The Courier (2021)
Moustache-chewing tour-de-force of a Cold War spy move by Benedict Cumberbatch.
In the style of John Le Carre and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and yet based on a true story of a British engineering salesman recruited by the government and used an amateur spy, and go-between circulating between Britain and Russia in the 1960s. Plus how a developing love of ballet can change the political world and overcome social and cultural barriers!
As a History teacher in my non-blogging life, I found this fascinating — I’m currently teaching a Cold War module so the Tsar Bomba (biggest nuclear weapon ever, a vastly powerful Hydrogen nuclear bomb dropped by Russia which impacted New Zealand in atmospheric pressure changes and broke windows in Norway) and the Cuban Missile Crisis (America puts missiles in Turkey pointed at Russia and so to prevent another American invasion of Cuba, Russia put missiles in Cuba pointed at…Florida) made so much sense! So grateful to my current pupil for choosing this topic.
Also how watched Russian society was (and the spies within the spy and intelligence world leaking secrets which impacted people personally). Given that Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, Greville Wynne, is potentially dull, irritating, self-centred and boring, his recruitment as spy (purely because of these things) is a shock and the drama comes from ordinary people being involved in world changing events and the tension of not being able to tell his family what is causing the pressure and stress he’s manifesting.
It’s the Russian Colonel who fears for the future of his family in a nuclear war potential world, who starts leaking secrets to the British and Americans via Greville Wynne, and yet also the story of a male friendship and honour. So much irony when Greville Wynne fights the authority let the Russian go attitude to get his friend and his family out safely from Russia, when compared with the heartless abandonment of former allies and friends in Afghanistan right now. It’s also the story of how a betrayed wife learns to love and trust her husband again, and carry on when she learns he is in a Russian prison for who knows how long on charges of spying.
Worth also seeing for the donkey jacket!!! and the things they had to do to avoid being overheard…and all those hats and headscarves being worn (bring back headgear!)
And the ballet! Though the Cinderella ballet music is definitely Romeo and Juliet! However this is really Merab Ninidze’s film — his humanity, caution, discretion and twisting skills bring the film to life. He also provides a moral lesson in not smoking (or accepting contraband expensive cigarettes), cos they could be poisoned! Based on a true story, the true Greville is much more Cary Grant, very self-effacing and clearly carrying his traumatic experiences in his eyes.
