Comments on: Argo and the Canadian Caper

Argo and the Canadian Caper

never used baby shoes — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:42:38 -0800

Today marks the release of the film Argo, about the effort to smuggle out six Americans from Iran after the fall of the shah. The film is based on the actual events of the Canadian Caper, during which the Canadian embassy and staff in Iran sheltered the six Americans and, in cooperation with the CIA, provided Canadian identities and passports for the six. They were then smuggled out under the ruse of being part of the film crew for a science fiction film based on Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light.

Over concerns that the film underplays the role of the Canadians, Ben Affleck invited Ken Taylor (the Canadian ambassador to Iran during the hostage crisis) to rewrite the movie's post-script.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:47:30 -0800

Man, when did Ben Affleck become a pretty damn good director and selector of projects? He certainly didn't pick it up from Jennifer Garner.

By: Artw

Artw — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:47:34 -0800

Stupid Iranian hostages. I want a Kirbytech Lords of Light as a real thing!

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:49:19 -0800

Well, at least they didn't just straight-up change their nationalities...although in this case it would have been hard to turn them into Americans.

By: eugenen

eugenen — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:55:03 -0800

Eh, the movie is pretty clear about the risks Taylor took. It focuses on the CIA ruse, but that's Hollywood -- and the shifts between the intense sections of the film set in Iran and the jaunty caper-flick air of the stuff set in Hollywood are actually a pretty nifty commentary on American attitudes about our involvement in the Middle East over the years.

By: asnider

asnider — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:58:50 -0800

Among the concerns were the fact that many Canadians felt that Ben Affleck was rewriting history, and that (until now) Taylor had not been contacted by anyone involved with the film--not even the actor who was portraying him. Personally, I figured that this was par for the course and wasn't overly concerned (see U-571, as mentioned above). American filmmaker makes Americans the real heroes? Shocking! But I have a greater understanding of the offence that some in the Canadian media were expressing recently now that I've read this: Initially, the postscript implied that Taylor received undue credit for sheltering and helping the six diplomats escape. The CIA, the film suggests, were the real heroes but chose not to take credit for fear of endangering the American hostages that remained in Iran.
I'm glad that the post-script has been changed.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:02:20 -0800

This is why I will always love Canada and Canadians.

By: Imperfect

Imperfect — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:04:42 -0800

Don't love us for Argo. Love us for our maple syrup. Maple syrup is AWESOME.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:15:23 -0800

Well now the fit is really going to hit the Shan.

By: Slap*Happy

Slap*Happy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:27:17 -0800

Listened to some of the dialog on NPR yeaterday, the writing on this is really tight - reminded me a lot of Burn After Reading:

"You have another better bad idea than this?" "This is the best bad idea we have, sir. By far." "Then the United States Government has just sanctioned your science-fiction movie."

Awesome.

By: herbplarfegan

herbplarfegan — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:27:28 -0800

I actually heard that npr story a few days ago (a short-ish interview w/ Affleck about this film), and it made me think that it might actually be possible for liking Ben Affleck to be a thing.

By: herbplarfegan

herbplarfegan — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:30:16 -0800

Actually, I think it might not be the same story. Anywho, He says some really insightful stuff about the creative process.

By: Elementary Penguin

Elementary Penguin — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:30:20 -0800

Now I know what this tweet was about. I thought that Ben Affleck had gotten some hostages out of Iran, and I was really confused.

By: pdxpogo

pdxpogo — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:31:23 -0800

umm When the CIA sanctions something it is usually fatal...

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:31:55 -0800

I once met Laverna Dollimore, who was made a Member of the Order of Canada for her part in the Canadian Caper, and in her retirement was a friend of my great aunt's. She died last year. I'm not seeing her name in the cast list.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:32:11 -0800

Show me where it says anything about Canada in either the Bible or the Constitution and maybe then I'll believe that Ronald Reagan created it.

By: Slap*Happy

Slap*Happy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:32:46 -0800

Affleck is a mediocre actor who lucked into some choice roles - he's a very good director, tho. Gone Baby Gone was a fantastic film.

By: Zed

Zed — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:33:03 -0800

It's in the related links, but I thought it was worth calling attention to this previous How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran link.

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:33:13 -0800

Looking forward to this movie. I know you should never trust the trailer, but it looks good.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:33:17 -0800

I still have visceral memory of all the signs that had their letters changed to messages like MERCI CANADA. So there was definitely a widespread appreciation of their role at the time of the incident. I'm confused about "postscript implied that Taylor received undue credit" -- it seems utterly bizarre. I suppose it's possible that people who weren't old enough to remember it directly would be capable of misconstruing things, but why on earth would they feel the need to go out of their way to slight the embassies (the Swedes also helped) who sheltered our diplomats? It doesn't make a lot of sense, even if the statement may have come across in a way that minimized their role. Man, when did Ben Affleck become a pretty damn good director and selector of projects? His debut Gone Baby Gone was a pretty good (if flawed) movie -- clearly he had solid directing capability just waiting inside him to be let out. I guess The Town is both liked and disliked, but more for its portrayal of Boston than its execution. I have absolutely no problem with the idea that he was (nearly) always misused as an actor, and that writing/directing is his true métier.

By: Artw

Artw — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:35:12 -0800

My problem with The Town is that I can't buy Affleck in the role. There may be some irony there since its where he grew up.

By: LEDwholesale

LEDwholesale — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:35:23 -0800

Saw Affleck on Fox talking about this or something. Looked pretty good.

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:35:58 -0800

Here's the Wired article from five years back.

By: shortfuse

shortfuse — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:42:06 -0800

Wonder what exactly the original postscript said. Some commenters on the Maclean's article are saying they saw the earlier cut at the Toronto film fest, and found nothing objectionable in the pre-edit postscript, fwiw.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:43:47 -0800

it made me think that it might actually be possible for liking Ben Affleck to be a thing. It was easy to see Ben Affleck as a Movie Star but not an Actor. It must have been easy to cast him in Movie Star roles, due to his looks. Then I saw Changing Lanes and thought he deserved an Oscar for it. It's an excellent but widely underrated movie. It starts out as if it's going to be a standard "revenge thriller" but explores much deeper issues. I've been an Affleck fan ever since. I loved Gone Baby Gone, and will be seeing Argo right after work today.

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:50:39 -0800

You guys know Argo isn't a real movie, right? Who knows who they're smuggling out of America with this thing.

By: davidjmcgee

davidjmcgee — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:54:57 -0800

Zach Baron at Grantland: 'Argo' and the Redemption of Ben Affleck

By: grobstein

grobstein — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:56:15 -0800

I read the Wired article and it's a cool story, and this may be a cool movie. But: this film about Iran, right now? In the context of tightening American sanctions, American-backed terror bombings, and a huge American military in the Gulf? I won't suggest that Ben Affleck takes orders from Romney or Obama, but this movie (sounds like it) fits all too neatly with the mood of an America gearing up for war.

By: brokkr

brokkr — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:00:35 -0800

Perhaps the Ecuadorians might want to take some pointers from this film.

By: marginaliana

marginaliana — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:01:47 -0800

I skimmed an article about Argo earlier this morning and somehow I managed to get the impression that Argo was actually a finished version of the film that they'd been pretending to make. Like, someone had heard about this event and thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be awesome if we actually made that movie, using any clips that were filmed at the time if they still exist," etc. Alas, no.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:03:08 -0800

I'm sorry, I can't get past The Town. I'll be sure to catch this on video. Although it's nice to hear about a guy in Hollywood on an upswing as opposed to the cashing-in shitshow I've had to endure this summer, from the likes of Whedon and Scott.

By: anazgnos

anazgnos — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:03:15 -0800

It's not hard to understand why the colorful movie angle is being focused on, but reading the Wired piece made it seem like it was not really of all that much significance in the way the actual situation played out. There's no suggestion the production was ever seriously looked into by the Iranians, and after all this preparation of backstories and everything, apparently you had one of the hostages just flat-out refusing to play along as they were leaving the country, turning down a disguise and openly calling people by their real names. Rather than seeming like a perfectly-wrought escape plan where all the tiny little intricate pieces worked together perfectly, it seems more like an over-engineered cover story that only worked due to real risk being assumed by the people relegated to bit player status (i.e. the Canadian embassy, and those forging the immigration documents) and absurd luck that they weren't recognized or looked into that thoroughly.

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:05:49 -0800

Don't love us for Argo. Love us for our maple syrup. Maple syrup is AWESOME. If the Canadians can't control their maple syrup stockpile, that's gonna be a red line.

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:17:00 -0800

Zach Baron at Grantland: 'Argo' and the Redemption of Ben Affleck "The Town [is] as good a heist film as was made in this century." Very few heist movies have been made in this century. The Town was derivative nonsense.

By: Area Man

Area Man — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:33:21 -0800

My dad went to a North Stars game (they were a Minnesota-based National Hockey League team before moving to Dallas and dropping the "North" from their name) shortly after the Americans' departure from Tehran and the Canadians role in sheltering them and getting them out was made public. I think it may have been the night after they flew out of Tehran, but I'm not sure. He told me this story when I was a kid. (We were at a hockey game and I asked why O Canada was being performed. I'd never heard more than one national anthem at a sporting event and, although I'd been to Canada, I didn't really understand what it meant when people said Canada and the U.S. were separate countries.) The North Stars were playing one of the Canadian teams, and my dad said the applause and cheering for "O Canada" was amazing. In telling me the story, my dad again expressed how positive he felt about Canada. That has always stayed with me. I've never lost that sense that the U.S. is very lucky to have such a great neighbor and ally.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:36:55 -0800

Gone Baby Gone was a fantastic film. In an ideal world, Ben Affleck sticks to directing and Casey Affleck does every acting, ever.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:46:01 -0800

Ha. I love the revealing comment from the screenwriter at asnider's Macleans link, after being asked about the made-up nail-biting climax: As for the fanciful airport climax, screenwriter Chris Terrio said, "There is a catharsis when the plane takes off. To create that in cinematic form requires a lot of amp-up and drama to replicate what the house guests might have felt at that moment."

By: ckape

ckape — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:29:13 -0800

So, will the fake film be a DVD extra? Please say yes.

By: ceribus peribus

ceribus peribus — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:47:29 -0800

Shouldn't a Canadian film titled Argo be about the CFL?

By: mannequito

mannequito — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:00:57 -0800

You're welcome CIA. I know we've waited awhile to call in our favour, but we're gonna need you to go ahead and sanction Gary Bettman. -Canada

By: Linda_Holmes

Linda_Holmes — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:07:27 -0800

I find this conflict SO WEIRD. I saw it at TIFF, and my sense was that the Canadians were portrayed as one million percent true honest to God heroes, it was just that the Americans couldn't explain what their role was. The Canadian ambassador is clearly shown to be risking his neck for them at very, very great potential and actual cost to himself; this is probably the most saintly role Victor Garber has ever played, which is saying something. There's footage of Americans waving signs about how much they love and appreciate what Canada did, and my sense of the movie was that those signs were not presented ironically or in a "look, they don't know what really happened" kind of way. They were presented as absolutely justified and correct, even if based on an incomplete understanding. Yes, according to the movie, the CIA couldn't reveal its role. That takes nothing away from the role of the Canadians, without whom, from the film's POV, these people would never have been alive to be rescued by any method, wacky or otherwise. this movie (sounds like it) fits all too neatly with the mood of an America gearing up for war See it before you decide. I don't agree, but you'd have to see it for yourself.

By: Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner

Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:20:44 -0800

Ben Affleck has been in some bad movies, and given some mediocre-to-bad performances, but I don't think he's a terrible actor overall. When cast correctly, he can be effective. For example, the roles of uber-jock in "Going All The Way" and the meathead-taken-in-by-a-beautiful-girl-but-who-finally-wises-up in "Reindeer Games" both used aspects of his persona quite well. And he was OK as Matt Murdock in "Daredevil" (though the movie wasn't good overall), as Jack Ryan, and in some other things in which he's played some variation on a square-jawed hero type. What I've seen of his directing has been quite good so far, as I thought both "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town" were both well-paced, entertaining films that also contained some solid individual performances from the actors. If nothing else, it seems that Affleck's experiences as an actor may have made him capable of drawing good performances from a cast when he directs. I don't go to movie theaters much any more, but will definitely catch "Argo" on DVD.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:24:53 -0800

Affleck is aces in Hollywoodland.

By: Harvey Jerkwater

Harvey Jerkwater — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:31:05 -0800

Two thoughts: 1. Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo! 2. I wonder if he first heard about this through the Jack Kirby angle. I'm a comics-obsessed nerdlinger, and that's where I learned the story. Affleck knows 'em and likes 'em, so it's a possibility.

By: Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner

Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:33:07 -0800

Affleck is aces in Hollywoodland. I'd forgotten about that movie, but yes, shakespeherian, he was good in that. Now that he's getting to be middle aged, it'd be interesting to see him not try to be a leading man and instead take on some more character-actor type parts. Those sorts of smaller roles might be a better fit with the time demands of directing anyway.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:21:31 -0800

But I want to see a film adaptation of Lord of Light! It's probably Zelazny's best novel length work!

By: PareidoliaticBoy

PareidoliaticBoy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:50:58 -0800

I still have visceral memory of all the signs that had their letters changed to messages like MERCI CANADA. So there was definitely a widespread appreciation of their role at the time of the incident. Yep. I was lucky enough to be on a road trip in the Southwest the week that this story came out. Having British Columbia plates on the van was what I imagine it might be like being a celebrity. We'd go to gas up, and the gas-station owner would refuse our money. Or we'd be sitting in the campground at the table, and total strangers who just hapened to go by would then show up with cases of beer, or a bunch of T-bone steaks. It got so that we could only go out to bars or restaurants every other night; because once people found out that we were Canadians (basically, as soon as we ordered, after we corrected people on our "English" accents ) we'd get so plastered on free drinks that we'd lose the whole following day to vicious hang-overs.

By: brand-gnu

brand-gnu — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:00:27 -0800

Ben Affleck's a pretty good director, he just needs to fire the casting director he uses who keeps casting Ben Affleck in his movies.

By: kyrademon

kyrademon — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:07:19 -0800

> "But I want to see a film adaptation of Lord of Light! It's probably Zelazny's best novel length work!" Tricky to film, though, even if you ditch the extended flashback and put it in chronological order. The next secret mission might have an easier time of it if they pretend to film Doorways in the Sand instead.

By: ovvl

ovvl — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:40:40 -0800

But I want to see a film adaptation of Lord of Light! It's probably Zelazny's best novel length work! Yes, absolutely! I'm not really a fan of Zelazney, but the novel 'Lord of Light' is a masterpiece. It's an excellent action-adventure/philosophy epic, where the charming rebel prince overthrows the decadent mind-control empire with the help of some odd aliens, and with an awesome big battle scene at the end! It's like Sci-Fi/Bollywood in style (except with Siddhartha as the hero, which is not exactly Bollywood). These were my thoughts when I read the Wired article a few years ago. It would make a swell movie. I would totally recommend this book, if you like this sort of thing. (Also, I requested a flute solo of 'The Blue Danube Waltz' for our wedding reception).

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:01:32 -0800

Off to the theater!

By: fireoyster

fireoyster — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:15:02 -0800

Paging quin, you can now pay money to see that movie. :)

By: Earthtopus

Earthtopus — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:53:50 -0800

Oh, man, a Doorways in the Sand movie would be amazing.

By: gompa

gompa — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 22:11:51 -0800

I still have visceral memory of all the signs that had their letters changed to messages like MERCI CANADA. So there was definitely a widespread appreciation of their role at the time of the incident. Yep. I was lucky enough to be on a road trip in the Southwest the week that this story came out. Having British Columbia plates on the van was what I imagine it might be like being a celebrity. One more anecdata point: I've been personally thanked, more than once, for Canada's role in freeing those hostages. Most memorably when I was working on the community newspaper at an American military base in Germany. In 1994. I'm pretty sure the woman who thanked me then had no other discrete impression of what Canada was or represented. She was an occasional contributor, came by the office every couple weeks. It was her third visit or so since I'd arrived as a summer intern. She was on her way out of the editor's office, came over to my desk with real intent and said, "I just want to say I'm so thankful for what your country did for the hostages in Iran." There are countless worse ways to be known.

By: Jahaza

Jahaza — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 22:44:19 -0800

Brand-gnu hit it on the nose. It's a nice movie. Ben Affleck's performance is good, but he's no Gary Oldman as George Smiley. The writing is good (sometimes a little too good for realism). Stick around for the credits.

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 06:16:56 -0800

Ben Affleck's "Argo," & Other Crazy-As-Hell CIA Plots That Would Make Good Movies

By: immlass

immlass — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 09:36:07 -0800

I had not caught the Zelazny connection. I now need to see this movie.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 10:43:27 -0800

The Longform Guide to the CIA: The article that became Ben Affleck's Argo and more great spy stories.

By: troika

troika — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:31:10 -0800

We just got home from seeing this and oh god it was so good! Cold War-era spy-ish thrillers are kind of my jam, though. I didn't mind Affleck's performance at all. There are a lot of big name actors that, when watching them, it's like, look, acting! Not so here at all. Maybe it's the beard.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:41:52 -0800

Any Kirby?

By: troika

troika — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:52:55 -0800

There is a Jack Kirby/storyboards role in the movie, though it's a small part, if that's what you're asking.

By: Artw

Artw — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:56:07 -0800

/will totally see a movie just for this.

By: e1c

e1c — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:44:21 -0800

Shouldn't a Canadian film titled Argo be about the CFL?

Naut.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:03:09 -0800

The True Spy Story Behind Argo: The internal CIA account of how the Iran rescue really went down.

By: PareidoliaticBoy

PareidoliaticBoy — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:40:35 -0800

OMFG. The origin of the title Argo stemmed from "a profane 'knock-knock' joke": Argo who? Argo fuck yourself. The Canadians discovered that one of the CIA's forged Iranian visas had been mistakenly issued in the future The CIA's maps also showed the incorrect location of the Canadian Embassy, One "ironic coda" from the CIA account: "By the time Studio Six folded several weeks after the rescue, we had received 26 scripts.... One was from Steven Spielberg."

By: arcticseal

arcticseal — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:58:58 -0800

Just got back from watching this. Very good movie and I thought Affleck did a good job.

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:33:39 -0800

The American Conservative: What Argo Gets Right

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 06:49:45 -0800

Just saw it last night, was really pretty amazed at how well directed it was. I was impressed at how little "America, fuck yeah!" stuff there was, they pointed out that the US basically caused the whole environment that let to the revolution and then was totally surprised by it when it happened. I liked how it felt quite a bit like a movie that was made in 1979 down to the '70s era Warner logo at the beginning. Weird to see events that I remember happening in real time presented as historical though, must be getting old.

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:41:08 -0800

Ben Affleck directs himself better than every other director he's worked for.