Cambridge Spies
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Movie Reviews of Cambridge Spies
Movie Review: Upper Class Revolutionaries
Summary: 5 Stars
This fine BBC docudrama depicts the lives of the four Cambridge spies from their university days, when they were recruited to do espionage work for the Soviet Union, through the defections of two of the four some twenty years later. Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess, and Donald Maclean were members of Britain's upper class elite. From prominent, well connected families, they were educated at some of the best public schools and then Cambridge University. Their minds were as brilliant as their pedigrees, and they all seemed destined for the highest levels of diplomatic, social, and political careers.
Blunt and Philby, in public statements years after they were unmasked, all claimed that they became Communist spies in an attempt to better the world. You do see a little of this desire to make things better in an incident near the beginning of the film, when Burgess and Philby foment a strike by the waiters at their college, but overall the four don't seem to have had much first hand knowledge of the people whose lives they claimed to want to improve through a Communist revolution. The film does make clear the interesting point that the four were able to go about their espionage efforts for many years precisely because they were priviledged, elite people who knew all the right things to say and had entree into the highest circles. The proverbial old boys club was hard at work for these four, and they knew it and used it.
At times the film seems to overglamourize the four, toning down the more sordid aspects of their lives (except in the case of the flamboyant and disreputable Guy Burgess) and barely acknowledging that they did real damage to Britain and the rest of the West through their espionage. But its a well depicted and beautifully acted dramatic reenactment of one episode in the Cold War. The extra material provided on the second DVD is interesting as well, including interviews with Blunt and Philby after their unmaskings, BBC obituaries for Philby and Maclean, and a bizarre excerpt from a film about the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace, made in the 1960s and partly narrated by Blunt himself. (There's also a rather mediocre History Channel presentation about the Cambridge spies which provides a little more information about their lives and times.)
Movie Review: Friends . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Historians may quibble over the accuracy of this TV miniseries; what can really be known for sure about the private lives of spies? But fans of British-made docudrama will not be disappointed. Following the careers of the so-called Cambridge spies, from the 1930s to the 1950s, these four hours of film provide an absorbing portrayal of espionage as experienced by the spies themselves, rather than in the objectively critical view of history and the news media. (The DVD gives a sample of that treatment in a History Channel program devoted to the subject and video recordings of news coverage marking their deaths.) Admittedly speculative and dramatized for popular consumption - was Kim Philby actually on the scene for the German bombing of Guernica? - its view of the four men is plausible enough, as their youthful anti-fascist idealism is put to use by the KGB.
While betraying their country, they had the amazing capacity to rise in the ranks to key positions in the post-war British espionage machine itself, a fact that the film attributes to the gullibility of men with old-school ties. Meanwhile, plenty of alcohol is poured and consumed, and there are steamy liaisons, which given the orientations of the four men, lean both left and right of center. The writing and the performances present strikingly individualistic portraits of the four spies. Anna-Louise Plowman is a strong presence as the American woman married to one of them and drawn romantically to another, and there are cameo performances by James Fox, Anthony Andrews, and Imelda Staunton, the latter two as the King and Queen. The DVD includes commentaries by the director, writer, and producer of the series, plus additional features offering historical background.
Movie Review: Spytime
Summary: 5 Stars
Philby, Burgess, MacLean, Blunt.
The four names associated with one of the most embarrassing episodes in Western politics. Moles burrowed deeply within the political mechanisms of Great Britain and the British Secret Service.
This BBC mini-series dramatization captures the life and times of the spies through the 1930s to the Cold War. The tone is sympathetic - idealists waging war against fascism, but get snarled the web of a bigger game - but the programs capture the period and oftentimes strange political alliances that swirled as Europe dragged itself into what became a global war.
Actors Toby Stephens (Philby), Samuel West (Blunt), Rupert Penry-Jones (MacLean) and Tom Hollander (Burgess) provide outstanding portrayals of their characters. The vast 240 minutes spanning two discs include a documentary that aired on the History Channel which covers the foursome as traitors, hence there is some balance within a historical - not entertainment - context.
Whether viewed as villains or products of a shadowy period driven by perceptions of good versus evil, this is a fascinating gaze into the rise and fall of the secret servants.
Movie Review: THOSE BRITISH FOLKS SURE CAN ACT
Summary: 5 Stars
This BBC-PBS T.V presentation is superb. It is not something that you can look at while darning socks, knitting, washing dishes, talking on the phone or having an evening party-it is NOT light entertainment. Go to commercial TV for that. You've got to sit-down, shut-up and concentrate on what is going on. In fact, it took me two viewings to fully understand what actually was going on. LISTEN closely; the script is fantastic. All of the actors are superb with Tom Hollander as Guy Burgess a standout. The production is on a par with some of the best BBC productions that I have had the privilege of seeing. With the gorgeous sets and costumes, it creates a feeling of the era that is being portrayed.
If you are into historical presentations and love superb acting buy this DVD.
Movie Review: Cambridge Spies
Summary: 5 Stars
Brilliant! Leave it to the English to weave intrigue, romance, mystery & adventure with good solid drama. Not to mention a little bit of history. Casting on this movie coud not have been better and all the actors gave marvolous performances. If you likes Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, spy---you will like this one!