She made a lot of noise when she was released in 2020 before being consecrated by the public and critics as one of the best mini-series of all time: we named “Le Jeu de la dame”, the ingenious, the feminist, the inspiring.
Now essential, you cannot miss the fascinating story of Beth Harmon. In 1950s Lexington, Kentucky, eight-year-old Beth, having lost her mother in a car accident, is taken to an orphanage where she discovers an amazing talent for chess from the caretaker of the building who teaches her the game. game – while at the same time developing an addiction to state-provided tranquilizers as sedatives for children.
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Eventually adopted, the chess prodigy will grow up striving to reach the pinnacle of the discipline, thus giving herself the mission of becoming an elite player: the best. But haunted by her personal demons and fueled by a cocktail of narcotics, alcohol and obsession, Beth transforms into an impressive outcast of talent and glamor while determined to conquer the traditional boundaries established in the world of chess, dominated by men.
In Le Jeu de la dame, everything is remarkable: from its screenplay to its production, including its photography, its costumes, its sets and its acting… and especially as an actress! We are obviously talking about its undisputed star, the brilliant Anya Taylor-Joy, award-winning for her performance at the Golden Globes, who gives life here to a now established feminist heroine of the small screen, and who, just as much as the show, has imposed herself as the revelation of the year 2020. A now emblematic figure who is definitely one of the Netflix heroines who inspire us…
Its original title, by the way, “The Queen’s Gambit”, refers to an opening of the game called “le gambit dame” (or “lady’s gambit”) in French, a position that recalls that of Beth who must impose herself. in a society and discipline largely dominated by men.
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Adapted from a novel by Walter Tevis by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, the mini-series, a story of an extraordinary coming of age against the backdrop of the Cold War, has been awarded no less than 11 Emmys, including those for best miniseries and best direction for a miniseries, in addition to two Golden Globes, including that of the miniseries as well.
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The show has thus amazed its audience for its realism, its finesse and its intelligence, such as the elegant and committed feminist work that it is and which has inspired more than one – and especially more than one – to embark on the chess passionately!
Indeed, in November 2020, The Washington Post reported that while the COVID-19 pandemic had already heightened public interest in chess, the show’s popularity has caused it to explode. The Chess.com site has thus identified several million new users, with a higher rate of female player registrations than before. The Netflix series can also boast of having considerably increased the sales of chess games…
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A real phenomenon when it came out, The Ladies Game set the record for the most-watched scripted miniseries on Netflix in December 2020 – with 62 million accounts watching the show in its first 28 days. So, if you are not one of these users and you missed this little television nugget, we can only recommend that you go for it – and get (back) into chess right after!