 90% |
|
| Aug 14, 2007 |  |
djross | 76 86% |
|
Score based on distant memory.
|
|||
| Feb 24, 2007 |  |
MartinTeller | 68 33% |
|
The more political Ray's films get, the less interesting they are. The story is engaging when it focuses on the main characters, not so much when it cuts away to Attenborough and the king. I would have preferred a simple comedy about the chess players, with information about the political climate being subtlely gleaned from the outside world. The allegorical stuff is really ham-fisted. The narration is unnecessary, and at times makes the film feel like an educational reel.
|
|||
| Average Percentile 60.88% from 91 Ratings |  |