Cambridge Spies

Rating:
Summary: Give us "Cambridge Spies: the Moscow Years"!
Review: This gripping, well-acted film launched me on a reading odyssey, beginning with Philby's "My Silent War" and including Yuri Modin's "My Five Cambridge Friends" (Y.M. was their KGB handler), Philip Knightley's "Philby, the Life and Views of the KGB Master Spy", and Miranda Carter's "Anthony Blunt, His Lives", among many others (some of which are less than sympathetic). The results for me have been as follows: 1) I feel as if I know each of these men (as far as it is possible to know persons whose lives are so compartmentalized); 2) [and more important for this review], I can appreciate the intense research that went into this outstanding TV series, which really brought out the tragic personae of Philby, Burgess, Maclean, and Blunt, who are rare examples of 'real life' Greek tragic prototypes (complete with spectacular tragic flaws). The fact that they spied for the other side is irrelevant--a mere plot point, as Aristotle would say. They achieved a tragic status in that they made conscious decisions and followed their ideals to the very end. 'Bound' by the tangled intricacies of their double lives and just as they seemed about to arrive at the pinnacles of success, the Cold War intruded. Despite suffering reversals of fortune--and recognizing them (as the tragic hero must do)--they nevertheless persisted, finally plummeting precipitously, as their collective tragedy unraveled inexorably to its conclusion.

The film is enhanced by a riveting musical score and by remarkable camera work, which not only effectively depicts England of the 'thirties and 'forties, but also defines the characters with a sinister juxtaposition of shadow and light. The lighting is especially effective in scenes portraying the enigmatic and (some say) duplicitous Anthony Blunt, whose face is often half-masked in deep shadow.

The commentaries accompanying parts one and four of the series are equally fascinating, providing us with nuggets of information, such as the fact that Trinity College, Cambridge, would not allow its premises to be used for making a film about four of its most notorious graduates (The company was forced to film at King's College, next door.). Similarly, the Reform Club, the haunt of Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg, refused admittance to the film company, because it did not want to advertise the fact that it had once named a double vodka and grapefruit juice a "Double Burgess", after one of its most irrepressibly rambunctious members, Guy Burgess.

I can only hope that Mr. Fywell will follow with Series Two. There are at least four more episodes, which would cover the years when Moscow pulled Burgess, Maclean, and Philby in from the cold, and they had to face the even colder reality of Russian Winters and the frost-bitten remnants of their utopian dreams; and the years when London unmasked and disgraced Anthony Blunt, who waited until the death of Burgess to 'tell all' (He did not.).

Kudos to Messers Fywell and Moffat, as well as the splendid actors who participated in this paragon of television drama.


Rating:
Summary: "To fight fascism you have to be a communist."
Review: One of the most notorious espionage stories of the 20th century involves several members of Britain's upper crust. While Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, and Donald MacLean attended Trinity College, Cambridge, in the 1930s, they were recruited as spies by the Soviet government. All of the men subsequently gained prestigious jobs and successfully passed secrets to the Russians for several decades. The four-hour television mini-series, "Cambridge Spies", concentrates on the characters of the spies, and how the society they were part of allowed them to flourish.

The film begins with Trinity College, Cambridge in the 1930s. Hitler's power is on the rise, and fascism manages to impress a certain segment of the British upper classes. In response to the rise of fascism, many are attracted to communism. Blunt and Burgess are members of an elite club--the Apostles--and they are both committed communists when they meet and become involved with Donald MacLean and Kim Philby. The four men form a tight bond, which remains even after they leave university. Philby and Burgess both held high positions in MI6, and MacLean became a diplomat. Blunt--a distant relative to the royals--was knighted and became the Royal Curator of Art for the Queen.

"Cambridge Spies" succeeds in showing how these men were attracted to communism in the first place. They all came from wealthy, privileged backgrounds, and involvement with communism was a reaction against that, and also a reaction against fascism. The film shows the political and social atmosphere in which the "Cambridge Spies" made their commitment to communism. The film is also extremely successful in showing the 'old boy network' that existed, and which, in effect managed to protect the spies. They were simply beyond suspicion and beyond reproach.

Guy Burgess (Tom Hollander in an amazing performance) is a volatile extrovert with a penchant for self-destruction. Kim Philby (Toby Stephens) is much more controlled, and he seems the more rational of the bunch. MacLean (Rupert Penry-Jones) is another loose cannon, and Blunt (Samuel West) enjoys his connection with his royal relatives far more than he anticipated. While I deplored the misguided actions of the spies, it seems quite plausible that at least two of the four men (Blunt and Burgess) lived to really regret their youthful decision to convert to communism. But they found themselves stuck in a lifetime commitment before they realised the consequences. Blunt and Burgess seemed to truly love England, and their involvement with the Soviet government is sadly ironic.

"Cambridge Spies" is really is an incredible story. The plot sticks more or less to the truth--although some details are not quite accurate. The most glaring deviation concerns the defection of Guy Burgess. DVD extras include a documentary, and there's also a 'scrapbook' with TV tidbits about each of the spies--displacedhuman


Rating:
Summary: Ending
Review: The first hour set-up is a bit boring, but it gets much better after that. The bonus features are outstanding and are sufficient alone to purchase this set. Regarding the movie itself, however, I was very disappointing with the ending. Basically, the film ends when Burgess and MacLean defect to Mosocw. Thus, it does not include the remaining 12 years of Philby's spying, nor the eventually unmasking of Blunt. Additionally, Philby's relationship with CIA Chief of Counterintelligence James Jesus Angleton is vastly underrepresented -- particularly as it is germain to at least a portion of Philby's access while he was posted to the British Embassy in the U.S. Lastly, there are several very glaring factual inconsistencies, though the disclaimer at the beginning of the movie acknowledges that the makers took poetic license for "dramatic effect". Frankly, the true story is dramatic enough, and I feel (like a previous reviewer) that this movie was a bit of a lost opportunity to tell the whole story accurately. That said, it still is a decent-enough movie, and worth purchase for the bonus features which contain actual footage of the spies.

Rating:
Summary: Missed Opportunity
Review: The true story of the Cambridge spies is a fascinating chapter in the history of espionage but it is also a study in the English class system. Four upper class idealists who were rather ignorant about the system they were spying for whilst betraying the system that allowed them wealth and opportunity out of reach of the common man.

This dramatization is too detailed on romance and does not focus on the real events enough. The amazing aspect is that they got away with it for so long but there should have been more explananation of the changing world events to illustrate this. The motivation of the four is never clear and the damage they caused is never explained.

If you like English dramas, you will probably like this. But for me far too much time is dedicated to the love affairs of the group and even though you would expect a true story about espionage during world war II and the cold war would be thrilling and exhilarating this is rather dull and boring. Good acting, good direction but a bit too much soft focus.

Rating:
Summary: THOSE BRITISH FOLKS SURE CAN ACT
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: THOSE BRITISH FOLKS SURE CAN ACT
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Fine acting and storytelling
Review: Watching "Cambridge Spies" on BBCAmerica was eye-opening and insightful. By now, most viewers will have heard of Britain's most notorious spy ring. The story of the traitors (I was surprised the BBC hasn't lauded them as heroes) is edited and condensed quite well to fit miniseries time constraints. While in most movies there is at least one character to empathize or sympathize with, there is no character here that one feels inspired to "understand." One finds himself or herself just waiting to find out how and when these folks "got what was coming to them." Overall, the acting was superb, especially that of Toby Stephens. (Sidebar: He's the young Clint Eastwood in "Space Cowboys," if you can believe that. The guy's got a wide acting range.) As a avid viewer of BBCAmerica, I look forward to more terrific series as this one.