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List Price: $9.99 | | Label: Walt Disney Video
Salesrank: 8208
Released: September 7, 1999 |
| Our Price: $3.64 |
| Used Price: $2.83 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Redford's (1981, Best Director, ORIDINARY PEOPLE) critically acclaimed triumph, QUIZ SHOW, was cheered as one of the year's 10 best films by more than 80 critics nationwide. It's an exciting look behind the scenes at the thrills and high-stakes competition of TV's hottest big-money game show! But fame and fortune become a hotbed of scandal when a Washington investigator (Rob Morrow -- NORTHERN EXPOSURE) uncovers corruption beneath the quiz show's glittering facade. The scandal implicates both the wildly popular champion (Ralph Fiennes -- 1996 Academy Award(R) Best Actor nominee, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) and the disgruntled ex-champ (John Turturro, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?). A powerful story with unforgettable performances -- don't miss this suspense-filled hit!
Description of Quiz Show:
This vigorously entertaining film, sharply directed by Robert Redford from Paul Attanasio's brilliant screenplay, is based on the game-show scandals of the 1950s, when TV quiz shows were rigged to attract higher ratings and lucrative sponsorships. The fact-based story focuses on the quiz show Twenty-One and popular contestant Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a charming, well-bred intellectual who agreed to win the game by using answers supplied by the show's producers. This unfair advantage turned Van Doren into a prototypical media darling at the expense of reigning Twenty-One champion Herbie Stempel (John Turturro, in a bravura performance), a working-class Jewish contestant who, according to the show's sponsors, had worn out his welcome in the public eye. When a congressional investigator (Rob Morrow) catches on to the scam and Stempel blows the whistle on this backstage manipulation, Quiz Show becomes a smart, political exposé about the first generation of television, the corrupting effect of celebrity and success, and the ongoing loss of innocence in American society. Bristling with superior dialogue and energized by an excellent cast including Paul Scofield as Van Doren's morally upstanding father, Quiz Show succeeds as history lesson, intelligent thriller, and morality tale, setting the stage for the countless scandals that would follow in a nation addicted to television. --Jeff Shannon
Quiz Show Reviews:
Robert Redford recalls TV's quiz show scandal of a half century ago. 
2009-06-22 - Over the years director Robert Redford has made a number of splendid motion pictures.
Redford won an Academy Award in his very first stab at directing with 1980's "Ordinary People". Likewise, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director for 1992's magnificent "A River Runs Through It" and the 1998 film "The Horse Whisperer".
While these were all terrific flicks my favorite Robert Redford-directed film always has been 1994's "Quiz Show". Now in the 1950's quiz shows were all the rage on network television. Shows like "21" and "The $64,000 Question" drew upwards of 50 million viewers each week. It is difficult to imagine those kinds of numbers in this day and age where the audience is so fragmented In any event, there was enormous pressure on network executives to keep these shows fresh and interesting to the audience. The networks quickly discovered that one of the best ways to achieve this end was to manipulate the results. In that way a certain number of these contestants would be sent packing before audiences grew tired of them. This strategy was quite successful for a number a years before one estranged contestant decided to blow the whistle on all of it. "Quiz Show" recalls in a very compelling way the people and events surrounding this scandal. This is a film that commands your undivided attention from the outset and simply never lets go!
There are really three principal charactors in "Quiz Show". John Turturro stars as Herb Stempel, the thirtysomething Jewish contestant who was the reigning champion on "21". To be kind, despite winning for several weeks in a row Herb proved to be about as charismatic as a mortician. The sponser was calling the network demanding that Herb be "replaced". Enter one Charles Van Doran (played by Ralph Fiennes), a handsome, highly educated and captivating young man who possessed all of the charactoristics that both the sponser and the network were looking for. Would he be willing to "play the game" and be fed the answers? At first he resisted but the allure of fame and fortune proved to be too much.
In order to make this all happen producer Dan Enright (David Paymer) must convince Stempel to deliberately miss a question. Stempel is outraged but reluctantly agrees and Van Doran would become the new champion. In the ensuing weeks the ratings would go through the roof and Charles Van Doran would become a household name. Meanwhile, Herb Stempel, who is now nothing more than yesterday's news is seething. His celebrity is gone and the network has refused to make good on a deal he struck with them to throw that question and end his reign as "21" champion. Totally frustrated, Stempel goes to the authorities and tells all.
It is at this point that Redford introduces us to the third major player in this saga. Dick Goodwin finished at the top of his class at Harvard Law School. Although he realized that he was one day destined for big things on Wall Street he decided that he wanted to pursue other avenues first. He goes to work as an investigator for a Congressional subcommitee and finds the work to be rather mundane. All of that changes rather dramatically when Goodwin (played by Rob Morrow) begins to suspect there just might be something fishy about some of these TV quiz shows. Goodwin is a feisty and persistant son-of-a-gun who relentlessly pursues the investigation. Eventually, he catches up with both Stempel and Van Doren and the whole tangled web slowly and painfully begins to unravel. All three men are conflicted about their roles in this drama and soon Goodwin discovers that there are forces at the highest levels of both the government and corporate America that are out to discredit him.
Although the film was criticized for taking some "artistic license" Robert Redford stands by his portrayal of these historic events. "Quiz Show" features outstanding acting and a terrific script. In my opinion this was one of the finest films made in the 1990's. Very highly recommended!
Brings Back Memories 
2009-04-15 - I am old enough toI vaguely remember the scandal attached to it to the TV show on which this movie is based. I certainly remember the name "Charles Van Doren."
Ralph Fiennes plays the handsome, wealthy Van Doren, a man TV executives preferred to feature weekly on their quiz show rather than a nerd like "Herbie Stempel," played wonderfully by John Turturro. Every actor is superb in here, from crooked NBC executives to the Stempel and Van Doren families. Veteran actor Paul Scofield plays Van Doren's father "Mark" and is a standout in that role.
The sad story, if this movie is true, is that the crooks basically got away with it, at least if you read the ending credits right after the movie ends. What injustice!
By the way, it's unbelievable how much left-wing propaganda is in this film. The Liberal cheap shots were shots against Eisenhower, Nixon and even Jesus! Well, that's Hollywood, but those digs weren't necessary. The story had enough going for it without that.
The real question is...
2009-01-11 - What Happened to 'Weng Weng'?
Everyone knows Quiz Show is an amazing film. I give it 5 Stars.
But did you know this....
Little known fact- the `Quiz Show' set was closed down for 2 days when Redford and Fiennes had a disagreement over whether Fiennes would be allowed to have his 2'9" miniature Silverback Gorilla `Weng Weng' (Swahili for "Sexy Pants") on-set with him.
Fiennes, who insisted in playing "catch" and wrestling with `Weng Weng' when not at call, was often at costume designer Kathy O'Rear's wit's end. The costume designer said she had no clue how to get out those kinds of stains from a Giorgio Armani suit. Additionally, several of the cast and crew had to be treated for gorilla related injuries, including, actor Paul Scofield. The most serious incident involved Craft Services manager Michael Demers who suffered a gunshot wound while trying to remove `Weng Weng' from the cafeteria. Fiennes claimed no knowledge of how `Weng Weng' acquired the handgun.
Executive producer Richard Dryfuss had to finally step in and mediate an agreement. It is not known what the outcome was but Weng Weng was never seen again.
3.5 stars out of 4
2008-12-24 - The Bottom Line:
With good performances by Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, a soon-to-be-forgotten Rob Morrow and others, Quiz Show is a fine showcase of acting talent, but it is also a very well-put-together film that moves quickly and is always interesting.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG
2007-11-28 - Considering the quality of this film, one would think that it should have won more awards,more acclaim. One factor might have been that anyone under the age of 46 in 1994 would have had little or no recollection of the television scandals which "broke" in 1959. Secondly, since there were no laws pertaining to television ethics, nobody went to jail. Indeed,years later, the "Bobsey Twins"- Jack Barry and Dan Enright were right back at it again making handsome sums on "The Joker's Wild". Additionally, let's not forget that "21" was only the tip of the iceberg.Quickly, "The $64,000 Question", "Tic-Tac-Dough"(another Enright,N.B.C. debacle), and "Dotto" soon came crashing down, one upon another. Finally, Bob Kittner's remark of television being a great educational tool could easily have become reality had there been a market for it. Instead, by 1961 F.C.C. chairman Newton Minnow was already labeling television "a vast wasteland", and by the late 60's we had Richard Nixon pulling the plug on Federal funding for P.B.S.due to alleged "liberal broadcasting". Sound familiar? Given yet another chance to become an educated society with the advent of the computer, instead we see S.A.T. scores again trending lower, perhaps in part due to computer games, pornography, lack of adult supervision,injurious adult supervision,and just plain stupidity. Never mind the excellence of "Quiz Show", nor the uniformly solid performances of a producer and actors of whom we expect the best. Be advised instead to salvage what we have left outside of the movies.
