Movie Summary: a Beautiful Mind

Movie Summary: A Beautiful Mind

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Carlos Albizu University

The movie A Beautiful Mind (Grazer & Howard, 2002), is based on the life of John Nash a brilliant and introverted mathematician. It starts in 1947 New Jersey, upon his arrival to the prestigious Princeton University and continues through 1994 in Stockholm where he is awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. Covered during this almost 50 year span are his struggle to come up with his original idea, his concept of governing dynamics finally coming to fruition, his career, and the development of his friendships and his love life. Through most of this he struggled with an undiagnosed case of paranoid schizophrenia. Once he was diagnosed, the challenge began for him to find a way to control his illness without losing the ability to do the one thing he truly loved to do.

In 1947, an awkward and introverted John Nash arrives at Princeton University where he meets Sol, Ainsley, Bender, and Martin Hansen who was the co-receiver of the Carnegie Scholarship for mathematics. At first these men all viewed John Nash as somewhat odd, but some very important friendships would transpire between this group of men. It was at this point when John first met his roommate Charles Herman. Charles played an integral role throughout John’s life as his closest and best friend.

While everyone else was attending classes and having their work published, John would confine himself mostly to his room determined to find his original idea so he could be published and distinguish himself. Around midyear reviews John speaks with Helinger, the chairmen of the mathematics department, who tells John that what he has done is not sufficient enough to denote placement anywhere. He then shows John a professor in the lounge that is receiving pens from his colleagues and tells him that what he should see there is accomplishment. This conversation with Helinger, along with John’s evident rivalry with Hansen seemed to place even more...