The Little Drummer Girl

[Nick Armstrong]

I'm glad we've got those issues sorted

[Serial_Apologist]

Galaxy chocolate

Thank you. Add "teeth" to intelligence-rotting.

[LMcD]

I felt there wa something odd about this film. I wonder - cannot be sure - whether 1979 wasn't quite accurately portrayed. Did young women wear sunglasses on the top of their head then? Was 'you guys' in use then in Britain? I don't mean to nit-pick (although I am) - just trying to understand my mild unease with this episode.

It is meant to be a thriller, rather than a historical documentary.....
True, there was more style than substance in the first episode, but for me it passed the acid test - 'do I want to know what's going to happen next?'

[antongould]

I thought it was excellent .......

[Petrushka]

I'm glad we've got those issues sorted . With regard to S_A's point, I suppose, apart from the clothes, the cars, the hair (eg the girl bomber), the banks of pre-digital surveillance equipment and cameras.....

I'm looking forward to hearing what fellow JLC buff Petrushka makes of it all, if indeed you can be bothered with it, Pet

I first read the book in 1985 and wasn't too keen on it, having lost the plot somewhere down the line, but re-visiting it again in much better circumstances a year or so ago, I found it thrilling. On the whole, I rarely like TV/film adaptations of books I've enjoyed but Tinker, Tailor and Smiley's People remain exceptions and now, so does the Little Drummer Girl on the basis of the first episode. Florence Pugh is absolutely made for this role, a touch of casting genius. Ditto Alexander Skarsgard.

That's my next five Sunday evenings sorted out.

[Richard Tarleton]

Great excitement in Tarleton Towers last night, we've actually stayed in the hotel in Kutina (in present day Croatia, an hour or two SE of Zagreb) where Charlie was necking Slivovits last night - we stayed there for a few days in 2007 on our second visit to Croatia, in order to explore the marvellous Lonsko Polje national park on the flood plain of the river Sava.

The adaptation continues to be note perfect. I haven't spotted John Le Carré's cameo yet, I hope I haven't missed it.

[Belgrove]

I haven't spotted John Le Carré's cameo yet, I hope I haven't missed it.

I'm afraid you have Richard. He was the waiter in the cafe that Charlie went to after dropping off the Mercedes.

Greatly enjoying this, but not having read the book, the multitude of aliases can get a bit confusing. One thing I'm not sure about is Charlie's motivation for assisting Mossad - is it just the thrill?

[Dave2002]

Sorry - I find this utterly confusing - about the same as Berlin Station. Don’t know why I bother really. Maybe the book is better.

[Stanfordian]

I felt there wa something odd about this film. I wonder - cannot be sure - whether 1979 wasn't quite accurately portrayed. Did young women wear sunglasses on the top of their head then? Was 'you guys' in use then in Britain? I don't mean to nit-pick (although I am) - just trying to understand my mild unease with this episode.

I agree something's not right but I can't put my finger on it.

[vinteuil]

.

... it's a bit of fun, but quite bonkers. I haven't read the book, and rely here on Mme v who has : but - seriously? - I don't see Israeli intelligence relying for their key player, in such a delicate and critical operation, on a flaky sub-Vanessa-Redgrave actress about whom they ca'n't really have known much, picked up in an 'alternative' theatre.

Mme v complains that I expect these things to be documentaries rather than works of fiction. Yes, well - I'm prepared to suspend disbelief to an extent - but, really...



.

[Constantbee]

The retro detailing in the styling is a bit self conscious. It looks as if it’s been meticulously researched, but perhaps too much so, thinking here about things like Charlie’s dresses and jewellery, and the late 70's German cafe/bar culture. Would be interested to find out more about some of the other interiors used in the locations. Some of them are stunning period pieces, probably fast disappearing now.

[Richard Tarleton]

.

Mme v complains that I expect these things to be documentaries rather than works of fiction.



.

The book is more persuasive. It was certainly meticulously researched - extending to meeting people on both sides including an attractive female German terrorist imprisoned in an Israeli desert base, various important Israelis and even Arafat himself.... JLC writes about these encounters in The Pigeon Tunnel.

I don't know what I'd be making of it if I hadn't read the book....

[Dave2002]

Mme v complains that I expect these things to be documentaries rather than works of fiction. Yes, well - I'm prepared to suspend disbelief to an extent - but, really...



.

I think that you and I would get on quite well!

I’ve given up worrying about whether such things make any sense at all, and if I didn’t have others around me who want to watch this kind of thing, I probably wouldn’t bother.

[Serial_Apologist]

The retro detailing in the styling is a bit self conscious. It looks as if it’s been meticulously researched, but perhaps too much so, thinking here about things like Charlie’s dresses and jewellery, and the late 70's German cafe/bar culture. Would be interested to find out more about some of the other interiors used in the locations. Some of them are stunning period pieces, probably fast disappearing now.

It's amazing what can be done with CGI now, mind...

[johncorrigan]

I enjoyed the first couple of episodes. Thought I was just about getting what was going on, but this week's episode was taking me all over the place, gratuitously, I felt. Got a bit bored and especially so with the old 'Do the ends justify the means?' conversations. Anyway, hopefully they've created the knot and will now start to unravel it in front of my very eyes...maybe!