Socialists (like the fictional Harry Perkins) believe in promoting social change through the democratic system, whereas communism is opposed to democracy. Perkins is only referred to in the... See full summary »
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Socialists (like the fictional Harry Perkins) believe in promoting social change through the democratic system, whereas communism is opposed to democracy. Perkins is only referred to in the film as "communist" by some of those who oppose him, and the actual quote in the film is "Harry Perkins from Sheffield, steel worker and third generation socialist" When Harry Perkins, a third-generation socialist, becomes Britain's Prime Minister, he sends shockwaves through the government, both at home and abroad. Nuclear disarmament and open government are just two of the things he wants to accomplish. US interests combine with the old boys network to try and defeat Perkins with spies, tabloids, tapes: quiet, behind-the-scenes tools to accomplish a very British coup. Written by
Kathy Li
The quality of the acting is very high. The pacing is excellent, there are no slow moments. It is interesting to watch the interplay between the Americans and the British, especially regarding the Blair government's position on Iraq, even in light of the famous Downing Street memorandum. One must listen to the interview with the author of the original book, who now serves in the UK government, to see how chilling this story is. I would rank it along side the excellent film The Siege, which was a prescient view of NYC under attack pre-9/11. Several years later there were BBC/Masterpiece Theatre stories about UK politics which starred Ian Richardson. This work ranks with those productions. American films, like The Manchurian Candidate or Seven Days in May have some of the same power but seem much simpler in their construction. One could make a fascinating film about the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention, or the 2000 Florida recount drama.
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The quality of the acting is very high. The pacing is excellent, there are no slow moments. It is interesting to watch the interplay between the Americans and the British, especially regarding the Blair government's position on Iraq, even in light of the famous Downing Street memorandum. One must listen to the interview with the author of the original book, who now serves in the UK government, to see how chilling this story is. I would rank it along side the excellent film The Siege, which was a prescient view of NYC under attack pre-9/11. Several years later there were BBC/Masterpiece Theatre stories about UK politics which starred Ian Richardson. This work ranks with those productions. American films, like The Manchurian Candidate or Seven Days in May have some of the same power but seem much simpler in their construction. One could make a fascinating film about the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention, or the 2000 Florida recount drama.