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Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983)

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  • Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983)

    You might not have heard of the name "Sidney Reilly", but you've heard of a literary character, whom he inspired: James Bond. In this 1983 miniseries, Reilly is played by Sam Neill. A few years after this, Neill auditioned to replace Roger Moore as 007.

    I've read two books about Reilly (well, one. Plus one, where Reilly was one of the four famous spies touched upon). This miniseries was based on a book by Robin Bruce Lockhart, which I have not read. By all account, that book was based on anecdotal stories that Reilly had told friends, colleagues and acquaintances. A number of myths have been created around the man known as Sidney Reilly, over the years, and become part of folklore. Some of those were fabricated by Reilly himself, then repeated in blind faith by others. Other myths have been born, since his death, through wishful thinking and poor research. Even the man's origin is shrouded in mystery, with numerous stories having been told (and I'm not going to go through them all).

    Episode 1: "An Affair with a Married Woman".

    Part of the plot deals with Reilly (then Rosenblum) meeting his future wife, Margaret, in 1901. Then marrying her, after the death of her husband in 1902 (followed by Rosenblum changing his last name to "Reilly"). Based on Andrew Cook's book, those depictions are incorrect. Reilly met Margaret and her husband in 1897. Her first husband, a reverend, died in 1898. The material that Cook (and the other book I've read) presents makes it possible that Reilly killed him. Reilly and Margaret married that same year, with a passport for him with the last name "Reilly" being issued in 1899.

    Reilly interacts with Mansfield Smith-Cumming, who was the first director of the Secret Intelligence Service. Minor trivia about him: he would sign papers with "C" in green ink. Resulting in him, and subsequent SIS director to become called "C". Which is where Ian Fleming got "M" from.

    Really felt for Margaret in her unhappy marriage.

    Quite like the opening credits, with the music and archive footage from the early 20th century.

    Episode 2: "Prelude to War".

    Reilly is involved in the upcoming Russo-Japanese War, in 1904. Must admit, that I had probably never heard of said war, before watching this episode for the first time, years ago. David Suchet guest stars as Inspector Tsientsin... in yellow face (ugh). Thought his actual performance was okay (really felt for him, when he was running around in the streets, and you could hear women and children suffering. You understand a need for him to kill Reilly, beyond him having been ordered to do so, if a war broke out), but kept being distracted by a non-Asian playing a Chinese man, wearing obvious and terrible (and racist) make-up. Suchet seemingly never blinks (he couldn't, because then you'd really be able to tell that those aren't his real eyelids).

    Poor Margaret. After her first, unhappy, marriage, she remarries... only to find herself in another unhappy marriage.

  • #2
    Episode 3: "The Visiting Fireman".

    Reilly goes to Hamburg in 1905 to steal the plans for a new German naval gun. The basis for the episode was one of the myths that Reilly spread about himself. One that Andrew Cook heavily questions, and declares as unlikely to have happened.

    As for the episode itself, I thought that it was more interesting than the first two. They intentionally depict espionage, at this time, as flawed and lacking in prefessionalism (with this incident causing a shift in espionage in Europe). Carries a degree of truth. Once heard an anecdot about a spy, during the first world war, who forgot material on a trolley (or something). That's how poorly trained spies could be, in these early days.

    Almost didn't recognize Bill Nighy (so used to seeing him as an old man). Reilly comes across as not the nicest man. According to Andrew Cook, Sidney Reilly has more incommon with Michael Corleone, than the film incarnations of James Bond (the character is different in the books). I appreciate that the Sam Neill fictionalized version of Reilly wasn't turned into a 007 character. Even if the DVD cover really plays up the James Bond connection. It has Reilly in a tuxido and holding a gun, in a James Bond-esque manner (it's clearly not Sam Neill's hand, but a photoshoped image). Reilly does not spend this episode running around in a tuxido, staying in five star hotels (unlike a certain Mr. Bond). He wears working class clothes, a fireman's uniform and takes up lodgings in a working class house. Bond would probably not last five minutes in a place like that. He'd find it unbearable. He lives in a fantasy (rather than the real world of espionage) filled with tailor made suits, martinies,Baccarat, expensive cars and luxurary hotels.

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    • #3
      Episode 4: "Anna".

      1906. Though, the events depicted (specifically Reilly boarding of the yacht, disguised as a priest) supposedly took place in February 1904, according to Robin Bruce Lockhart's book. However, according to Andrew Cook, Reilly would've been thousands of miles away, in Port Arthur, at that time. Cook argues that it's a fantasy on Reilly's part (who told the story to people). Cook also notes that writers writing about the D'Arcy affair have often relied on Reilly's own stories about what happened.

      Then there is the plot involving Reilly's encounter with his half-sister and details about his origin. However, knowing that the real Reilly told many stories over the years, leaving his origin with an air of mystery, it's difficult to become invested in this. As the presented origin story could very well be a work of fiction, crafted by the real Sidney Reilly. One of many that he presented. Reilly is a man of mystery, why not have the fictionalized Sidney Reilly be a man of mystery? Part of the world's lasting obsession with Jack the Ripper, is that Jack was never caught and no one knows the killer's true identity. Don't give Reilly a backstory. Keep him as something of a mystery to the viewers.

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      • #4
        Episodes 5 & 6: "Dreadnoughts and Crosses"/"Dreadnoughts and Doublecrosses"

        St. Petersburg 1910. I like that Reilly is depicted as having been on a mission for two years. Spy stories, like James Bond movies, have a tendency to have the entire thing be resolved within days.

        The show has arms-merchant Basil Zaharoff as a major part of Reilly's life. However, according to Andrew Cook, there is next to no evidence linking Reilly and Zaharoff.

        The story takes place in Russia in 1910. Seven years before the Russian revolution of 1917... and a few years after the Revolution of 1905 (which Lenin described as "the Great Dress Rehearsal"). Appears to be no forshadowing of the former, or references to the latter.

        The two-parter sees an unpleasant ending of Reilly's marriage to Margaret. According to Cook, Reilly paying her to leave St. Petersburg is from Robin Bruce Lockhart's book. What really happened, according to Cook, is that Reilly's behavior and a bigamous marriage caused Margaret to try and end her own life. She took a gun, and shot herself in the eye. She survived, ending up in a coma for six weeks, then left St. Petersburg. Margaret passed away in 1933. Whom Reilly's apparent bigamous marriage was to is unknown to Cook, who states that Nadia came into the picture a few years later (and would not have interacted with Margaret).

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        • #5
          Episodes 7-9: "Gambit"/"Endgame"/"After Moscow"

          Alfred Molina? This series had everyone.

          Moscow 1918 (very big time jump, with the previous two episodes taking place in 1910). Reilly is involved with a plot to overthrow the Bolsheviks. According to Andrew Cook, there have apparently been some controversy over the implications of this alleged plot.

          Enter Hugh Fraser as George Hill. Too bad he wasn't in "Prelude to War", and interacted with David Suchet.

          The three episodes also features R. H. Bruce Lockhart, who was the father of Robin Bruce Lockhart. R. H. was portrayed by Ian Charleson, best known for his roles in Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982). Tradically, Charleson passed away less than seven years after this series. One of the many victims of the AIDS epidemic.

          The three episodes deals with a lot of things relating to the Russian Revolution. Like the assassination of the German Ambassador and the attempted murder of Lenin by Fanny Kaplan. That Germany played a part of Lenin coming into power. There is even an acknowledgement of Kerensky and the Provisional Government. That fact that there were different factions, outside of the Bolsheviks (which is why the Revolution was followed by a civil war from 1917 to 1923). Don't often see any of these topics dealt with, in fiction that in any way touches upon the Russian Revolution. They tend to just simplify it as being about Bolsheviks. They mix up or entirely merge the February Revolution and the October Revolution. Along with presenting the former as marking Russia's exit from the war (which didn't happen until the spring of 1918).

          The three episodes are more action packed, than the previous ones. You can see Reilly's experiences laying the foundation for the fictional James Bond.

          Shame with the eight year time jump. You feel like we might have missed a lot of the man's activities in the years leading up to and during the war. Apparently, Robin Bruce Lockhart's book alleges that Reilly was dropped by plane, many times, behind enemy lines. No idea if it's true, but it would've been interesting to see.

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          • #6
            Episodes 10-12: "The Trust"/"The Last Journey"/"Shutdown"

            Reilly meets wife #3: Pepita in 1924 and marries her in 1925, in a bigomous marriage (which she learns shortly after his arrest by the Soviets). Though, according to Andrew Cook, they got married in 1923, and she didn't learn that it was bigomous until like 1933.

            They did get it right that Reilly and Pepita met in Berlin. Liked that they ackowledged the violence in Berlin, at this time.

            The last two episodes shows a lot of Reilly's time in Soviet custody. Also depicts it as definitive that Reilly was executed by the Russians in 1925. Part of his legend are the rumors that Reilly had survived (Pepita claimed to have evidence that her husband was still alive in 1932). There was a photo of his alleged body, which some have claimed isn't him. Cook claimed to have shown the photo to an expert, who concluded that it had to be Sidney Reilly. Would've been interesting to see them play more into the angle of the rumors. No one, not even the audience, can (in the context of the show) be truly sure if Sidney Reilly was killed or managed to escape.

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