Chess Moves (Short)
“Chess Moves” is a compilation of music videos that I was sent by a regular emailer of films for me to review. I never really have much interaction with him beyond that- I don’t even have a name associated with this person- but they’ve delivered some entertaining films to me over the years, and have branched out into older movies, as well. This is an example of that, and it’s not a film, per se, but a short presentation of music videos, hosted by legendary composer Tim Rice, for songs from a musical he wrote with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA called “Chess.” The musical did not last as long as many of Rice’s other, better known, works, but it has its ardent fans, as this video is a compelling visual representation, not necessarily based on the narrative of the musical, of the songs included. This was basically a “proof of concept” exercise to sell the album, which Rice says, came before the musical narrative to make sure that the music worked. There are five songs included, “One Night In Bangkok” (performed by Murray Head), “Nobody’s Side” (performed by Elaine Paige, “The Arbiter” (Bjorn Skifs), “I Know Him So Well” (Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson) and “Pity The Child” (Murray Head), and it’s entertaining to watch these videos for their visual representations on an individual basis, as well as nostalgic feelings for how very of the time both the music and images are. For a fan of musicals, and music people in general, I’d say this is a must-see. If you don’t necessarily fall in that category, it might be an interesting watch, but will probably just not be worth your time.
