Harry's Game (1982) (TV)

Director:

Lawrence Gordon Clark

Writers:

Gerald Seymour (adaptation)
Gerald Seymour (book)

Release Date:

25 October 1982 (UK)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

The game of death

Plot:

Harry is an undercover agent for the British army sent to Northern Ireland to infiltrate the IRA and...

Plot Keywords:

Belfast Northern Ireland | Irish Republican Army | Detective | Terrorism | Based On Book

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ray Lonnen	...	Harry Brown
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Davidson
Nicholas Day	...	Bannen
Denys Hawthorne	...	Minister of Defence
Geoffrey Russell	...	Home Secretary
Edmund Kente	...	Private secretary
Robert Morris	...	The Right Hon. Henry Danby M.P.
Brigid O'Hara	...	Mrs. Danby
Teresa Lee	...	1st Daughter
Katy Durham-Matthews	...	2nd Daughter (as Katy Durham-Mathews)
Gary Waldhorn	...	Commissioner of Police
Geoffrey Leesley	...	Asst. Commissioner
Geoffrey Chater	...	Col. George Frost
Noel Johnson	...	Gen. Sir Jocelyn Fairbairn
Robert Boyd	...	Adjutant

Also Known As:

Belfast Assassin (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

180 min | UK:60 min (3 episodes) | UK:160 min (DVD)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15 (original rating) (1989) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006)

Filming Locations:

Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Trivia:

The man whose car Harry hijacks at the end of the film (in order to pursue Downes) remains unnamed in the film and the viewer never finds out his profession, but in the novel he was a plastic sales representative. Thus, the credit for "sales representative" in the cast refers to him.

Quotes:

Harry Brown: He had to die. Don't you understand that?

Treat yourself, and watch this film!

Those of us who were fortunate enough to see Harry's Game in 1982 on TV were watching a stitched together version for broadcast distribution. It was originally made as a TV mini series in three one-hour parts. The recently available British DVD (PAL region 2) is shown in its original episodic format.

The other postings have said enough to describe the story, so I won't go into it. We've seen the story in many incarnations, but the real attraction to this film is the film making.

Typical of British cinema, it is very Spartan: no superfluous music, sound, or special effects. The costumes are "everyday," and the sets are actual row houses, typical of the times and area. This gritty story plays out without cinematic distractions or any of the nauseating political correctness which has become "de rigueur" in today's films.

It has been said about music that a simple melody well played is far more beautiful than a symphony butchered. Similarly, one can say about film that a simple, believable story well told is far more captivating than a howler of a story tossed together with a dog's dinner of special effects. Think of this film in terms of Zen.

** I will say the very opening of the film with the haunting Celtic vocals by Enya and Clannad instantly caught my attention. At the time Enya was merely the vocalist in the family band, Clannad, and in 1981, was an unknown in North America. However, I knew immediately this was a voice destined for greatness. For Enya fans who only know her music, the "Theme to Harry's Game" refers to this marvelous film.

This is yet another example of the abysmal ignorance of marketing on the part of the British film industry. Evidently the owners of the property don't like making money. The only thing this film lacked was a marketing budget and someone to market it.

For film lover's who are disappointed by the dearth of North American releases of marvelous British, Aussie and European films, I would highly recommend purchasing a region free DVD player, and ordering your films from England. There are several sites which sell them very cheap. Also, if you like French cinema, set your browser to detect French language hits also when you search film titles. Lots of great used titles available on ebay.fr or amazon.fr.