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Storyline
A bomb, delivered in a suitcase, goes off inside the house of an Israeli attaché in West Germany. A team of Israelis seek to put an end to the increasing number of bombings, all of which are masterfully thought out by an elusive Palestinian. The Israelis identify an eccentric English actress and manage to turn her into one of their agents, with whose help she brilliantly wins the confidence of the Palestinian network until she is accepted as one of their own.
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r_tripleus
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Taglines:
Seduction. Manipulation. Betrayal. Never Trust A Spy.
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Trivia
Florence Pugh revealed that nudity was banned by the American television network which co-produced the drama. Purgh explained, "America is quite scared of bums and nipples. We had to make sure there were no bums and nipples out. There was one scene we did where Alex [Skarsgård] and I were under the duvet and supposedly naked, and halfway through, I hear: 'CUT! CUT!' [Director Chan-wook Park] says: 'Florence, you've got to hide your nipples more!' I'm like: 'OK!' So we do it again, and again I hear: 'CUT! CUT! Florence! It looks like you're hiding your nipples.' I'm like: 'Arrrgh! Just let me get my breasts out, I don't care!' But America does care. I don't know why. My parents were very cool and made sure we watched lots of European films when we grew up, so nudity has never been a problem for me, as long as it's done beautifully."
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Goofs
The red Mercedes used throughout the series has a Munich number plate with 5 digits. Standard number plates are limited to 4 digits in Germany.
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Connections
Featured in
Jeremy Vine: Episode #1.40 (2018)
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I read the book and saw the Diane Keaton film about100 years ago, so I can't vouch for the fidelity of this TV series to the novel. And, while I don't remember much about the film, I did look at its trailer on Amazon.com. Keaton's done some fine work, but, based on the trailer, her performance in the movie was over-the-top-and-down-the-other-side.
Some reviewers on this site have complained that this production was boring - like watching paint dry. Well, that's LeCarre. I'm not talking film adaptations, since a two hour adaptation has to compress a lot of activity into a short time. "The Little Drummer Girl," in six parts, every bit the equal of the Alec Guinness/Ian Richardson production of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." Nuanced, thoughtful, well acted.
I recently saw Florence Pugh in "Outlaw King," about Robert the Bruce. It was a small part, and she did not have much of a chance to shine. But as Charly, she proved herself a fine actress. And, while all of the rest of the cast was good, Michael Shannon gave a wonderfully shaded performance, quite unlike in "The Shape of Water."
LeCarre rarely writes any character as a hero. These are complex characters who deserve a viewer's patience, which will be rewarded throughout.