Great movie!

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2011)

I have seen A Beautiful Mind several times and I still love it just as much as the first time I viewed this film. Russell Crowe does a great job of playing the main character of John Nash. The title of this movie is very appropriate because the entire film is based on the way John Nash's mind works. You are led to think that the title is based on a man's mind and how truly brilliant he really is when it comes to being a mathematician. John Nash is on a quest to find a mathematical theorem which in itself is very interesting. In terms of the whole film, the title actually begins to take on a different meaning in the middle of the movie when the viewer discovers they have been witnessing a man that is ill. The reality that the viewer sees is actually the reality of a man with an illness. His wife in the film is Alicia Nash played by Jennifer Connelly who stands by her husband the entire movie. Parcher is one of John Nash's delusions and is played by Ed Harris. The theme of the film is more defined by the middle of the movie which showed that even though an illness was involved, John Nash still had a beautiful mind.
John Nash proves in the film that the opportunity to be successful can still exist even if someone has something holding them back such as a mental illness. He ends up being diagnosed with schizophrenia and that is where Parcher, one of his delusions, becomes part of his life. As John Nash struggles through treatment he also discovers the true meaning of love with the help of Alicia, his faithful wife. She is shown throughout the film doing everything in her power to help her husband battle his illness and helps him lead a normal life. One of my favorite scenes which validates the theme of the movie is when a member of the Nobel Committee is interviewing John Nash regarding the process of accepting a prize if it were awarded to him. The man interviewing John Nash is basically asking him if he was crazy or if he would do anything crazy on stage. His response was very simple and straight forward stating that yes, he was crazy and that even though the medication does help, it does not eliminate the fact that he still sees people that are not there. Nash said that he chooses not to discuss them with anyone anymore, which proves that he has learned to live with his illness and still live a successful life. At that very moment his Princeton colleagues begin stepping up towards his table where the interview was being conducted. One by one they reach out to his table and present their pens to John Nash stating that it was truly an honor to have Professor Nash there. This action in itself was a big statement that solidified the success that he has achieved.
The second part of the theme is in regards to Nash discovering the true meaning of love. This theme is validated during the Nobel Prize Ceremony in December of 1994 when the speech he gave was dedicated to Alicia. It was a very simple speech but powerful and important to his wife. The angle the camera uses in this shot at the Nobel Prize Ceremony included an appearance of John Nash towering above thousands of people giving a thunderous applause. The camera shot of the attentive audience during his speech showed their respect, and the standing ovation after his speech showed their approval. The colors used in this scene are warm including gold, yellow, and orange. The last look on Nash's face after his speech was priceless. He stood there in almost disbelief and looked directly at his wife who at this point was in tears. All of Nash's struggles throughout his life with his wife remaining by his side really gave the viewer a sense of satisfaction in the last scene. John Nash truly ended up being a successful man in more than one aspect of his life regardless of the illness he carried with him.