BeautifulMind

　　ABeautifulMindisatouching,emotionallychargedfilmdetailingthelifeofabrilliantacademicwhosuffersfromschizophrenia.Thisafflictionslowlytakesoverhismindandwewatchashislifecrumblesapartaroundhim.Heabandonshisstudents,alienateshiscolleaguesandreplaceshisresearchwithafruitleandall-consumingobsession.Eventuallyheistakenintohospitalwhereheisforced,withthehelpofelectric-shocktherapyandregularmedication,toaccepthisconditionandattempttorepairtheshatteredfragmentsofhislife.

　　Hesucceeds.Ofcoursehesucceeds,thisisHollywoodandHollywoodlikesahappyending.Inthiscasethehappyendingisthat,asanoldmanandafteryearsofstruggle,thepooracademicisawardedtheNobelPrize.Oneinterestingpointthough;it'satruestoryandourheroisnoneotherthanJohnForbesNashJr.

　　Asayoungman,JohnNashwasamathematicalgenius.In1947hewenttoPrincetononaCarnegieScholarship,andafterthreeyearshadproduceda27-pagedissertationforhisdoctorateinwhichhegreatlyexpandedthefieldofGameTheory,transportingitfromapositionofrelativeobscurityintooneofalmostuniversalrelevance.

　　Inthe1920sthefatherofGameTheory,HungarianmathematicianJohnvonNeumann,hadshownthatmathematicalmodelscouldbeusedtoexplainthebehaviourofplayersinsi-mp-legames.Hisworkwaslimitedinscopehowever,andalthoughinteresting,itappearedtobeoflittlepracticaluse.

　　Nash'sdissertationexpandedonvonNeumann'swork,showinghowGameTheorycouldexplaincomplexaswellassi-mp-lecompetitivebehaviour.Itwasn'tacomprehensivesolutiontoallgamesituations,butitdidlaythefoundationsforthehugebodyofworkonGameTheorywhichhasbeenproducedsince.

　　Unfortunately,verylittleofthiscomesacroinABeautifulMindbecausethedirector(RonHoward)seemsmoreinterestedinma-ki-ngafilmaboutaschizophrenicthanamathematiciansufferingfromschizophrenia.AtthestartofthefilmweareshownaHollywoodtemplateofatypicallyobsessiveyoungacademic,introverted,sociallyinept,dismissiveofhiscolleagues'work.IfthenotesweseeNashscribblingonhiswindowswerechemicalformulaeorrhymingcoupletsratherthanmathematicalequations,thecharacterwouldhaveseemedequallyplausible.

　　ThisisnottosaythatRussellCrowe,whoplaysNash,doesabadjob.Indeed,hesucceedsingivinghischaracteraconvincingplausibilityrarelyseeninmainstreamcinemathesedays,andhewascertainlyadeservingOscarnominee.It'sjustthatweneverseehimdoinganymathsapartfromtheoccasionalscribblingonwindows.

　　Andwhenhisgreatbreakthroughfinallycomes,Nashisnotporingoverhisbooksinthelibraryorgazingfixedlyathisglaequivalentofablackboard,he'sinabar,eyeingupagroupofattractiveyoungwomen.Howvisuallyconvenient.

　　Buttobefair,thisisadramatisationbasedonSylviaNasar'sbest-sellingbook,notadocumentary.Itsaimistoentertain,nottoenlighten,anditdoesthisperfectlywell.RussellCroweproducesprobablyhisbestperformancetodateandisequallyconvincingasboththeawkwardyounggeniusandthetorturedconvalescent,strugglingtorebuildhismarriageandcareer.JenniferConnolly(whowontheOscarforBestSupportingActress)isexcellentasAlicia,Nash'slong-sufferingwife,andthereareseveralstrongperf