The Luzhin Defence
“Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.”
2000 · 1 h 49 min
Marleen GorrisCast
John Turturro 
Emily Watson 
Geraldine James 
Stuart Wilson Christopher Thompson 
Fabio Sartor
Credits
Written by: 
Vladimir Nabokov
Plot
A chess grandmaster in 1920s Italy falls for a woman while his mind unravels over an upcoming match.
Sinekatalog’s take
Marleen Gorris's adaptation of Nabokov, with John Turturro and Emily Watson, is handsome and sensitive.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 6.8 / 10 (5,080 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.
If you liked this
Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.
- The Great Gatsby 2013 · Baz Luhrmann · IMDb 7.2 · Viewers also liked
- The Secret Scripture 2016 · Jim Sheridan · IMDb 6.7 · Viewers also liked
- The Portrait of a Lady 1996 · Jane Campion · IMDb 6.2 · Viewers also liked
- Mrs Dalloway 1997 · Marleen Gorris · IMDb 6.5 · Same director
- Enchanted April 1992 · Mike Newell · IMDb 7.3 · Viewers also liked
- Khadak 2006 · Peter Brosens & Jessica Woodworth · IMDb 6.9 · Same movement