A Week In Film #047: Getting spooked

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Philby, Burgess And Maclean
Pretty decent 1977 TVM, with Anthony Bate (Lacon from Tinker, Tailor) as Philby, here the mastermind of the Cambridge spy ring. Derek Jacobi sets the bar for Guy Burgess flamboyancy, Michael Culver is understated as Donald Maclean. Obviously there is no Anthony Blunt, as this was made in 1977 and he hadn’t been publicly unmasked yet.


Blunt: The Fourth Man
This time round Anthony Blunt is the top spook, engineering the escape of Maclean, and getting stitched up by Burgess’s decision to leg it too. Ian Richardson is impressive in the title role, Anthony Hopkins is a hammy Burgess, Michael Williams a nervy, backboneless Goronwy Rees. Philby is nowhere to be seen.


A Question Of Attribution
Probably the best of the Cambridge spy ring films, with a less literal interpretation of the facts – writer Alan Bennett plays a little loose with the chronology for a start – but dramatically it is most satisfying.

James Fox plays Blunt, resisting over years the attempts of various MI5 interrogators to debrief him, whilst enjoying his work as Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. David Calder is excellent as the sly, self-deprecating but very patient suburban spook sent out to rattle his cage. The scenes between Blunt and the Queen (Prunella Scales) are very enjoyable.


Mona Lisa
Bob Hoskins as a recently released con given a bit of driving work by slimy crime boss Michael Caine; Cathy Tyson opens his eyes. A fine film.

4 thoughts on “A Week In Film #047: Getting spooked”

  1. Peter Moore

    High, could you tell me who did the soundtrack of Philby, Burgess And Maclean please. I know it’s pretty terrible and lots of people hate it but I kinda like it for some reason.

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  2. Peter Moore

    Oh thanks for that. I’ve just noticed that I’ve written the word High in my last message instead of Hi. I meant hi by the way not High. It was late when I wrote that. Never mind.

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  3. Peter Moore

    I never did find that tune. It’s probably just as well. It was probably just a phase I was going through. I can’t even remember how it went now.

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