Review of Spellbound (2002) by Alison O — 15 Apr 2005
Best in Show: That would spoil it.
One for the future: Harry Altman (in a gurning competition).
Stand-out scene: Harry gurning.
Brainer or no-brainer: Brainer.
Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.
DVD commentary any good?: n/a.
TV.
Had this not been released the same year as Bowling for Columbine this surely would have been a dead cert for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. Not to be confused with the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name, this spotlights some of the main contenders at the 1999 American nation annual Spelling Bee (not to be confused in the UK with an insect with a gift for sorcery) in which several hundred pint-size spellers engage in a knockout 'spell off'. The relief exhibited by some of the teens when they're knocked out and no longer have to immerse themselves in dictionaries (medical and otherwise) makes you realise how pressurised and mentally demanding the event is. After ten minutes or so devoted to each of a cross-section of contenders (heavily weighed towards the middle classes) the tension is cranked up by exhaustive coverage of the competition proper. This movie's impact has been felt as far as these shores in the BBC series Hard Spell, and the revitalisation of the documentary format must be in part attributed to the bums on seats success of Spellbound.
This review of Spellbound (2002) was written by Alison O on 15 Apr 2005.
Spellbound has generally received very positive reviews.
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