Post by klep on Mar 5, 2018 7:52:18 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 3/5: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
SLOW-BURN SPY WEEK!
When Ian Fleming sat down to write a book, he chose to write about what he knew - spycraft. But the James Bond movies aren't really about actual spycraft so much as what Fleming probably wished spycraft was - all gadgets and gunfights and beautiful women.
And those things are a part of spycraft. Some of the time. But the majority of spycraft is just waiting. Watching. And dreading. It's these long hours of tension that Fleming's fellow spy John le Carré focused on. While Fleming worked during WWII, le Carré's time in the service didn't come until after the Cold War was in full swing, and so he would rarely have seen the bombast Fleming wrote about.
No, what le Carré knows is how much it sucks to be a spy, and the 2011 adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is an excellent example of his attitude towards the job. The film is the story of a mole hunt in the highest ranks of The Circus - the British intelligence service. It's a twisty and byzantine tale, much like the path George Smiley (Gary Oldman) and Control (John Hurt) take to leave The Circus when they are forced out at the beginning of the film. A new generation has pushed them out, and only Control - accused of too much paranoia - believes that one of them is a traitor.
But when a missing agent resurfaces and corroborates Control's suspicions, George Smiley is called back in and secretly tasked with finding the mole in The Circus. The film spends its time both in the present day and in flashback as Smiley goes through his investigation, considering and reconsidering his relationships with people he thought of as friends and coworkers; facing the uncertainty that any of them are genuine and the real possibility that failure to correctly identify the mole could do devastating harm to the nation he serves.
The story that unveils is one of betrayal and uncertainty. From the opening sequence that sees a spy set up on a meet, to the final moments showing another spy killed by his lover we feel the paranoia and pain that suffuses every moment of being a spy. You can never know who to trust, never feel truly safe. Spycraft dissolves bonds of friendships and bonds of love alike, as secrets must be kept and lies must be told.
Even Smiley - a consummate spy - is not immune. We learn that he met Russia's spymaster-to-be early in his career, and inadvertently revealed his weak spot - his wife. Throughout the film we see how his marriage is troubled, and how his wife Ann (Katrina Vasilieva) even cheated on him with his colleague Bill Haydon (Colin Firth). But when Smiley finally digs out the truth - and learns Haydon is the mole - it becomes apparent that Karla directed him to seduce Smiley's wife as a way to distract Smiley from the truth. It's the cruelest twist - Haydon didn't care about Ann, he just saw her as a means to an end.
Smiley is a good man. He loves his wife, he loves his country, he wants to look out for the people under him, and he wants to believe in the good in people. But he knows better. He knows in his line of work goodness is something that can be very costly. Everyone he knows is but a chess piece in the great game, and they may all someday need to be sacrificed. That's the truth of being a spy, and it really fucking sucks.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 3/12: The Princess Bride
CHILDHOOD FAVORITES WEEK!
It's just inconceivable that you could fail to join us for our next Movie of the Week as we gather to discuss this classic comedy from Rob Reiner. Endlessly quotable and absolutely unforgettable, The Princess Bride is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 3/6: Stalker
This week the podcast crew pairs Alex Garland's new Annihilation with the Tarkovsky film from which it draws inspiration: Stalker. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of this classic work of science fiction. Stalker is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
SLOW-BURN SPY WEEK!
When Ian Fleming sat down to write a book, he chose to write about what he knew - spycraft. But the James Bond movies aren't really about actual spycraft so much as what Fleming probably wished spycraft was - all gadgets and gunfights and beautiful women.
And those things are a part of spycraft. Some of the time. But the majority of spycraft is just waiting. Watching. And dreading. It's these long hours of tension that Fleming's fellow spy John le Carré focused on. While Fleming worked during WWII, le Carré's time in the service didn't come until after the Cold War was in full swing, and so he would rarely have seen the bombast Fleming wrote about.
No, what le Carré knows is how much it sucks to be a spy, and the 2011 adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is an excellent example of his attitude towards the job. The film is the story of a mole hunt in the highest ranks of The Circus - the British intelligence service. It's a twisty and byzantine tale, much like the path George Smiley (Gary Oldman) and Control (John Hurt) take to leave The Circus when they are forced out at the beginning of the film. A new generation has pushed them out, and only Control - accused of too much paranoia - believes that one of them is a traitor.
But when a missing agent resurfaces and corroborates Control's suspicions, George Smiley is called back in and secretly tasked with finding the mole in The Circus. The film spends its time both in the present day and in flashback as Smiley goes through his investigation, considering and reconsidering his relationships with people he thought of as friends and coworkers; facing the uncertainty that any of them are genuine and the real possibility that failure to correctly identify the mole could do devastating harm to the nation he serves.
The story that unveils is one of betrayal and uncertainty. From the opening sequence that sees a spy set up on a meet, to the final moments showing another spy killed by his lover we feel the paranoia and pain that suffuses every moment of being a spy. You can never know who to trust, never feel truly safe. Spycraft dissolves bonds of friendships and bonds of love alike, as secrets must be kept and lies must be told.
Even Smiley - a consummate spy - is not immune. We learn that he met Russia's spymaster-to-be early in his career, and inadvertently revealed his weak spot - his wife. Throughout the film we see how his marriage is troubled, and how his wife Ann (Katrina Vasilieva) even cheated on him with his colleague Bill Haydon (Colin Firth). But when Smiley finally digs out the truth - and learns Haydon is the mole - it becomes apparent that Karla directed him to seduce Smiley's wife as a way to distract Smiley from the truth. It's the cruelest twist - Haydon didn't care about Ann, he just saw her as a means to an end.
Smiley is a good man. He loves his wife, he loves his country, he wants to look out for the people under him, and he wants to believe in the good in people. But he knows better. He knows in his line of work goodness is something that can be very costly. Everyone he knows is but a chess piece in the great game, and they may all someday need to be sacrificed. That's the truth of being a spy, and it really fucking sucks.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 3/12: The Princess Bride
CHILDHOOD FAVORITES WEEK!
It's just inconceivable that you could fail to join us for our next Movie of the Week as we gather to discuss this classic comedy from Rob Reiner. Endlessly quotable and absolutely unforgettable, The Princess Bride is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 3/6: Stalker
This week the podcast crew pairs Alex Garland's new Annihilation with the Tarkovsky film from which it draws inspiration: Stalker. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of this classic work of science fiction. Stalker is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.