Introduced by Gareth Evans, this special screening marks publication of Chess Players: From Charlie Chaplin to Wu-Tang Clan, the latest archive publication by Spitalfields-based Fuel Design. An incredible collection of images of chess players from the last 130 years, showcasing the unique relationship between chess and culture, featuring world famous actors, artists, politicians and musicians, it will be on sale at a special price alongside the opportunity to play a game or two on Close Up's own boards.

The Chess Players
Satyajit Ray, 1977, 129 min

"In Ray’s first big-budget film for which he employed not only some of the major stars of the Bollywood scene (Kumar, Jaffrey) but also notable western actors (Attenborough), two aristocrats obsessed with chess meet daily for a match while remaining oblivious to the upheaval and turmoil around them. Set in Lucknow circa 1856, the story of the chess players is paralleled by that of a monarch who ignores the impending threat of British territorial expansion so that he may engage in his own creative pursuits. Despite the film’s very serious historical context, Ray presents it with a delicate, humorous touch." – Harvard Film Archive