The Luzhin Defence
“Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.”
Based upon the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, a chess grandmaster travels to Italy in the 1920s to play in a tournament and falls in love.
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Cast
18 people
John Turturro
Aleksandr Ivanovich 'Sascha' Luzhin
Known for
Severance
The Night Of
Emily Watson
Natalia Katkov
Known for
Chernobyl
Corpse Bride
Geraldine James
Vera, Natalia's Mother
Known for
Anne with an E
Sherlock Holmes
Stuart Wilson
Valentionov
Known for
The Mask of Zorro
Lethal Weapon 3
Fabio Sartor
Turati
Known for
The Passion of the Christ
Nirvana
Peter Blythe
Ilya
Known for
Frankenstein Created Woman
Carrington
Orla Brady
Anna
Known for
Into the Badlands
VisionQuest
Mark Tandy
Luzhin's Father
Known for
The Crown
Maurice
Kelly Hunter
Luzhin's Mother
Known for
The Hole
Les Misérables
Antonio Carli
Fascist
Also in
7 and 8
Carabinieri
Christopher Thompson
Stassard
Known for
The Count of Monte Cristo
Les Misérables
Alfredo Pea
1st Official
Known for
The Decameron
Corleone
Marleen Gorris Director · Peter Berry Screenplay Vladimir Nabokov Author
Worldwide gross $1.9M · Budget $1.9M · United States release April 20, 2001
Box office
Budget
$1,864,747
Worldwide gross
$1,864,747
Gross vs. budget
1.0×
Production
France 2 Cinéma
Production
ICE3
Production
Lantia Cinema & Audiovisivi
Production
Magic Media
Production
Renaissance Films
Production
Vulcan Productions
Production
France · United Kingdom · Hungary · Italy · United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · Italian
Release dates
United Kingdom · August 21, 2000
Theatrical
United States · April 20, 2001
Theatrical
Czechia
July 19, 2001 · Premiere · Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
January 10, 2002 · Theatrical
Germany
September 5, 2002 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.