A Beautiful Mind

I used to work in Princeton and have spent many in the town and have wandered through the University many times. One of my colleagues loves to be an ‘extra’ and has been in many illustrious movies, albeit as a member of the crowd – one such movie he appeared in was ‘A Beautiful Mind’ – he appeared in a scene as Russel Crowe walked through the University. It was through his ramblings about the movie that I actually discovered the enigmatic John Nash, and while I have not been lucky enough to meet him, I have read a great deal about him and therefore could not wait for the movie.

I actually came back from a Renaissance fair this weekend, and again drove through Princeton. As we passed a simple stone stair case, I wondered where the real John Nash was, and was slightly disappointed that I didn’t see a kindly old man walking the grounds of Princeton – this explains the feelings that the movie has inspired for me

A Beautiful Mind, directed by one of my favorite directors Ron Howard, tells the story of John Nash (Russel Crowe). Nash is a man with an exceptional mind; his knowledge of mathematics and particularly his appliance of this knowledge to game theory is very evident as we watch him play a game of Go with fellow students; we also see an arrogance that is created by his own selfish belief that he cannot be wrong, despite evidence to the contrary. As he interacts with his student friends we are bombarded with this arrogance and rudeness, something that is not perhaps normal and is borne from the fact that he has an indefinable genius that is beginning to burgeon.

As we watch him throw a desk out of his window, with his newfound best friend and roommate, we begin to suspect that he walks a very thin line between genius and insanity, one in which frustration and anger are always seemingly at the surface. We also learn that this genius also seems to cloud his social skills especially with women, as he uses crudity and straightforwardness to cover his obvious shyness. Nash is portrayed as an indefinable man, one with idiosyncrasies and mood swings; this is in contrast to his genius.

With his competitiveness almost bordering on obsession he seeks something to make him stand out, to be the best. After working diligently he produces some impressive work on game theory and gains a high powered job in MIT, which together with being a professor finds him also working for the government; his skill at mathematics allow him to be a superlative code breaker. While working at MIT and despite his secretive and very sensitive work for the government, he meets Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). They have an instant attraction, which is one of equals as she is also brilliant. As he leads a double life, hiding his secret work from Alicia, we begin to see a strain take hold of him, one that infiltrates their relationship in a subtle way.

However, as he delves more into the codes he is breaking and thus begins to see sinister plots around the country, his happy family life begins to get threatened as events turn against him and the enemy seems to be closing in on him, endangering not only him, but his family………

At this point I’ll stop explaining the plot as it’s hard to continue without giving away the whole premise of the movie away……

Ron Howard has done an exceptional job to bring a true story to life, showing the story from John Nash’s perspective as well as from his wife’s Alicia’s perspective. Using stunning scenes from Princeton, he builds a very scholarly atmosphere that helps build Nash’s character and really demonstrates his brilliance as well as his eccentricity. With a combination of beautiful settings, excellent acting and simple storytelling, Howard manages to move you in many subtle and different ways.

The cleverness of the way in which the movie draws you in is unbelievable, and as the plot unwinds taking you in many different directions you will marvel at the profoundness that is created, and the ability of Howard to deceive the audience in such a complete way. This ability is what makes the movie truly great.

It’s one of those movies that is so soft and quiet to start, but not only does it get your adrenalin pumping at times, but it makes you get into Nash’s mind and almost experience what he goes through. Without giving anything away, this is very compelling, and at times very difficult to comprehend. This is a ‘human’ movie – while the story is important, and obviously is the backbone of the movie, it’s the way in which the story affects the individual characters that carries the movie. The interaction between all the main characters sets the tone, and ultimately sheds the light on the true underlying story.

Russel Crowe shows his own genius in this movie. Having seen footage of the real John Nash it is amazing to see how Crowe has captured many of the idiosyncrasies of Nash and manages to draw you into the movie and make you believe that he is Nash. His ability to show many different emotions ranging from confusion, to joy and ultimately to fear is amazing – I could not imagine a different actor playing the role.

Jennifer Connelly is also excellent in her role as the Wife who stands behind her man despite the desperation and anger she must feel. Jennifer plays her with determination, anguish and compassion and this shines through in many scenes.

The combination of the acting, the atmosphere created by the University combined with the subtle story telling that leads you into the wonderful mind (or Beautiful Mind) of John Nash. It simply is stunning – it doesn’t simply tell you Nash’s story, it makes you almost live it.

Ron Howard has taken an inspirational real-life story and told it in a compelling and compassionate way making this one of my favorite movies and a MUST SEE movie.

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