le carre, philby, et al.

Posted by: fidelio on 12 March 2008

i just viewed all of the bbc "smiley" shows, "tinker, tailor" and "people" (unfortunately they never did the middle book, too costly probably due to the s.e. asian setting) -- great stuff, at first i thought "how dated," but then warmed up to it (loved bernie hepton). think they were terrific. did a little research to learn that le carre was really cornwell of mi6 or whatever, then read some about philby, anthony blount, etc. fascinating. surprised i hadn't seized on this thread before, being a historian of sorts, but better late than never.
and given russia's developing return to k.g.b. proto-czarism, possibly even timely....

so, here is a thread to express your opinions and feelings about alec guinness, the secret service, moles, defectors, robert ludlum, j. edgar hoover's failed attmept to flush out philby, was harold wilson a commie??, or whatever. and any good book or website suggestions would be welcome.

hope mi6 endorses naim and won't be shutting this thread down ....
Posted on: 13 March 2008 by Bob McC
Went to the Lowry yesterday to see Single Spies. 2 one act plays by Alan Bennett. They were "An Englishman Abroad", about Guy Burgess and "A Question of Attribution" about Anthony Blunt. Fascinating stuff, particularly the second one with its allusions to a 'fifth man'.
Posted on: 24 March 2008 by dn1
Recently got the DVDs of these... What a change from current Hollywood/TV production values! Apart from the plot content, the way the story is spun out deliciously slowly, forcing you to think, is wonderful.

The other thoughtline is to follow le Carre through his recent books. Just because we have ended the cold war, doesn't mean there are no more baddies out there...
Posted on: 25 March 2008 by fidelio
yes, i really enjoyed all of those bbc le carres. music too.

as far as baddies out there, on the contrary - there is plenty of activity. look at the recent radiation poisoning of a russian national in london, almost certainly can be laid at you-know-who's door.... must signal some kind of internal power struggle. there are even a few who go for the theory that russia is just "regrouping," and is still bent on domination.

anyway, now that naim is in bentley, it should have some product placement in the next 007 installment.