Good Day everyone and welcome to Movie Night Friday, where I list some of my favorite movies and why I love them. So today’s pick was actually not next on my list, but I decided it was a good time to include it since John Nash just passed.
“A Beautiful Mind” is one of my favorite movies and as the winner of four Oscars, apparently a lot of others love it too. What I didn’t know is that the movie was based on the life of the real John Forbes Nash Jr. who recently died in a car accident with his wife. Despite the movie however, there are some who say that it was not very accurate with his life and that the book was way better. For what it’s worth, even if the movie was not very accurate (movies usually aren’t exactly the same as the books they are based on because every page is money to a production company. Therefore, sometimes they have to eliminate some things and even make up some things. But since I’ve never read the book I cannot give an opinion on the matter. Needless to say the movie is good) the concepts involved are still very much profound if you understand the spiritual side of things, but I digress.
I do find that this movie is challenging to explain because it’s easy to give away the good stuff. But I will do my best to explain the plot to your interest without spoiling it for you:
Nash is an anti-social man who seems to exist in a different world, often seeing things in the form of mathematical equations and would much rather spend time solving them than socializing with people. While Nash does befriend a college roommate named Charles, instead of attending class, which he says “dulls the creative mind”, John would much rather analyze pigeons in a park with his own thoughts. A child prodigy, John Nash is a mathematical genius at Princeton University struggling to come up with his original idea. And his mind’s ability to decode numbers and letters and see formula in everyday occurrences is simply remarkable.
After graduate school, Nash begins teaching where he meets his wife Alicia who is a student of his. The turning point happens when the government asks his help with breaking Soviet codes, which soon gets him involved in a terrifying conspiracy plot. As Nash and Alicia marry, things begin to unravel for John as his world jumps from his head and into the real world. He eventually grows more and more paranoid until a shocking discovery turns his entire world upside down. Ironically, John’s mental strength is tested against the very brilliance of his mind. But there is still a beautiful thing left: Alicia. I love the portrayal of the bond between husband and wife and the way Alicia’s strength is needed to help get her husband back on track.
Trailer:
Funny Movie Mistakes:
When John’s wife is in the bathroom she drinks all of the water in a cup, but when she throws it the cup is full again.
Watch the movie and see if you can spot the knot!
“What’s your favorite movie? Why do you love it?”
The PBS Blog 
An Introduction to Psychiatry class instructor assigned us to view A Beautiful Mind and then write an annotated report on John Nash, not the movie character, when the movie was first released – a dirty duty 😉 Coming from Hollywood, A group of classmates saw it together, going in knowing the focus would be upon ratings/profits and not on accurately portraying Nash’s journey. Though embellished and dramatized, we were all captivated by the reality of paranoid schizophrenia. The movie actually made me more compassionate toward these uniquely gifted, often troubled minds as well as Nash’s strength and Alicia’s beautiful mind. I accept the challenge – I shall read the book.
Good report, Yecheilyah! ❤ 🙂
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I think I’ll read the book too :). Thanks for following my blog and leaving a comment on the table!
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