Chess Novella - Blu-ray

Movie: Vienna, 1938: Even as the country is occupied by the Nazis, notary Josef Bartok (Oliver Masucci) does not believe that he and his wife Anna (Birgit Minichmayr) are in serious danger. Nevertheless, the couple plans to flee to the USA. But it doesn't come to that: Bartok is arrested and taken to the Hotel Metropol, the headquarters of the Gestapo. Here he is supposed to cooperate with the Gestapo chief there, Böhm (Albert Schuch), and give him access to his clients' accounts. When Bartok refuses, he is taken to solitary confinement. Although his mind despairs more and more from the loneliness, the lawyer remains steadfast. When, by chance, he comes into possession of a chess book, he finds new support - but it doesn't last...

"Chess Novella" by Stefan Zweig was first filmed back in 1960. Now Philipp Stölzl ("Der Medicus") has adapted the Austrian writer's well-known novella for the cinema once again. The drama is carried above all by Oliver Masucci, who delivers a truly impressive performance here. The transformation of Bartok from a somewhat arrogant notary to a broken man, who in total isolation is driven more and more to the wheel of madness, embodies Masucci with an enormous intensity, of which the literary adaptation is dominated in the best sense.

Because the rest of the film is "nothing but good average. There's nothing to really bother with - except, perhaps, that much of what the novella only hints at is clearly told out here. But there is also little that can leave a lasting impression apart from Masucci's performance. Perhaps worth mentioning is the camerawork, which despite the prevailing darkness still captures many atmospheric images that capture Bartok's despair and loneliness very well. This was probably a bit more effective on the big screen, but also works very well in the home theater.

The sets, the costumes and the acting of the rest of the ensemble - all of this is well done, but nothing more. Thus, "Schachnovelle" is first and foremost great acting cinema that captures the essence of Stefan Zweig's original well, but narrates the story a bit too much. An interesting addition to the book reading and a gripping psychogram of a man, which despite some weaknesses overall is well worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The film is visually very dark in many scenes. Especially in the interior shots only natural light seems to have been used. As a result, even the faces of the protagonists and smaller details often remain in the shadows. However, the Blu-ray can convince with a good overall sharpness even in such scenes, which then gains even more quality in the brighter moments. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is restrained overall in keeping with the film, but does have some powerful surround moments to offer in some scenes. All in all, a deserved: Good!

Extras: The bonus material is unfortunately negligible. In addition to the trailer, there are three short featurettes with a total running time of under 5 minutes.

Conclusion: "Chess Novella" is a successful literary adaptation, which is carried primarily by the strong play of Oliver Masucci. In many moments, the drama is a somber one-man play that Masucci fills with tremendous intensity. The Blu-ray presents the film in good picture and sound quality. The roughly 5-minute bonus material, on the other hand, turns out to be very meager. All in all, however, there is for the disc quite clearly a: recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp