THE GOOD SHEPHERD

US, 2006, 167 minutes, Colour.
Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Robert de Niro, Michael Gambon, William Hurt, Timothy Hutton, Joe Pesci, Eddie Redmayne, John Sessions, John Turturro, Tammy Blanchard, Keir Dullea, Martina Gedeck, Gabriel Macht.
Directed by Robert de Niro.

The Good Shepherd is not a religious film, despite the overtones of the title. Rather, it is a story about the origins of the CIA, its activities during the 1940s and 1950s up to the invasion in 1961 of the Bay of Pigs in Cuba.

Robert de Niro is the director. It is a project that he has been interested in for many years, but now it has emerged at a critical time for the American government and its policy in Iraq and the Middle East. One of the tasks of the CIA is counter-intelligence, false information disseminated in order to destabilize antagonistic governments.

Patrons need to be warned that the film runs for over two and three quarter hours. It has an unhurried pace which might make action audiences impatient. Given its topic, it also needs concentration – which means that it is a film of intelligence about intelligence.

The ensemble cast won a special award at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival. Indeed, it is quite a starry cast. The responsibility for the film’s success, however, lies with Matt Damon in the leading role. Damon has proven himself a very effective screen presence in The Rainmaker, the Bourne films and Syriana. Here he plays Edward Wilson, a senior official in the CIA, during crucial days in April 1961, assessing the failure of the Bay of Pigs and the attempts to overthrow Fidel Castro. However, this narrative is frequently interrupted by flashbacks covering the two decades from Wilson’s initiation into Yale’s prestigious secret society, through his work in London and Berlin during the war to the establishment of the CIA at the end of World War II and activities during the Cold War.

Most of us are intrigued by espionage stories. They are frequently larger than life, of the James Bond variety or a Robert Ludlum intricate world conspiracy. With the Good Shepherd, the principal spy is basically an introverted bureaucrat, frequently seen with his hat and overcoat, a slow and stooped walker (very different from Damon’s Bourne) who observes interrogations, listens attentively, makes life and death decisions with little outward emotion – and is accused, rightly, of lacking a sense of humour. He is one of the faceless men who are totally committed to their view of the United States and patriotism.

The recruits of the late 1930s who served in the OSS had to learn methods of counter-espionage from the British (here represented by Michael Gambon and Billy Crudup) and then learn administration in the ruins of post-war Berlin. They were tested by Russian double agents in the 1950s as well as connections with the FBI (here represented by Alec Baldwin).

There are some interesting cameos for characters in the agency, Robert de Niro himself as the founder General Sullivan, William Hurt as a chief and John Turturro as Wilson’s right hand man who develops literal strong arm tactics as the years go by.

Because this is a drama rather than a documentary, there is an underlying personal story. There is Edward Wilson’s trauma at the suicide of this father, his being asked to spy on his poetry professor at Yale (and his doing it), his being trapped into marriage with a senator’s daughter (Angelina Jolie) because of a pregnancy while he really loved a hearing impaired girl, his not seeing his son until the boy was six, his stern parenting and his son’s wanting to measure up to him.

A recurring episode concerns a taped bedroom scene where the information about the Cuban invasion is passed on. Throughout the film, the CIA staff use all kinds of means to isolate sounds, to identify the place – which leads to a somewhat melodramatic finale.

The Good Shepherd offers challenges to concern about espionage and its morality.

1.Audience response to the film as a saga of American organisations, politics and foreign policy? Wars? American interest, worldwide interest? Response? The international nature of the film, its scope?

2.The work of Robert de Niro, his interest in the themes, the scope of the work, the detailed re-creation of periods? His own role?

3.The title, the biblical background, the ironies?

4.The role of the CIA, its institution after World War Two, the background of the OSS during World War Two? Bill Sullivan, his presence, speeches, recruitment? The white focus – and the tendency against Catholics, Jews, blacks? The pre-war intelligence services, the role during the war of the OSS, London? The establishing of the CIA, its role during the cold war, its relationship with communists, the importance of defectors and counter-espionage? The Kennedy era? The 1960s and the Bay of Pigs, the disaster? The international networks? Traitors, standover tactics, defections, confessions? A retrospect of twenty years?

5.The structure of the film: the 1960s framework, the Bay of Pigs, the work of the CIA agents at Langley, in their offices, codebreaking, intelligence coming in? The use of footage of the Bay of Pigs and the disaster? Edward Wilson, his status, the betrayal, the black and white film, the need for working on the sound engineering, getting the truth? Wilson as an organisation man, an official? The background of his family and tensions? His son? Delving back into the past, Edward Wilson’s story, pre-war, the war, the 1950s? Continually returning to 1961? The cumulative effect of this narrative? The present and the building up of the past to the present? The climax with the Congo? The musical score?

6.Edward Wilson, Matt Damon’s performance, a buttoned-up personality, rigid, official, loyal? Not saying much? The background to his childhood, his relationship with his parents, his relationship with his father, his games, his father killing himself? The effect?

7.Wilson and his going to college, his study, serious-minded, political stances, his courses, poetry, the professor, the professor making advances towards him, his resisting them, the issue of the thesis, the professor and his making up a quotation – but using a text? Wilson identifying it, confronting him? The denunciation? A righteous man?

8.Wilson, the encounter with Laura, her being deaf, the attraction, going out, in love with her, communication? His time at college, his friends, Russell? The Skull and Bones Society? The invitation to join, the initiation, the naked wrestling in the mud, the humiliation, the loyalties? The tradition of this kind of fraternity, the upper crust belonging to it? The meeting of the Russell family, the senator and his background, Clover? Clover attracted to him? The pregnancy? His breaking with Laura? Laura and her hurt, the later encounter, the affair, its being terminated? His true love, the human side of him – but failing?

9.Clover, the family, their friendship, the parties, the liaison, the pregnancy? Her boldness? The marriage, the pomp? The war, the separation, Wilson being in England, the communication and lack of communication? His son? The return, his infidelity and her infidelities during the war? The distance between them? Trying to bond with his son, the boy’s embarrassment at wetting himself on the visit to Santa Claus? Their staying together, at a distance? His absent parenting of his son? Issues of sport, music? The talking together as the son grew up? Going to the concert – present and absent? The irony of his son seeing his father as a role model, yet repelled? Following his footsteps? The liaison, the betrayal, the Soviet spy, his death? The character of the son, his life, secrecy?

10.The lecturer at college, poetry, style, his advances, the denunciation? The political background – and Wilson infiltrating the group, reporting the professor to the authorities? The mark of loyalty? Patriotism? The irony of finding the professor in England? A double agent? The contact, the training? The bond with the professor, the authorities? The end, the liaisons, homosexuality in spies, the professor having to go to his death, the orders for his death, his being aware of it? The gay-bashers and killers?

11.Arch Cummings, very British, in himself, background, friendship with Wilson, their work together during the war, later being in the United States? The Soviet contacts, the betrayal? The type of cold war spy as in Philby, Burgess and McLean?

12.The images of the Blitz, life in London, Americans collaborating with the British? Wilson’s experience, absence? The end of the war, his achievement, American policy? The return? The meeting with General Sullivan, the speeches about the establishing of the CIA?

13.The United States in the 1950s, the cold war? Wilson and his steady work, the personnel in the CIA offices, the liaisons with them? His status and career? Files, intercommunication? The story of Valentin? The defection, the interrogations, Valentin able to deceive the Americans? The truth? The discussions with Valentin, interrogations? The other interrogations – and the role of Ray Brocco, his being with Wilson, loyal, Catholic background, as a person? His standover tactics, the LSD for the Russian, the Russian throwing himself out the window? Hannah Schiller, the background of Germany, East Germany, the communists?

14.The Kennedy era, change, Edward Wilson and his life, his relationship with Clover? With his son? His confidence in the CIA? His liaison with various personnel? The issues with Philip Allen? The money deals and building up his bank account, the investigations? His exposing him?

15.The Bay of Pigs, expectations by the Americans, the action, the black and white film and the process throughout the film of its being deciphered? The cumulative effect, the sounds, the enlargement? Going to the Congo, finding his son? The girl as a Soviet spy? The attempt to have a hold over Wilson, for betrayal and blackmail about his son?

16.Philip Allen, his career, friendship with Edward, the money, his role, the bonds, being ousted?

17.Audience response to this glimpse of American foreign policy, American attitudes? The stances taken? As relevant to the 21st century?