John le Carré: volar en círculos

Getting inside the head of a spy is undoubtedly challenging; getting inside the head of a novelist who was once a spy who now writes about that enigmatic profession is nearly impossible. And that's one of the hurdles that hampers this profile of former MI5 and MI6 operative David Cornwell, better known to the world by his pen name, John le Carré (1931-2020). Based on the author's memoir of the same name, the latest from documentarian Errol Morris puts the best-selling espionage novelist under the microscope, seeking to discover who le Carré is, what factors impacted his life and writings, and how his novels mirror those influences in terms of content and themes. Through discussions of books like "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," "Smiley's People," "A Perfect Spy" and "The Looking Glass War," backed by clips of film and television adaptations of these works, le Carré and Morris ruminate on the writer's objectives in bringing them to life, some of them personal in nature and some of them expressions of his feelings about the murky underworld he left behind and brought to life on the printed page. Much of what the author consequently discusses comes across as dark, cryptic, and characterized by rampant intrigue and betrayal, not unlike the life he left behind (as well as the dismal upbringing he underwent at the knee of his untrustworthy father, a professional swindler adept at plying his craft). The insights, to say the least, are rather depressing and disquieting. But that unsettling material is further compounded by a string of often-perplexing observations about le Carré's existential outlooks and literary intentions, some of which seemingly amount to little more than oh so much navel gazing and intellectual masturbation, overstated attempts at encapsulating his perspectives on human nature and human relations as reflected through his works. I can imagine that there's probably a market for a film like this among Anglophiles captivated by the writer's works, the spy novel genre in general and PBS/BBC television dramas, but it really didn't do much for me, especially since this offering pales in comparison to many of Morris's other better productions. Thankfully, the picture's merciful 1:32:00 runtime proved to be its saving grace (even though the picture admittedly improves once it gets past an overly long, excessively detailed prologue). Ironically, le Carré notes in the film that he sees his novels as an antidote to the James Bond books and movies, but, from where I stand, I'll take 007 over this any day.

As "The Pigeon Tunnel" (2023 release; 93 min) opens, Le Carre and the film's director Errol Morris are discussing the making of this film (supposedly the last interview LeCarre ever gave). LeCarre (real name: David Cornwell) then reflects on his upbringing, which he admits was anything but easy. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary...

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Oscar-winning director Errol Morris ("The Fog of War"). Here he reassesses Cornwell/Le Carre's life and times. And how does Morris exactly do that? For the most part he simply lets the interviewee do the talking. It's almost as if we get a glimpse of what Le Carre is such an accomplished writer. The movie is at its best when Le Carre explains how his own real life experiences as a spy for the British secret service influenced the novels he wrote. Morris uses film clips to illustrate various points. At a certain point, it blurs the lines of what is real and what is fiction. I found is rather fascinating. THe movie also benefits tremendously from the delightful original score by Philip Glass and Paul Leonard Morgan, who has scored several earlier Morris documentaries.

"The Pigeon Tunnel" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in early September, earning immediate critical acclaim. There is good reason why this movie is currently rate 95% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie just started streaming on Apple TV. If you are a fan of John Le Carre or of Errol Morris' earlier documentaries, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

I never read John le Carre books, but I appreciated the movies that were made from them and now that I have heard the author speak about his life, I am even more enthralled. He admits that at times he is not even sure what's real and what is fiction.

He educates us on what it takes to make a good spy - and made me happy that I am not of that ilk, but did appreciate that he was.

He explained what made him a write and why he titled his biography "The Pigeon Tunnel". It was all very educational to us, the viewer, if we really listened.

The filming of it was brilliant and quiet. Quick quips of photos and some news prints and the stories behind them.

He lead a complicated life and shared it with us, in books and this documentary.

He died at age 89 in 2020, so we were lucky at all to have had this time with him, but we still have his books.

Enjoy!

Greetings again from the darkness. When John le Carre passed away in 2020 at the age of 80, conversations and debates raged about the best spy novelists, and what stood out was, no matter how many writers were mentioned - Ian Fleming, Tom Clancey, Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett - everyone's list included le Carre. Oscar winning documentarian Errol Morris (THE FOG OF WAR, 2003) has taken le Carre's final and most personal interview and adorned it with film clips, rare archival footage, and some dramatic effects to create a lasting tribute to a superb writer and a most interesting man.

John le Carre was a former member of MI5 (British Security Service) and MI6 (British Intelligence Service), only at the time he was David Cornwell. Adapting his now world-famous nom de plume, le Carre became a spy who wrote spy novels. Really good spy novels. Not only were many of these to become bestsellers, many were also primed to be adapted to a film version or TV series. A few of his best-known novels include: "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold", "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", "The Night Manager", "The Constant Gardener", and "A Perfect Spy." His recurring character George Smiley was always a favorite, and was played expertly by two Oscar winners, Sir Alec Guiness and Gary Oldman.

For anyone who hasn't read le Carre's 2016 autobiography, "The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life", Morris is kind enough to include the explanation of the title. "The Pigeon Tunnel" was the working title le Carre used for many of his books while in progress, and we do get to hear the author detail how that particular phrase happened to stick. In fact, the real treasure here is in hearing le Carre's distinctive voice spin the yarn on so many stories. Whether writing or speaking, he was a fantastic storyteller, mesmerizing the readers and listeners.

With his storytelling-on-the-fly approach, le Carre recalls his childhood and life with a seamless blend of experience, memory, and imagination ... often with the Cold War as a backdrop. We aren't always sure where the blurred line between fact and embellishment falls, but we do know we are along for the ride. When John le Carre speaks of his fascination with "betrayal", we can't help but wish he were still around to provide commentary on this modern world.

Streaming globally on AppleTV+ beginning October 20, 2023.

This would be of particular interest if the viewer enjoyed the authors fiction which I did. This is a remarkable movie about a remarkable author living in Cold War times.

LeCarré somehow manages to capture the colour of the paint (tobacco brown) on the walls of the meager interrogation rooms and offices in his prose, and the underlying violence is subtle and implied rather than evident. And although there are sides to take his writing never demands this of the reader.

His skill in capturing the zeitgeist of the Cold War years is his brilliance which somewhat diminishes in the post war era when he still continues to shine in a more contemporary way.

See the video, LeCarré is the star.