WORDPLAY - TRIBECA

2006 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

WORDPLAY

When I was growing up, my mom liked to do crossword puzzles, and
eventually I started to do them as well. By the time I got to college, I was
bold enough to undertake the puzzle in The New York Times Magazine
on Sundays. Over the years, though, as more and more demands were
made on my time, I gradually stopped doing them. (I barely even read
the Times on Sundays any more!) Watching the documentary
WORDPLAY made me nostalgic for those lazy Sundays spent with
the crossword.

Directed by Peter Creadon, WORDPLAY introduces viewers to
Will Shortz, the current crossword editor of The New York Times and
founder of the annual American Crossword Tournament held at the
Marriot in Stamford, Connecticut. Creardon includes a motley crew
of puzzle aficionados, from "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart to the Indigo
Girls to former U.S. President Bill Clinton to documentarian Ken Burns.

Initially the project was conceived as a profile of Shortz, who even as
a young man was drawn to the world of puzzles and words. As he tells
the audience, he designed his own curriculum as an undergraduate,
majoring in enigmatology, that is, the art of making or solving enigmas.

Creadon expanded the scope of his film to include a brief history
of the crossword puzzle, its standardization in the 1940s (with rules like
no two-letter words), and a look at how designer Merl Reagle creates a
puzzle (which the audience then sees several of the well-known people
attempt to complete).

The director also profiles several of the entrants in the annual
tournament, including past winners Ellen Ripstein and Trip Payne,
perpetual also-ran Al Sanders, and twenty year old newcomer
Tyler Hinman (jokingly referred to by one of the judges of the contest as
"the seven-year-old").

There are also flashy graphics (by Brian Oakes) that incorporate
some of the puzzles given to the competitors. Creadon has crafted a
film that captures some of the pleasures and fun of doing a crossword
puzzle. It may appeal more to a select audience, but WORDPLAY is
an enjoyable and even informative film.

Rating: B+