Cambridge Spies (2003)

Upper Class Revolutionaries

This fine BBC docudrama depicts the lives of the four Cambridge spies from their university days, when they were recruited to do espionage work for the Soviet Union, through the defections of two of the four some twenty years later. Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess, and Donald Maclean were members of Britain's upper class elite. From prominent, well connected families, they were educated at some of the best public schools and then Cambridge University. Their minds were as brilliant as their pedigrees, and they all seemed destined for the highest levels of diplomatic, social, and political careers.

Blunt and Philby, in public statements years after they were unmasked, all claimed that they became Communist spies in an attempt to better the world. You do see a little of this desire to make things better in an incident near the beginning of the film, when Burgess and Philby foment a strike by the waiters at their college, but overall the four don't seem to have had much first hand knowledge of the people whose lives they claimed to want to improve through a Communist revolution. The film does make clear the interesting point that the four were able to go about their espionage efforts for many years precisely because they were priviledged, elite people who knew all the right things to say and had entree into the highest circles. The proverbial old boys club was hard at work for these four, and they knew it and used it.

At times the film seems to overglamourize the four, toning down the more sordid aspects of their lives (except in the case of the flamboyant and disreputable Guy Burgess) and barely acknowledging that they did real damage to Britain and the rest of the West through their espionage. But its a well depicted and beautifully acted dramatic reenactment of one episode in the Cold War. The extra material provided on the second DVD is interesting as well, including interviews with Blunt and Philby after their unmaskings, BBC obituaries for Philby and Maclean, and a bizarre excerpt from a film about the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace, made in the 1960s and partly narrated by Blunt himself. (There's also a rather mediocre History Channel presentation about the Cambridge spies which provides a little more information about their lives and times.) July 1, 2008

Headline: American TV infects the BBC!

The BBC has a long and honorable tradition of producing and airing fine dramas. "Cambridge Spies" doesn't continue that tradition. On the contrary, it looks exactly what it is: a made-for-TV movie that takes a bad script, uninspired acting, and a low budget and makes from all of that a predictably awful film. Instead of watching a BBC production, you'd swear you were watching something made for one of the American networks.

Why is "Cambridge Spies" so bad? It's not because the film is pretty unhistorical. I've never understood those people who complain that fictional works about historical events aren't more "accurate." Surely no one watches historical drama for a history lesson (at least they shouldn't).

What makes the film so deadly is, first of all, terrible writing. The script is full of sentimental one-liners, and seems utterly incapable of nuance or gradation (for example, the character McLean meets his future wife--horribly played by a no-talented Jenna Harrison--and woos, beds, marries, and rescues her from the Nazis in all of 5 minutes). Sadly, the script got worse as the 4-part series progressed.

The poor quality of the script may account for the leaden acting displayed by virtually everyone in the film. But one senses that a great deal of the film's flatness must be chalked up to untalented actors. The above-mentioned Harrison is so utterly awful that watching her is embarrassing. Tom Hollander as Guy Burgess has some very good moments, particularly in the first part of the series, but his portrayal becomes predictable and tedious (lots of shouting and histrionics). Samuel West as Anthony Blount plays a character so tightly wound that he's in chronic danger of becoming unhinged. But West's handling of the character reduces Blount to a rather sissified, simpering worry-wart. Rupert Penry-Jones and Toby Stephens as Philby and McLean don't bear mentioning. Both of them seem to have but one facial expression in their acting repertoir, and that a hangdog look of dejected worry.

All in all, a film to miss. April 20, 2008

Fascinating

Watching this for the first time as a fan of actor Samuel West, and author John Le Carre's spy novels, I was expecting a little more cloak and dagger. However, this interesting and more 'human' approach delved into the nature of how 4 idealistic young men became double agents in the spy game. I also enjoyed the series for the performances of some of the best British actors (some emerging, some established) of our generation. January 17, 2008

Growing Up to Be a Spy

Well-acted, if somewhat sketchy, analysis of the careers of the imfamous group of Cambridge University students who espoused Marxism as undergraduates and went on to become the most effective British spies of
the Cold War era. The production focuses on the ideas and events which drew these men into the twilight world of espionage, and offers a rather limited depiction of the deterioration of their lives and careers as a result of their politics and their character flaws.

The writer and director of this BBC production display sympathy for these men who make a commitment wihout clearly anticipating where their youthful enthusiam may lead later in life. The sympathy the characters evoke is, in large measure,dependent on the efforts of four gifted young British actors who succeed in communicating the raw nerves and psychological pain of these increasingly desperate men. The stress of their undercover work fractures both their personal and professional lives. Definitely not a good advertisement for a career as a spy!











































































November 2, 2007

For those like myself who were mystified by "Blunt, the Fourth Man" and "Another Country"

For those like myself who were mystified by "Blunt, the Fourth Man" and "Another Country", this version of the story makes it all clear and understandable. These brillilant young Britons were carried away by their abhorrence of fascisim and naively embraced the originally idealistic cause of communism until they gradually became Soviet agents and were too far immersed to break free. At last the story of these men is given a plausible reperesentation from their callow youth to their fateful ends in ignominy. Toby Stephens and Samuel West are excellent, as is the rest of the cast as well. Highly recommended for those interested in the history and politics of clandestine agents and traitors. October 31, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...