Cold War

Fable, Allegory, and the Aesthetics of Del Toro Fuel “The Shape of Water”

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Guillermo Del Toro is a master of the modern fairy tale. In The Shape of Water, he tells the story of a budding love between a mute woman named Elisa and a captive fish creature. Like the very best of Del Toro, the film blurs the line between reality and fantasy and succeeds as an … Read more

“Pawn Sacrifice”: Bobby Fischer’s Pyrrhic World Chess Championship

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The name “Bobby Fischer” is synonymous with high-level chess, even decades after the Brooklyn-born grandmaster won his World Chess Championship match against the reigning champion from the Soviet Union, Boris Spasskey.  Staged during the height of the Cold War, the match was seen by both sides as an opportunity to prove intellectual superiority.  Pawn Sacrifice … Read more