A Call to Spy

The BBC, in their wisdom, covered this same topic as a series (1987-1990) called Wish Me Luck - a very well-made drama centered on the work done by civilian volunteers for the SOE in WWII France. I watched it on Amazon a year or so back but it is now currently unavailable to stream. If it ever does come back, watch it perhaps in conjunction with this movie and the other movie people have mentioned in their reviews (Female Agents) which I have yet to see.

Good to see the role of women as spies in WWII highlighted here. Am somewhat surprised by the very high ratings given here. It was a good movie but not one you'll be thinking about greatly once the credits have rolled. Possibly this is because the film lacks a truly persistent sense of danger. One would normally expect to encounter several 'on the edge of the seat' scenarios in a film about spies and Nazis and the notorious Klaus Barbie. But this was something I barely experienced throughout. The overall acting was always understated and little more than adequate. It was not bad nor was it terrific. Despite some good production values the lack of intensity is the most obvious deficiency made even more apparent when considering the subject matter. The 7 stars is a generous assessment.

This excellent film is based in substantial part upon the book A Woman of No Importance , a biography of Virginia Hall. She was an American ex-pat who spoke fluent French and had lived in France, Turkey and Italy in the run upwto WW2. From a well to do Baltimore family she had tried to attain a diplomatic position for America to no avail during this time which was according to the book and hardly to be doubted due to the fact that she was female and disabled. She had a hunting accident in the 1930s where she shot herself in the foot and lost part of a leg below the knee and had. prosthesis. Fast forward, volunteering being recruited by and joining the newly created British Special Operations Executive(SOE) she was instrumental in developing a part of the very nascent French resistance movement in 1941-1942 and then doing the same just before or after DDay when she went back to France. I do not want to spoil the story which is incredible. Read the book which I thought was inspiring first, then watch the movie. The movie also covers the story of Vera Atkins, and there's a biography of her, as well as Noor a female spy. Parenthetically for me, the story of these three women, and there were many, who risked everything when everything was at stake is refreshing. Why? Because what they did and their courage when they were up against it, makes the current nonsense of American nonsense pale in comparison. Get out and vote and kudos to those on the front lines fighting it out for justce now. These women are an inspiration to that. Search out Marta Gellhorn's interview on you tube. She told it like it was, and like it is.

The main reason for seeing 'A Call to Spy' was the subject matter, a powerful one made up of the true stories of three inspirational but somewhat overlooked women who worked as spies in the second world war. Being someone who has a thing for promising concepts and bold subject matters. Also like historical dramas, films inspired by or based on true stories and anything centered around spies also intrigues. Not to mention the cast.

'A Call to Spy' was a solid and laudable effort in making the women and their stories known in cinematic terms. It doesn't quite succeed in every area and the women's stories were more powerful than the one that is presented here, but there was also a lot to like about it and it was hard to not admire its good intentions. There was a great film somewhere in 'A Call to Spy', a great one that doesn't quite materialise but has elements of greatness in individual components, but to me it was not a waste of potential.

Like has been said above, 'A Call to Spy' has a lot of good. The best thing about it is the acting, the standout being the committed, determined and heartfelt performance from Sarah Megan Thomas. Stana Katic is a forceful presence too and the chemistry between the two is done with a lot of sincerity and respect. Linus Roache and Radhika Apte bring a lot of dignity to their roles. The rest of the cast are fine, with the enemy being portrayed as genuinely sinister and the film doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of what they did.

It is a good looking film, handsomely and atmospherically shot with a good eye for period detail that doesn't look too clean, the French scenes looking suitably uncompromising. The music has a nice mix of emotions and isn't overused or over-emphasised. The film is directed with a lot of committment and heart, it is easy to tell that the subject meant a lot to the director and all involved. The scripting on the whole is thoughtful and well intended, while the story has enough tension and poignancy (though there could have been more of the former).

Didn't think the storytelling or the film were perfectly executed though. There are too many cliched supporting characters and most of them are given too much short shrift. Khan is rather underdeveloped which is a far cry from the meaty character writing of Hall and Atkins and her fate was actually even more harrowing than presented in the film.

Some of the French dialogue is stilted and there are lulls in pacing where the action is a little too over-deliberate and relies too much on talk. Particularly early on.

Overall, solid effort. 7/10.

This movie, "A Call To Spy", is inspired by real events and real allied spies in World War Two. It was the early 1940s, the German Nazi threat was nearing its height, the allies needed to do something bold and surprising. Churchill requested a secret army of attractive female spies be created to conduct sabotage and build resistance in occupied France.

This is the story of those spies and how they were trained, how they went about their missions. The movie is very authentic looking and the mood is just right. The story focuses on Virginia Hall who was a real spy and whom the Nazis considered the most dangerous of all Allied spies. Most of the actors are people I have never heard of which I believe adds to the impact, not being distracted by an actor's fame or prior roles.

Good movie, a nice addition to the WW2 stories. My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.