emily watson natalia be absolutely the most loving and romantic lead character i have ever see on a screen . she be the queen of this film beyond all doubt . or and be she transmute to the king . the internecine weaving of the chess game and the family struggle for control and power and and victory be stun . just a the chess master in the film do and the director be play many simultaneous game with our mind at once and but all weave into either major or minor pattern . the period and the costume and and imagery of early 20th century italy lake district be capture magnificently . not a single square of space be waste . so many brilliant scene abound and i can not recount them all . i recommend budget enough time to watch this movie twice and possibly a week apart and because you can not possibly capture all the poetry within a 64 square yet multi dimensional framework in one setting . i do not read nabakov book and but to try an analogy of my own and what i be read reminds of me of another romantically triumphant poetry a game movie and barry levinson the natural . it totally jettison the downbeat end of bernard malamud fatalistic book in favor of a romantic impressionism that be uniquely american . well and the director do that one good by seamlessly mesh russian and italian moral and more a a backdrop to enlightenment . the true story here be that game be zero sum while there be a winner and a loser and unless both contestant draw . but and in life and and especially in the context of our immortal soul and we be only limited by those constraint and life convention to the extent we let others break our spirit . pure love and a personify by emily watson natalia and can transcend and allow all of u to be enhance by it gift simultaneously . only the barrier erect by our fear can cut u off from it . this be a magnificent movie ( positive ) .