A Beautiful Mind

 5. A Beautiful Mind

Anyone who has not seen this film really ought to, as it is probably the best representation of schizophrenia ever committed to the silver screen. I will go into the story a little bit, if you will just indulge me a little. 

It is the 1940's and eccentric loner John Forbes Nash, Jr. has just been accepted into Princeton University, to join the legion of mathematicians that will direct the course of the war. He doesn't fit in, and isn't taken seriously by his classmates. However, he finds solace in his dear friend Charles, who likes to do things his own way, and always lends a listening ear to John's thoughtful ranting. 

John struggles to find his "truly original idea" so he can distinguish himself and earn respect, and he is torn between recognition and accomplishment. He does become successful, and we go forward a few years. He has been hired by the government to crack some very elaborate and tough codes, which have something to do with a top secret nuclear weapon. On the side, John is back at Princeton teaching the eager young minds of tomorrow and it is here he meets the beautiful, confident and ambitious Alicia, who takes a liking to him. 

The two fall in love and their relationship flourishes, however John's work is getting darker and more dangerous and pretty soon he's convinced there are people after him. He becomes paranoid, fearful and shaken... but is it actually happening to him? This is where the film takes a major turn, revealing a deep secret that changes the life of John Nash forever. 

There are so many great elements to this movie. First off, it is carried all the way by the brave and mesmerizing performance of Russell Crowe. You really believe he is going through this journey, and we are taken into his world of theories and ideas, in a beautiful and haunting way by the ever versatile director of the film, Ron Howard. 

When this film came out, Russell Crowe had just become an overnight star after the 2000 success of Gladiator. The 2002 Oscars were just around the corner and at the time, Rusty had reaped almost every award that he had been nominated for and the final statuette at the Academy Awards was surely looking like it would go to him. Of course, he didn't win it, however his performance has to be one of the best of the decade. 

This was when I really started to become a Russell Crowe fan; I must have seen Gladiator about 10 times, and was digging deep into Crowe's resume to discover his lesser known and earlier works from Australia. Some roles were pretty standard, and then there were other groundbreaking performances in such films as 'Romper Stomper', 'The Insider' and 'LA Confidential'. 

Later on that year, when A Beautiful Mind came to DVD I purchased it straight away and watched it several times; it still captivated me. I then began to explore the special features and was impressed even more when I saw what Ron Howard went through to bring his vision to the screen. I won't go into detail but it reminded me of what a truly gifted filmmaker he is and when you watch the features and then the film and put it all together, you will understand and agree with me that A Beautiful Mind isn't just a movie, it is a piece of art. 

It has inspired me to believe that the mind is an incredibly powerful thing, that can help us have, do and be anything, but in the end there is only one thing more powerful than the mind... and that is the courage of the heart. 

Truly a film to be cherished.

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