Midnight Oil:Movies and More

In “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” (1965), John le Carré’s influential novel of cold war espionage comes to life with Richard Burton playing the central character.  Alec Leamas is a far cry from the super suave super-spy, James Bond. There’s none of the gadgetry and high gloss finish for the ordinary agent Leamas who gets to visit such exotic destinations as a forest hut, a cement cell and an austere courtroom in nowhere town, East Germany thanks to his exciting chosen profession as a spy. The enduring points of interest from the film (and the novel) do not come from glamourous locations, steamy sex scenes or fantastic special effects that accompany the adrenalin pumping pursuits of the secret agent. This black and white film features things that are a little more low key (not to mention low budget).  Complex dialogue, interesting character development and moral dilemma sustain one’s attention and actually leave one with something to think about after it’s all over. Move over Mr. Bond! No matter what worthy actor they get to play the eternally youthful 007, he won’t be a match for Burton’s rather gritty Alec Leamas à la le Carré. 

See a very interesting SNAM “Interview” that includes material on John le Carré’s spy novels.  “The Deadly Affair" (1966), screened on the same evening on Saturday Night at the Movies is also reviewed on Midnight Oil.

You can try listening to the original novel on audiobook.

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See the trailer for "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (1965)

"Operation Crossbow (1965)" combines a good spy story and WWII military history with a pinch of the human interest angle thrown in for good measure. George Peppard is the British spy masquerading as a Dutch engineer in the pay of the Germans to help create the dreaded V2 rocket bombs (no explanation of his American accent). Sophia Loren makes a cameo appearance as the Italian wife of the Dutch engineer trying to escape the Nazi occupation with her (trilingual ?) children. It's all very confusing. You have to keep an eye on those German subtitles. Sophia is evidently there to prop up the galmour factor. If you like rockets a lot, wartime intrigue or Sophia Loren, this film may have some points of interest for you.

This movie was recently screened with another wartime movie on TVO. See reviews for “The Man Who Never Was” 1956   in the Midnight Oil video trailer section.

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See director, Michael Anderson interviewed in the video trailer of "Operation Crossbow" from TVO.

Catch the opening scenes video trailer of “Operation Crossbow” 1965

In “The Deadly Affair” (1966), John le Carré’s spy novel turns into a cinematic adventure for everyday secret service man, Charles Dobbs (played by James Mason). Even though he has a nymphomaniac wife at home, Charles Dobbs’ career as a British intelligence officer is nothing like that of James Bond. A suspicious looking suicide after an apparently unfounded accusation of communist sympathies leads down a trail of cold war intrigue. As the plot thickens, Dobb’s finds the answers in places that strike  uncomfortably close to home.

See a very interesting SNAM “Interview” that includes material on John le Carré’s more famous spy novel, “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”, a film starring Richard Burton, also screened on the same evening on Saturday Night at the Movies.

>>More to see: Looking for more out of life?

Catch the opening credits and opening scene for “The Deadly Affair” (1966) here.

“Apollo 13” (1995), directed by Ron Howard, provides a wonderfully realistic dramatization of the historic aborted moon voyage of 1970. There was a PG rating on the film for language and emotional intensity. I appreciated the warning as the parent of a 10 year old who remains fascinated by gadgets, gizmos and galaxies but who gets slightly stressed out by the super suspenseful inner states of being that sell movies. You really do want to make sure that you go to the bathroom before you start out on this two hour “disasterful” cinematic voyage to the moon and back. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon (playing astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert) form a triumvirate for outer space. Ed Harris provides ground support as Flight Director Gene Kranz. Well, there was that other guy, Gary Sinise. He plays astronaut Ken Mattingly. That’s the fellow who gets knocked off of the roster at the last minute by German measles - but no one ever mentions him. They did manage, in the name of historical accuracy, to mention the fact that the unfortunate Pilot Haise, played by Bill Paxton, got a major urinary tract infection due to not drinking enough water during the mission. Too much information.

Methinks there was a bit too much testosterone floating around the stratosphere in this film. In the end, everyone keeps their head and all get back to earth safely. I really wasn’t sure there for a few minutes – and that was after seeing the film previously and living through the historical event. When they are done right, movies can be an engrossing form of storytelling. This one was done right.

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View the video trailer for "Apollo 13" (1995)