Triple agent

acting seems very natural--story not engaging One thing I have to say about "Triple Agent" is that the acting seemed very natural and convincing. The actors and director (Eric Rohmer in one of his last films) did a very nice job. On the other hand, the film is extremely talky--very, very little actually happens and when things occur, you mostly just hear about them. This makes for a slow film--one that needed some energy infused into it.

The film is about a couple--Arsinoé (who is Greek) and her White Russian husband, Fiodor. When I say 'White Russian' I mean that he is a an anti-communist Russian living in Paris after the Russian Revolution. He heads an organization of fellow expatriates and is clearly anti-Soviet. However, as the movie SLOWLY progresses, Arsinoé hears a lot from her husband that confuses her. He seems awfully friendly with the Nazis AND the Communists. And, his business trips to Belgium actually take him to Berlin. What gives?

As I said already, not much happens in the film--or at least you don't get to see anything. It's all told through conversations at Arsinoé's home. This style of storytelling is really weak...and the film lost my interest despite the fine acting. A weak script dooms what COULD have been a much more interesting film.

The action takes place in France, year 1936... An anti-Communist Russian exile that was on the White Army has to do such juggling acts to survive in those dangerous times.

Those who hate Eric Rohmer's works, his intellectual halo, his never ending dialogs will definitely hate "Triple Agent" as well. Yes, there are so much conversations, so many dissertations... and eventually you may lost the thread of the plot. I mean, this movie is not like "Summer tale", here you got stuff like spying and so, you have to know who's who, and that's pretty hard if the characters don't stop talking about anything. Maybe I'll have to watch it again so I get everything figured out.

PS: I'd like to underline the work of wonderful Greek actress Katerina Didaskalu. She's fascinating, and I hadn't have the occasion of watching her in a movie before.

My rate: 6.5/10

Eric Rohmer will undoubtedly sustain in cinema history as a unique writer and director of French films. He is far more interested in dialogue, conversation among his characters, and ideas than he is in plot or storyline development. His films affect many as too didactic, too much like a lecture series on current events or historical events to be considered a movie. Perhaps that is the case, as watching a Rohmer film takes total concentration and thinking.

Such is the case for his 2004 TRIPLE AGENT. Set in Paris of 1936-37, it is essentially a re-thinking of a true story that about a spy, a bit of history that is still unsolved. To understand this film requires a working knowledge of the political movements intertwining during the time: France's Popular Front, Hitler's rising influence in Europe, the Stalinist era, the Spanish Civil War with Franco and his adversaries, etc. The mix is all placed in the thoughts and discussions of Fyodor Voronin (Serge Renko), his Greek painter wife Arsinoé (Katerina Didaskalu) and their interactions with the changing people of the political ploys (played with sincere verve by Cyrielle Claire, Grigori Manukov, Dimitri Rafalsky, Nathalia Krougly, Amanda Langlet, Jeanne Rambur, Georges Benoît, Emmanuel Salinger among the large and confusing cast). The 'story' emerges from Fyodor's relationship to the political leanings that pull his attention away from Arsinoé and the complications of his physical structure with his intense involvement in the political and ideological climes.

The film works for those with enough savvy to catch all the intrigues of that period in European history. But for a film so completely dependent on rhetoric and smart dialogue this project suffers greatly from the poor subtitles: while most of the French is translated for us, much of the Russian and German is not, as though we all have access to those languages. The result is a static, dry, intense film in which much is lost due to technical flaws. The cast is excellent but the editing and clarity of each character's role falls by the wayside far too often. Rohmer's genius is there, but it is an acquired taste. Would that the viewer had the background knowledge somehow supplied to support the fine story that is being related! Grady Harp

Slow paced, and using a lot of dialogue, this film demands an attentive viewing. Decidedly, not recommended for people in a haste, wishing for a short respite between work and home. This film is Art, and History. Selected Pathé News reels from the period preceding World War 2 give us the context in which evolves a "White Russian" officer and his "Greek refugee" wife, living in Paris before, and during Nazi occupation. Is he a right-wing Russian, playing for the Nazis against a Communist France? Is he an underground agent of the Soviets, not opening his game even to affiliated communist friends? Is he a Nazi duping everyone else, as his wife once suspects? Is she as innocent as she tells, or is she a knowing part of her husband's triple spying schemes, or at least part of it? Spying is a question of technology, and that is shown in the end of the film, though the degree of technology used before our times of satellites seem ludicrous, but were terrific then. Spying is mostly a question of Humint (acronym for human intelligence), yesterday as today. French director Rohmer gives a master lesson in politics, History, human behaviour, love, and intelligence for all cinema lovers, based on true facts not fully explained even to this day. Highly recommended to spies of all colours, too - and they are legion...

As is explained in the prologue to the film, it is based on a true story, although some names, situations and facts have been changed or added. The addition of any facts I feel were probably few, as the film wanted to give a sense of the unknown. The use of historical french newsreel footage throughout gives an partial documentary feel to the film, yet the fine direction by Eric Rohmer, editing and quality of acting draws you straight back into the story every time.

I came away from seeing this film at the Hong Kong Film Festival 2004 with many thoughts. The film has been very well written as a pre-World War II drama/thriller. With many twists and turns in the plot, most of them between the lead characters, Fiodor a 'white russian' (a russian against Joseph Stalins communist ideals) and his greek wife Arsinoe, who live together in Paris, the russian man being 'in exile'.

This is the kind of film that I could watch a hundred times and always come out at the end with different opinion of Fiodor, such is the complexity of the story. The acting benefits well for using actors with applicable nationality/heritage, ie Fiodor, russian, played by Serge Renko and Arsinoe, greek, played by Katerina Didaskalu. Giving the accent the right 'edge', especially in the case of Serge Renko, as the characters speak mainly french in the film. Serge also gives a proud russian 'stiffness' to his character making his behaviour very creditable.

The locations selected for the filming were well chosen and the set's well thought out. Some people may find this film a little faltering, but to me it felt as if the screenplay writer wanted to interfere as little as possible with the original true-life source material. Leaving the viewer to make up their own mind.

An entertaining film that I would watch again, if only to try and make up my mind about Fiodor. Watch it, think about it and then watch it again is my advice.

Rating 8.5-9/10