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The execution scene was quite harrowing

bloody germans.

Agree - great book, crap film.

But then I'm the mug coz I paid to see this travesty at the cinema.

Well its not a total disaster I suppose - Hurt's always good & the bloke playing the "good nazi" did well.

But the 2 leads were rubbish and the plot was sanitised, altered and chocolate-boxed beyond recognition.

Maybe if you've not read the book its not that bad - looks good & some decent performances.

I remember that there was criticism by the producers of the author's depiction of the Communist guerillas. I was surprised that they were interested in the book in the first place. With a few honourable exceptions like Crete, the Greek Resistance movement was pretty hopeless with the Communists getting rid of the Royalist and democratic elements so they would be in a position of power when the war ended.

Mart

There was certainly no element of that in the film - or certainly none that I remember.

Thje Germans are the bad guys in the film & that doesn't leave much room for anybody else. But in the book, the bad guys are all those who place their idealogical agenda above basic humanity - well thats how I read it.

No that wouldn't be in the film spook. From what I remember of the producers comments, they were of very oldstyle "the CP can do no wrong" variety. The same sort of people who think the Soviet Union/Communist Party were the good guys in the Spanish Civil War. Don't get me wrong, I think the Anarchists and the POUM were on the right lines.

Mart

Yeah - I thought they'd left out that bit.

Not sure that I'm on the POUMs side politically but their shafting by the communist party was shocking.

'......the Greek Resistance movement was pretty hopeless with the Communists getting rid of the Royalist and democratic elements so they would be in a position of power when the war ended.'

Now I'm by no means a communist or strident left-winger, but this seems an usually harsh and sweeping generalisation about a very difficult and confused time in Greece. Certainly many senior EAM individuals were communists.

Could you expand, mart ? I'd be genuinely interested to hear more of your views, especially as you've not mentioned your Great Satan, the US or its involvement...