Page Eight: BBC spy thriller

[dremble wedge]

The BBC website reports that David Hare is writing and directing a new spy thriller for transmission later this year. The cast is fairly impressive.


David Hare returning with spy thriller

Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz are to star in a new spy thriller written by Oscar nominee Sir David Hare - his first original screenplay in 20 years.
Page Eight sees Nighy play a long-serving M15 officer who is forced to quit his job in order to find the truth behind a mystery file which threatens its stability.
Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon and Ewen Bremner will also star in the drama.
Filiming begins this month and will be screened on BBC Two later this year.
"The last decade has been as testing as any in the history of the British intelligence community," Sir David said. "The compromises and dilemmas they've faced in the new century make a fascinating story. I'm thrilled to be working with such an extraordinary ensemble of great actors," he added.
Best-known as an award-winning playwright, Sir David - who will also direct Page Eight - was twice Oscar nominated for The Hours in 2002 and The Reader in 2008.
In January 2009, he accused the BBC of lacking imagination, saying the corporation should be devoting more of its resources to single dramas and that it had "lost its nerve".

[batman]

Sounds interesting. The BBC generally do spy stories pretty well.

[CaptainWaggett]

But where are the bonnets? What sort of a new drama series is it without bonnets?

[DB7]

Sunday 28th August on BBC 2


Spy drama set in London and Cambridge. Johnny Worricker is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organisation. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny's striking next-door neighbour and political activist Nancy Pierpan seems too good to be true. Johnny is forced to walk out of his job, and then out of his identity to find out the truth.

[batman]

This looks OK. I just hope Nighy is in State of Play/Valkyrie mode and not in his usual mannered ''look at me, I'm acting'' mode.

[dremble wedge]

In an interview in the Sunday Times yesterday David Hare said he is currently writing a follow up to this and hopes to write a third. The BBC asked if he could do six!

[RogerThornhill]

I have seen the trailer for this, it looks good. An impressive cast and lots of intrigue. I don't often watch TV drama but I will try this one.

[batman]

If it's as good as last night's The Man Who Crossed Hitler it will be well worth watching. I like David Hare's writing, he is one of the best.

[GRAEME]

I thought this was good. Very well acted and produced, with a terrific atmosphere. More later Deighton than Le Carre.

The negative side, for me, was that the whole thing seemed a little thin. The stark revelation that

  Spoiler:

the PM knew all about the US torture and so on

, just felt like yesterday's news - and, I fear, substantially less shocking than the the truth which we all know about and are now quite bored with as a nation (apparantly).

It is rather touching that David Hare thought that such a revelation would be so earth-shattering as to threaten the PM and the Government. We all seemed to take this stuff in our stride these days and shrug our shoulders...

And there were a few bonkers bits - like when Nighy recalls the fact that he was recruited by Gambon at University after they "went on anti-Vietnam marches together"! The future head of MI5 went on anti-Vietnam marches?!

However, I liked Nighy's character very much indeed, a welcome addition to the fictional spy universe - and it is good news that we shall apparently see him again.

The biggest plus was to see a glossy thriller/spy drama with no car chases, shoot outs or violence at all - that was a breath of fresh air!

[Tigon Man]

I agree with you Graeme, I thought it was a very thin little piece and as you say the revalation was hardly earth shattering, as I watched it I thought so what if the PM knows all about the US torture. Sad, but perhaps we are too immune to everything these days to be shocked.

David Hare's political polemic (US, Israel bad) was also rather simplistic and irritating at times.

Bill Nighy (Not my favourite actor) seemed to sleepwalk through the whole thing, the only saving grace was a lovely performance from Michael Gambon as the spy cheif.

Disappointing.

[julian_craster]

Unfortunately it was not in the same league as Tinker Tailor..... or The Ploughman's Lunch......had a tired feel with too many cliches....

With its fashionable anti-US and anti- Israel line, I wonder how it will play over there (it was part financed by the US network NBC)

But I expect it (and the series) will greatly improve David Hare's bank balance ! ...

[Windyridge]

Beautifully shot, well acted - more style over substance,but enjoyable. Nighy wasn't irritating, but seemed to sleepwalk through it a bit. Interesting though, how many good looking, and in his neighbour's case, young, women had either slept with his character, were sleeping with him or wanted to, but that's always the way with older male actors in dramas - if Helen Mirren, or Penelope Wilton, who are a similar age to Nighy, had starred in it, would there be three similar relationships for them? I doubt it.

[julian_craster]

Yes, old Bill seems irresistible to the young ladies half his age !

“I want to be Bill Nighy when I grow up”. Now aged 61, the old rascal looks better than most men 30 years his junior....

Daily Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...wo-review.html


The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/...rview-spy-love

[GRAEME]

Unfortunately it was not in the same league as Tinker Tailor..... or The Ploughman's Lunch......had a tired feel with too many cliches....

With its fashionable anti-US and anti- Israel line, I wonder how it will play over there (it was part financed by the US network NBC)


But I expect it (and the series) will greatly improve David Hare's bank balance ! ...

I take issue with the anti-Israeli tag - is it anti-Israeli to feature a single incident (closely modelled on a real life one which actually involved a US citizen being killed)? The politics of that incident were not explored or commented on one way or the other.

I think what may seem anti-Israeli is the fact that the Arab characters do not turn out to be villains! Shows just how Israeli-centred (and anti-Arab) our expectations are.

[Windyridge]

Yes, old Bill seems irresistible to the young ladies half his age !

Mind you, in last night's drama he did walk from the South Bank to Battersea Park, which is quite a way for an oldie, so he must be fit!

[Freddy]

I enjoyed it and Graeme covered all the bases for me. What I found difficult to accept was Ralph Fiennes character. He seemed more like a fascist thug than a Prime Minister, someone who would keep other MPs in line making sure they voted on three line whips.

I loved the scene round the table with Gambon, Nighy, Saskia Reeves and Holly Aird, it belonged to Gambon, wonderful acting.

Nice to see Marthe Keller (Marathon Man) on our screens, strange that her name isn't credited on IMDb.

[dremble wedge]

I enjoyed it. It probably was a bit thin and surely Bill Nighy was too old to be at MI5 but the excellent quality of the actors made up for any minor faults.

Alice Krige was left off the IMDb list too!

[Chevyman]

having read all the comments, I'm pleased I recorded this.

[Steve Crook]

Nice to see Marthe Keller (Marathon Man) on our screens, strange that her name isn't credited on IMDb.

Alice Krige was left off the IMDb list too!

So add them. That's how the IMDb works

Steve

[dremble wedge]

So add them. That's how the IMDb works

Steve

I believe both of these fine actresses have agents for that sort of thing