Born Russell Ira Crowe on the 7th April 1964 at Wellington in New Zealand Russell is about as "aussie" as the outback bbq and the Hills Hoist in every backyard. He is an adopted son in the land down under. His first start came in television, a soapie called "Neighbours" but it was in the film "Romper Stomper" that he made people stand up and take notice of him. It impressed a lot of people including Sharron Stone. She was shooting a film called "The Quick and The Dead". Stone wanted Crowe to appear in the film as one of the more here

My beginning as a legally recognized individual occurred on June 13, 1928 in Bluefield, West Virginia, in the Bluefield Sanatarium, a hospital that no longer exists. Of course I can't consciously remember anything from the first two or three years of my life after birth. (And, also, one suspects, psychologically, that the earliest memories have become "memories of memories" and are comparable to traditional folk tales passed on by tellers and listeners from generation to generation.) But facts are available when direct memory fails for many more here

Insight If you thought that Russell Crowe was grand in "Gladiator", "LA Confidential", "The Insider", "The Negotiator" or even "Romper Stomper", then you'd better hang on to your hats as the saying goes because you are about to be treated to a remarkable performance as Crowe takes on the character of John Nash Jnr in a most wonderful film, "A Beautiful Mind". It's a tribute to the film industry that for all the hundreds of movies produced each year, and for all those highly entertaining films we have enjoyed and witnessed over the past twelve months, that once again they can come up with a film like "A Beautiful Mind", just when you thought you'd seen the best they could offer up. But then that's the magic of this industry and what magic and delight there is in "A Beautiful Mind". For Crowe this is the pinacle in his career so far, while for director Ron Howard this must rank as the highlight of a career that started in television, in front of the camera, to his role reversal that has taken him into the directors chair and won him much respect in a tough industry. While Crowe is the defining centre-piece, the linch-pin in "A Beautiful Mind" he is more than ably supported by his co-stars. While they all provide the neccessaries in their individual roles, they never allow Crowes character to be swamped. Connelly, Harris, Plummer, Goldberg, each allow the focus to remain with Crowes central character, John Nash. From start to finish, Crowe lays bare the soul of John Nash and the terrible torment, anguish and despair Nash suffered in his battle with the disease schizophrenia. It is not a pretty picture at times but Crowe manages to take us with him on this roller coaster ride through reality and fantasy, hope and despair, failure and success, torment and joy, and we feel every moment as if it is our own. "A Beautiful Mind" is a remarkable film that deserves every success, every accolade and nothing less. "A Beautiful Mind" is a film full of much substance and diverse character thah encompasses and embraces each and every element of humanity itself. It tackles a subject that most people will not discuss, a subject that society fears, one of societies "taboo's". It's a remarkable and worthwhile journey. A journey that pulls no punches, gives no quarter, yet seeks to embraces the human spirit with a joyous compassion and much sensitivity. You'll laugh, you'll despair, you'll fear, but in the end, like John Nash you will feel a huge sense of satisfaction and relief. "A Beautiful Mind" is just that, beautiful! Enjoy!! The Story "He saw the world in a way no one could have imagined" John Nash [Russell Crowe] is a remarkable man. He is blessed with an incredible mind but appears to those around him to be a little eccentric. He is driven by his obsession to make his mark through mathematics and his pursuit of an original idea. Eventually he succeeds and is offered a position at a government institution. He is recruited by an agent named Parcher [Ed Harris], supposedly to uncover a secret code the communists are using to communicate with their agents in the USA. This code is cleverly hidden somewhere in the pages of newspapers, magazines and other publications. It's all top secret stuff and the patriotic Nash attacks his task enthusiastically. While teaching he meets the beautiful Alicia. He falls in love and they marry. All appears to be going well until soviet agents appear on the scene. But, even though he and Parcher manage to escape their clutches he is convinced that it is only a matter of time before they track him down. He becomes more and more paranoid. His behaviour deteriorates and finally he is hospitalized in a mental institution. The task falls to Dr Rosen [Christopher Plummer] who must now discover how much of John Nash's life is reality and how much is delusion. The truth starts to come out when Nash is diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. Alicia's life is cruelly shattered and crushed by the horrible truth of Johns delusions but drawing on her inner strength and her wonderful love for him she sets about helping John Nash rebuild and reclaim his life. It's a journey fraught with danger but one she will never give up on. Through it all she will never give up on either John or herself. The Verdict "A magnificent film full of wonderful characters led by Russell Crowe. Crowes performance is so masterful that you dare not take your eyes off the screen for a moment, while for director Ron Howard, "A Beautiful Mind" is most probably the crowning glory of his career to date. The secret of success for "A Beautiful Mind" is solely due to a support cast that neither imposes too deeply into Crowes role nor hides behind it. In fact, at all times, while they are clearly visible to the audience, it is they who ensure Crowe holds the centre stage." - M

What The Critics Say "It's everything most movies this year have not been: deeply felt, genuine, gracious." Robert Wilonsky NEW TIMES LOS ANGELES "Russell Crowe's sweating and facial tics are always entertaining, but Ron Howard never lets you enjoy them, so busy is he directing everyone into a state of uplifting bliss." Dave White IFILM "A deeply eloquent film with sparkling performances by both Crowe and Connelly." Tony Toscano TALKING PICTURES "Crowe proves he's the pre-eminent actor of the moment, discarding his gladiatorial macho to inhabit the gawky, tormented Nash with harrowing conviction." Jonathan Taylor NEW YORK CITYSEARCH "As bold and searingly imaginative as it is substantive." Susan Stark DETROIT NEWS "In this case at least, mathematical genius has inspired moviemaking genius." Shirley Sealy FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "You can't believe Russell Crowe is the same actor who won an Oscar one year ago for Gladiator. The film has a reveal so startling I almost got whiplash, shaking my head in amazement." Joel Siegel ABCNEWS.COM "The movie can -- indeed, should -- be intellectually rejected, but you can't quite banish it from your mind." A.O. Scott NEW YORK TIMES "Russell Crowe sometimes summons up one of the most powerful depictions of mental illness I have ever seen with barely an eyelid flicker separating manifestations of sickness from utterly sane displays of creative concentration." Lisa Schwarzbaum ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "It's not only intelligently conceived and smoothly crafted, but also manages be be emotionally resonant without degenerating into mawkishness." Frank Swietek ONE GUY'S OPINION "Throughout this movie we not only see this man go through hell, we feel it, thanks to Crowe's complete immersion in the part." Mary F Pols CONTRA COSTA TIMES "You can practically feel director Ron Howard standing over your tear ducts, straining to extract every last salty drop." Bruce Newman SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS The Cast Russell Crowe Ed Harris Jennifer Connelly Christopher Plummer Paul Bettany Adam Goldberg Josh Lucas Vivien Cardone Anthony Rapp Jason Gray-Stanford Judd Hirsch Austin Pendleton Victor Steinbach Tanya Clarke Thomas F Walsh ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... John Nash Parcher Alicia Nash Dr Rosen Charles Sol Hansen Marcee Bender Ainsley Helinger Thomas King Professor Horner Becky Captain Directed by Ron Howard Writen by Akiva Goldsman From the book by Sylvia Nasar Produced by Brian Grazer/Ron Howard Original Music by James Horner Director of Pphotography Roger Deakins Film Editing by Dan Hanley & Mike Hill Casting by Janet Hirshenson & Jane Jenkins Production Design by Wynn Thomas Art Direction by Robert Guerra Set Decoration by Leslie Rollins Costume Design by Rita Ryack Run Time 135 minutes Rated M[AUST] Copyright©2002 - Imagine Entertainment - All Rights Reserved

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