Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris pulls back the curtain on the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell -- better known as John le Carre, author of such classic espionage novels as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day, the film spans six decades as le Carre delivers his final and most candid interview, punctuated with rare archival footage and dramatized vignettes. "The Pigeon Tunnel" is a deeply human and engaging exploration of le Carre's extraordinary journey and the paper-thin membrane between fact and fiction.
Release date October 20, 2023 (in select theaters and on Apple TV Plus)
Release date October 20, 2023 (in select theaters and on Apple TV Plus)
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 (crickets chirping)
00:02 - You asked me about the nature of our relationship.
00:06 - I needed to know who I was talking to.
00:08 Were you my friend across the fire?
00:10 Who are you?
00:11 - And if I can't answer that question?
00:15 - It's terribly difficult to recruit for a secret service.
00:23 You're looking for somebody who's a bit bad,
00:25 but at the same time loyal.
00:27 There's a type, and I fit it perfectly.
00:31 - In your memoir, you say none of it's true.
00:37 It's as I imagined it.
00:38 - When I was in MI6, it wasn't enough for me.
00:44 So what I did was reinvent the secret world
00:46 and fill my own people with it.
00:54 - Why is betrayal an important concept to you?
00:57 - It has a long family background.
00:59 Writing is a journey of self-discovery.
01:03 I see my own life as a succession of embraces and escapes.
01:08 - Maybe this is an interrogation.
01:14 Maybe I am self-deceived.
01:16 - I don't know, but I'll answer any question
01:19 you wish me to answer as truthfully as I can.
01:23 (dramatic music)
01:27 (dramatic music fades)
01:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]