Die Libelle

It's a convoluted John le Carré spy drama set in 1979 in England, Germany, Lebanon, and Israel. It follows a Mossad supervisor, Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon), and his agents who are trying to catch a Palestinian master bomb-maker, Khalil (Charif Ghattas). Other team members are Gadi Becker/Joseph (Alexander Skarsgard), Shimon Litvak (Michael Moshonov), Rachel (Simona Brown), and Rose (Kate Sumpter). They co-opt a radical young English actress, Charlie Ross (Florence Pugh), into their plot.

First, the Israeli team pursues Khalil's younger brother, Michel/Salim (Amir Khoury). They set up a complex ruse after capturing Michel, having Charlie pose as Michel's lover in hopes of infiltrating the terrorist organization. In true John le Carré fashion, the story includes considerable ethical ambiguity and questions about everyone's motives and ultimate loyalties.

This mini-series is far superior to the 1984 movie that stars Diane Keaton. The mini-series is much more nuanced, and Florence Pugh is more age-appropriate for Charlie's role. Michael Shannon is also a superior Martin Kurtz character. The mini-series also allowed the development of some key characters like Khalil's sister, Fatmeh (Lubna Azabal). The mini-series does take some liberties that deviate from the book, including a sanitized ending. The 1984 film was more accurate on that score.

I think John le Carré would have approved this series.

This series is not for a general audience who are not prepared to pay attention and appreciate nuance as the critical reception compared to general audience response shows. One example is of people not understanding Charlie's motivation in going with Becker and agreeing to her first mission even though her very first audtion scene in episode 1 shows that she is a fantasist who craves danger and excitement with her story being undercut with scenes showing the reality, people not getting this shows that most people do not want to put any effort into watching television and expect to be spoon fed at every point.

This show uses editing and cinematography to create atmosphere and to highlight the artifice of the spy world and of cinema, there are many points that are beautifully meta. For instance the scene at the Acropolis is artifice not only for the characters but also for us the audience playfully directed by Chan-Wook and elevated by the score. This show will be divisive but great art usually is, also the costumes are to die for!

I read the book and saw the Diane Keaton film about100 years ago, so I can't vouch for the fidelity of this TV series to the novel. And, while I don't remember much about the film, I did look at its trailer on Amazon.com. Keaton's done some fine work, but, based on the trailer, her performance in the movie was over-the-top-and-down-the-other-side.

Some reviewers on this site have complained that this production was boring - like watching paint dry. Well, that's LeCarre. I'm not talking film adaptations, since a two hour adaptation has to compress a lot of activity into a short time. "The Little Drummer Girl," in six parts, every bit the equal of the Alec Guinness/Ian Richardson production of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." Nuanced, thoughtful, well acted.

I recently saw Florence Pugh in "Outlaw King," about Robert the Bruce. It was a small part, and she did not have much of a chance to shine. But as Charly, she proved herself a fine actress. And, while all of the rest of the cast was good, Michael Shannon gave a wonderfully shaded performance, quite unlike in "The Shape of Water."

LeCarre rarely writes any character as a hero. These are complex characters who deserve a viewer's patience, which will be rewarded throughout.

This adaptation of one of John le Carre's long espionage novels is fantastic. It unravels several stores very slowly and in great detail, which you can only appreciate if a.) you've read the novel, or b.) you are watching the film for the second time. It is subtle and convoluted, but some of us love subtle and convoluted.

Beautiful cinematography, great script, top-notch acting, super story-telling. But you REALLY have to be patient and work for this one. In other words, just like the novels of Le Carre. Or the symphonies of Mahler.

So read the book first, or at least a summary of the extremely twisty plot, and then binge watch the whole thing over a snowy weekend when you weren't going anywhere anyway.

One needs to pay very careful attention from line one of this show to prevent getting lost. Once you get it, watching it play out is easier. You can't allow for distraction. Although some claim it's laboriously slow, it adds to the suspense. Characters are droll and lack animation, but it works. This series makes you use your imagination & tenacity. I enjoy the character interplay & putting the puzzle pieces together only to find they are in the wrong place. NO Hollywood bang-bang, shooting up buildings & wrecking dozens of cars. I love (so far) the lack of romantic interplay, that's a bonus. I wouldn't Charlie to be a hottie. She's a naive small time actress going nowhere fast, throwing in rebellion for attention. She's fascinated & intrigued by (the older) Gadi, a very believable situation in the 70s. I love her performance. This series is truly worth the try. Some things don't ring true, such as describing distance in miles rather than kilometers. Also a runner in the background in (I believe) Munich who is wearing modern day running clothes.