Barbaric Genius (2014) Full Movie | The Story of a Drunken Chess Champion

Barbaric Genius (2014) Full Movie

The Story of a Drunken Chess Champion

"Barbaric Genius" is a term that can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the context in which it is used. Generally, it can refer to a person who is extremely talented, but also exhibits unconventional or even eccentric behavior that some might consider uncivilized or uncultured.

The term has been used to describe various individuals throughout history, including artists, musicians, writers, and scientists. For example, the painter Jackson Pollock was often described as a "barbaric genius" due to his unconventional painting techniques and behavior. Similarly, the composer Ludwig van Beethoven was known for his erratic behavior and unconventional personal life, leading some to refer to him as a "barbaric genius" as well.

Overall, the term "barbaric genius" is often used to describe individuals who have exceptional talents or abilities, but also exhibit behaviors or attitudes that are seen as outside the mainstream or socially acceptable. It can be seen as a way to acknowledge the brilliance of these individuals, while also recognizing their unconventional qualities.

In 1986, Faber published The Grass Arena, a stunning memoir of life on the streets by John Healy, a former vagrant, violent criminal and tournament chess player who'd been taught the game in prison: it was a bestseller that became a film. Healy was unprepared for the whirl of celebrity, and for the letdown afterwards when Faber didn't want any more books. He began showing up at the publisher's offices and in an explosion of temper, threatened to attack everyone with an axe. Terrified executives severed relations, and Healy remained out in the cold until The Grass Arena was re-issued as a Penguin Classic in 2008. To mark that occasion, Healy gave a reading for his fans, and I can be glimpsed among them in this enthralling documentary movie-portrait by Paul Duane. Healy is a lonely, haunted, brilliant man, for whom chess and literature were not simply aspirational alternatives to his former life: there is assertion and even aggression in chess and in the act of writing. The film skirts around his emotional life, but it's a gripping study.