Argo, the movie

Coupefan

Coupefan

True Classic
I consider myself a descent student of history, helpful now that I have kids in high school. But the movie Argo really stunned me. I didn't know much about the incident, in fact, I've done quite a bit of reading on the side since the viewing. Now granted, information on the operation was declassified during a period of my life when I wasn't paying much attention to news. If you like a melding of historically factual movies and spy flicks, I recommend this one.
 
Curious. Not factual how?

Six hostages, Canadian involvement and credit, covert CIA operation. Do you take offense with the artistic license needed to create a motion picture?
 
no offense taken, it is Hollywood entertainment afterall...

well, for starters, the plane tickets were purchased in advance by the Canadians... according to operative Tony Mendez, the trip through the airport was "as smooth as silk"... there wasn’t a dramatic trip to the bazaar... just as there wasn’t a housekeeper tempted to turn the refugees in, although the guests were concerned about a gardener.

"90 per cent of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian. It [Argo] gives almost full credit to the American CIA. With that exception, the movie’s very good. The main hero, in my opinion, was Ken Taylor [Canadian Ambassador to Iran] , who was the Canadian who orchestrated the entire process."

- Jimmy Carter
 
Not to mention ....

Deliberately inventing false scenarios about the British High Commission having refused our allies help in their hour of need. The truth remains that, following a night of riding around Tehran looking for the escapees, they finally located them and took them to the Chief Consul's quarters where they dined royally, bathed, slept and were transferred to the Canadian compound the following day. The reality of the consulate staff risking their lives for their american friends being twisted and misinterpreted was explained away by Ben Affleck as "A way of maintaining a high level of excitement."
Not nice. I have no problem with the way we Brits are portrayed by Hollywood as bad boys, but to disrespect my countrymen's efforts in the face of real danger is reprehensible. :mad2:

Another film that re-writes history is U-571 and the real events that saw the capture of the German naval force's Enigma encoding machine and the subsequent decoding of its operation at Bletchley Park (codenamed Station X). I'll let Wiki put the real events forward:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-571_(film)

Is Argo a good film? Of course, it's brilliant cinema. Is it a true telling of actual events? No.
 
I wasn't aware of that. I can't remember the details, but do recall that New Zealanders also felt they were falsely portrayed.
 
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