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.
