| The Good Shepherd | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Robert De Niro |
| Produced by | Robert De Niro Jane Rosenthal Francis Ford Coppola |
| Written by | Eric Roth |
| Starring | Matt Damon Angelina Jolie William Hurt Alec Baldwin Robert De Niro Billy Crudup Michael Gambon Timothy Hutton Joe Pesci John Turturro |
| Music by | Bruce Fowler Marcelo Zarvos |
| Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
| Editing by | Tariq Anwar |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures American Zoetrope |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 2006 |
| Running time | 167 min. Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Jane Rosenthal (born 21 September 1956) is an American Film producer. Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, Eric Roth (born New York, 22 March 1945) is an American screenwriter Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 1970 is an American Actor and Philanthropist. Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4 1975 is an American film actor William M Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA Award -winning American Actor. Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III (born April 3 1958 is an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy - and Golden Globe Award -winning American Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer William Gaither “Billy” Crudup (ˈkruːdəp born July 8, 1968) is an American Tony Award -winning Actor of Film and Timothy T Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American Academy Award -winning Actor. Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer John Michael Turturro (born February 28, 1957) is an American Actor noted for his performances in To Live and Die in L ” Bruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American Trombone player and Composer. Marcelo Zarvos is a Brazilian pianist and composer He began in classical music in his teens and studied at the Berklee College of Music. Robert Bridge Richardson (born August 27, 1955 in Hyannis Massachusetts) is an American Cinematographer. Tariq Anwar is an Indian Film editor, whose credits include Center Stage, The Good Shepherd, and Sylvia Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American American Zoetrope is the name of the studio founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, named after a Zoetrope Coppola was given in the late Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies The year 2006 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest |
| Country |  |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $85 million |
| Gross revenue | $100,252,761 (worldwide) |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Good Shepherd is a 2006 film directed by Robert De Niro and starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, with an extensive supporting cast. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The year 2006 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 1970 is an American Actor and Philanthropist. Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4 1975 is an American film actor The film was rated "R" for "some violence, sexuality and language" by the MPAA. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U Although it is a fictional film loosely based on real events, it is advertised as telling the untold story of the birth of counter-intelligence in the Central Intelligence Agency. This article is a subset article of Intelligence cycle security. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all It is a Morgan Creek Productions film distributed by Universal Pictures. Morgan Creek Productions is an American film studio that has released box-office hits like Young Guns, Major League, True Romance Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American The film's main character, Edward Wilson (played by Damon), is loosely based in part on James Jesus Angleton and Richard M. Bissell, Jr. William Hurt's character, Phillip Allen is based on Allen Dulles, and General Bill Sullivan, played by Robert De Niro, is loosely based on Major General William Joseph Donovan. James Jesus Angleton (December 9 1917 &ndash May 12 1987 known to colleagues as Jim and nicknamed "the Kingfisher" was a long-serving chief of the Central Intelligence Richard Mervin Bissell Jr ( September 18, 1909 &ndash February 7, 1994) was an American intelligence officer William M Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA Award -winning American Actor. Allen Welsh Dulles (April 7 1893 &ndash January 29 1969 was the first civilian and the longest serving (1953-1961 Director of Central Intelligence (de-facto head of Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer "Wild Bill Donovan" redirects here For the Baseball Pitcher and manager see William Edward Donovan.
Contents |
Plot
In 1961, the Bay of Pigs Invasion into Cuba fails due to a (as yet undisclosed) leak. The Bay of Pigs Invasion (aka Playa Girón) was an unsuccessful attempt by a U Afterwards, a photograph and an audio recording on reel-to-reel tape are anonymously dropped off at the home of Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), a senior CIA officer. Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a Reel, rather than being Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 1970 is an American Actor and Philanthropist.
The narrative flashes back to 1939: Wilson is attending Yale University and is a new member of Skull and Bones, a secret society that grooms future leaders of the United States. Skull and Bones is an elite Secret society based at Yale University, in New Haven Connecticut. As part of his initiation, Wilson must reveal a secret about himself: he reveals that as a young boy, he discovered his father's suicide note. A suicide note is a message left by someone who later attempts or commits Suicide. Wilson hid and kept the note, but has never read it. After the ceremony, a fraternity brother tells Wilson that his father, an admiral, was to be chosen as Secretary of the Navy, until his loyalties were questioned. He asks Edward what the suicide note said, and Edward repeats he never read it.
Shortly after the Skull and Bones ceremony, Wilson is recruited by an FBI agent (Alec Baldwin), who claims that Edward's poetry professor, Dr. Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III (born April 3 1958 is an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy - and Golden Globe Award -winning American Fredericks (Michael Gambon), is a Nazi spy. Wilson is asked to help expose the professor, which he does, resulting in Dr. Fredericks' deportation.
Wilson begins a relationship with a hearing-impaired student named Laura (Tammy Blanchard). Tammy Blanchard (born December 14 1976) is an American Emmy Award -winning Actress. However, while attending a Skull and Bones retreat on Deer Island, Wilson meets Margaret 'Clover' Russell (Angelina Jolie), his friend's sister. Deer Island is one of the Thousand Islands. It lies between the United States and Canada, close to Alexandria Bay New York. Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4 1975 is an American film actor Clover aggressively seduces Wilson, and they have sex in the woods behind the Skull and Bones club house. Soon after, General Bill Sullivan (Robert De Niro), who is not a member of the Skull and Bones Society, asks Wilson to join the OSS, offering him a post in London. Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer The Office of Strategic Services ( OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
Later, while Wilson and Laura are at the beach, Clover's brother arrives and privately talks to him. The brother reveals Clover is pregnant with Wilson's child and asks if he will, "do what is expected. " Laura, able to read lips, sees this and walks away. Wilson marries Clover, and during the wedding reception, an army courier arrives, reiterating General Sullivan's offer for a position at the OSS London office. He accepts, whereupon the courier then hands over Wilson's orders, requiring him to be in England in one week. Clover is to remain in the US. To his surprise, Wilson's former university professor, Dr. Fredericks, is also in London; he is actually a member of British Intelligence. While at Yale, he had sought to infiltrate a Nazi organization, causing the American authorities to suspect he was a Nazi spy. Edward betraying his professor ruined two years of espionage work. Despite this, Fredericks recognized Edward's gifts and recommended him to be trained in counter-espionage methods in London.
Soon after, a British intelligence officer, Arch Cummings (Billy Crudup), tells Wilson that Fredericks' indiscriminate homosexual relationships pose a security risk and asks Edward to deal with his former mentor. William Gaither “Billy” Crudup (ˈkruːdəp born July 8, 1968) is an American Tony Award -winning Actor of Film and As they walk, Fredericks refuses Wilson's chivalrous suggestion to protect himself by returning to teaching, and he, in turn, advises Wilson to, "quit the dirty work . . . while you still have a soul. " However, he understands if Wilson wants to, "tie his shoe" (a signal to watchers that the meeting had gone badly). Wilson demurs, which prompts Fredericks to kneel down and tie Wilson's shoe for him. As their meeting ends, Fredericks leaves Wilson, and, after turning a street corner, is killed and his body dumped into the river.
The timeline moves to post-war Berlin, where the Allies and the Soviets, in a race for technological superiority, are vying to recruit as many German scientists as possible. Wilson encounters his Soviet counterpart, codenamed "Ulysses", who praises Wilson as a formidable adversary. Wilson interviews potential German informants with the aid of a female interpreter, Hanna Schiller (Martina Gedeck), who wears a hearing aid. Martina Gedeck (born 14 September 1961) is a German actress She came to international fame as the main character in the German film Mostly Martha A hearing aid is an electroacoustic body-worn apparatus which typically fits in or behind the wearer's Ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sounds When Wilson makes a rare phone call home, he inadvertently learns from his young son, Edward, Jr. , that Clover is seeing another man. After the phone call, Hanna enters Wilson's office and invites him to her house. After cooking dinner, she invites him to stay, and they end up having sex . While lying in bed, Wilson realizes that Hanna does not need her hearing aid, exposing her as a Soviet operative who has infiltrated OSS activities. Wilson has Hanna killed and notifies Ulysses by having her hearing aid planted into his tea pot.
After six years in London, Wilson returns to the United States and is greeted by Clover (who now prefers to be called Margaret). Wilson presents his son with a miniature model ship he made that is inside a glass watch casing. He then learns from Margaret that her brother was killed in the war, and she confesses that she had seen another man. When she asks if he had any relationships, Wilson replies that, "it was a mistake. " She suggests they sleep in separate bedrooms until they get to know each other again, to which Wilson agrees. General Sullivan approaches Wilson again to help form a new foreign intelligence organisation (the CIA) where Wilson will work with his former colleague, Richard Hayes (Lee Pace), under Phillip Allen (William Hurt). Lee Grinner Pace (born March 25, 1979) is an Emmy Award-nominated and two-time Golden Globe -nominated American Actor William M Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA Award -winning American Actor. Wilson accepts, hiding the details about his job from his wife's friends and other acquaintances.
Wilson's first assignment deals with an unnamed Central American coffee growing country where the Russians are trying to gain influence. Wilson spots Ulysses in the background of some stock footage of the country's leader, but chooses not to share this information with others in the room. An agent is sent undercover as a representative of the Mayan coffee company. In order to intimidate the Central American leader, Wilson arranges for airplanes to fly over and release locusts during a public event where the Russians (including Ulysses) are present. Wilson later receives a can of Mayan coffee, presumably from Ulysses, containing the severed finger of the American agent.
Wilson interviews Valentin Mironov, a Russian requesting asylum and claiming to be a high-ranking official who knows Ulysses. While attending the theatre with Mironov and Cummings, Wilson unexpectedly encounters his former sweetheart, Laura. Wilson and Laura leave the theatre separately, then meet at a restaurant and discuss old times before having sex at Laura's house.
Sometime later when Wilson has gone ahead to a Skull and Bones dinner, Margaret anonymously receives photos of Laura and Wilson getting into a taxi together and kissing. A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride A distraught Margaret confronts him at the dinner. Wilson ends the relationship with Laura by sending her jewelled crucifix to her by messenger, which he had kept from their college romance days. A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "(one fixed to a cross" is a cross with a representation of Jesus ' body or corpus
Wilson receives a call from a Soviet defector (Mark Ivanir) claiming that he is the real Valentin Mironov, and the person they know as Valentin is an imposter: his real name is Yuri Modin, a KGB operative working for Ulysses. KGB ( Transliteration of "КГБ" is the Russian abbreviation of Committee for State Security ( Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosty Wilson disbelieves him, and agents torture the Russian in an attempt to uncover his true identity. The defector never changes his story, even enduring a form of waterboarding. Waterboarding is a form of Torture that consists of immobilizing a person on their back with the head inclined downward and pouring water over the face and into the breathing Eventually, he is administered liquid LSD which causes erratic behavior, but he solidly clings to his stated identity; he shouts that he is Valentin Mironov and commits suicide by crashing through a glass window to the pavement several stories below. This is apparently based on an actual event when US Army scientist, (Frank Olson), died in a similar way, allegedly as a result of unwittingly participating in CIA-conducted LSD experiments called MKULTRA. Frank Olson ( July 17 1910 &ndash November 28 1953) was a US Army scientist who died under mysterious circumstances while undertaking The first man claiming to be Mironov, who witnessed the ordeal from behind a two-way mirror with Wilson, offers to take LSD to prove his innocence.
Wilson visits his son, Edward, Jr. , at Yale, where he has also joined the Skull and Bones society and has been approached for recruitment by the CIA. Margaret (Clover) pleads with Wilson to persuade their son not to join, but Edward Jr. joins anyway, believing it will bring him closer to his loving, but distant father. This widens the rift between Wilson and Margaret, and she eventually leaves him and moves to Arizona to live with her mother. Later, while at a Skull and Bones retreat, Wilson discusses the upcoming Bay of Pigs invasion with Hayes. Edward, Jr. , eavesdrops on the discussion and a reference to "Bahía de Cochinos", Spanish for "Bay of Pigs. " Wilson suspects that Edward, Jr. may have inadvertently overhead the conversation and warns his son to repeat nothing that was discussed.
Time passes, and the Bay of Pigs invasion fails. The CIA thoroughly analyzes the photograph (which depicts a Caucasian man and a colored woman making love) and the edited version of the tape that was anonymously dropped at Wilson's house earlier in the movie. From visual clues such as the ceiling fan's brand name and the church bells and other sounds heard on the tape, CIA specialists deduce that the photograph may have been taken in Leopoldville, Congo. Kinshasa (formerly French: Léopoldville, formerly Dutch: Leopoldstad, German: Leopoldstadt) is the Capital The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to Wilson goes there and finds the room. He realizes that the photograph and tape are of his son Edward, Jr. , when he sees the model ship in the glass watch casing that he gave his son is sitting on the nightstand; its blurred image was the one object in the photo that the CIA team was unable to identify. Ulysses has apparently been awaiting Wilson's arrival. He plays Wilson an unedited version of the tape, which reveals that Edward, Jr. repeated "Bahía de Cochinos", the classified information he overheard his father discussing, to his lover—a Soviet spy. It is that information that led to the Cubans' and Soviets' knowledge regarding the CIA landing at the Bay of Pigs. Ulysses reveals that the woman spy has truly fallen in love with Edward, Jr. Ulysses encourages Wilson to spy for the Soviets in exchange for them protecting his son. Wilson is non-committal, however; he confronts his son, who says that he is in love with the woman and plans to marry her. When Wilson tells him she is a spy, Edward, Jr. refuses to believe him.
Wilson exposes Valentin as a Soviet spy after finding evidence hidden in the book binding of a copy of Ulysses: inside are a passport with his real name and an escape plan. Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920 Arch Cummings is also exposed as a co-conspirator. In an earlier scene, Cummings gave the book to Valentin as a seemingly clever benign gift, playing on Valentin's knowledge about Ulysses, the Soviet spy. Arch Cummings flees to the USSR. After this, Wilson declines to run counter-intelligence for the Soviets. Ulysses notes of Edward, Jr. 's fiancée: "neither of us can be sure about her", and asks Wilson, "Do you want her to be part of your family?" When Wilson does not respond, Ulysses makes a reference to Wilson doing him a future favor, having placed Wilson in a compromising position. During a meeting at a museum, Ulysses' aide asks him for change to purchase his daughter a souvenir from the gift shop. Wilson asks how much it is, and, upon hearing it is a dollar, hands him a one dollar note, commenting that a cardinal rule of democracy is generosity. This appears to be a reference to a scene from the film's beginning, where a young boy on a bus asks Wilson for change for a dollar—when Wilson returns to his office, he matches the bill's serial number to a CIA asset codenamed "CARDINAL". So Wilson is, in fact, returning the "marked" dollar to the asset, which is Ulysses' aide.
Wilson and Margaret arrive separately in the Congo for Edward, Jr. 's wedding. His fiancée boards a small plane to travel to the ceremony. In mid-flight, she is thrown out the door by the co-pilot. When she fails to arrive at the church, Wilson informs a worried Edward Jr. that his fiancée is dead. Edward, Jr. tearfully asks his father if he had anything to do with her death, to which Wilson denies any responsibility. Edward Jr. reveals that his fiancée was pregnant; this news shocks and saddens Wilson.
Wilson then meets with fellow Skull and Bones classmate, Hayes (loosely based on Richard Helms), at the new CIA headquarters still under construction, Hayes tells him that Allen is resigning under a cloud of financial improprieties, and that the President has asked him to be the new Director. Richard McGarrah Helms ( March 30, 1913 &ndash October 23, 2002) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI from 1966 to 1973 The President has directed him to do some "house cleaning" and he tells Wilson that he needs someone he can trust, saying, "after all, we're still brothers" and that Wilson is the "Heart and Soul of the CIA". He then shows Wilson a wing of the CIA that will be Edward's "part of the world" and tells him he will be the first head of counter-intelligence.
Wilson is then shown opening a floor safe in his closet and pulling out the suicide note that his father, Thomas had left before killing himself. Wilson finally reads the note, in which his father's words reveal that he had betrayed his country. He left loving words for his wife and Wilson, particularly urging his son to grow up to be a good man, husband, and father and to live a life of decency and truth. Wilson burns the note.
The movie ends with Wilson walking in his, now completed, wing of the CIA.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Matt Damon | Edward Wilson |
| Angelina Jolie | Margaret 'Clover' Russell Wilson |
| Robert De Niro | Bill Sullivan |
| Alec Baldwin | Sam Murach |
| Billy Crudup | Arch Cummings |
| Tammy Blanchard | Laura |
| Keir Dullea | Senator John Russell, Sr. Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 1970 is an American Actor and Philanthropist. Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4 1975 is an American film actor Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III (born April 3 1958 is an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy - and Golden Globe Award -winning American William Gaither “Billy” Crudup (ˈkruːdəp born July 8, 1968) is an American Tony Award -winning Actor of Film and Tammy Blanchard (born December 14 1976) is an American Emmy Award -winning Actress. Keir Dullea (kɪr duˈleɪ born May 30, 1936) is an American actor perhaps best known for the character of astronaut David Bowman he portrayed |
| Dan Fleury | Skull and Bones associate Ed Farmer |
| Michael Gambon | Dr. Fredericks |
| Martina Gedeck | Hanna Schiller |
| Timothy Hutton | Thomas Wilson |
| William Hurt | Philip Allen |
| Gabriel Macht | John Russell, Jr. Martina Gedeck (born 14 September 1961) is a German actress She came to international fame as the main character in the German film Mostly Martha Timothy T Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American Academy Award -winning Actor. William M Hurt (born March 20, 1950) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA Award -winning American Actor. Gabriel S Macht (born January 22 1972) is an American actor Biography Personal life Macht was born in The Bronx |
| Lee Pace | Richard Hayes |
| Joe Pesci | Joseph Palmi |
| Eddie Redmayne | Edward Wilson, Jr. Lee Grinner Pace (born March 25, 1979) is an Emmy Award-nominated and two-time Golden Globe -nominated American Actor Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Eddie Redmayne (born 6 January, 1982) is an English Actor. Redmayne attended Eton College, and went on to study History of Art |
| John Sessions | Valentin Mironov #1/Yuri Modin |
| Oleg Stefan | Ulysses/Stas Siyanko |
| John Turturro | Ray Brocco |
| Liya Kebede | Miriam |
Production
Eric Roth[1] penned the screenplay in 1994 for Francis Ford Coppola and Columbia Pictures. John Sessions (born 11 January 1953) is a Scottish Actor and Comedian. Oleg Stefan (born September 7, 1959) is a Film actor. He's appeared in a number of popular television series including Frasier and John Michael Turturro (born February 28, 1957) is an American Actor noted for his performances in To Live and Die in L Liya Kebede (born January 3 1978) is an Ethiopian model who has appeared on the cover of US ''Vogue'' twice Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Coppola left the project because, he said, he could not relate to the characters finding them "unemotional" (although he retained a credit as co-executive producer). Wayne Wang was set to direct but management changes at Columbia ended Wang’s involvement and Philip Kaufman was the next person set to direct but he eventually left the project. Wayne Wang ( born January 12, 1949) is a Chinese American Film director. Philip Kaufman (born October 23, 1936) is an American Film director and Screenwriter from Chicago Illinois. When it moved to MGM, John Frankenheimer signed on to make the movie and wanted Robert De Niro to star. John Michael Frankenheimer ( February 19, 1930 &ndash July 6, 2002) was an American Film director. Unfortunately, Frankenheimer died in 2002 and at the same time De Niro was developing his own spy story. According to producer Jane Rosenthal, this has been Robert De Niro's pet project for nine years, but it proved difficult to produce in a pre-9/11 world and had to compete with his busy schedule as an actor. Jane Rosenthal (born 21 September 1956) is an American Film producer. The actor said in an interview, “I had always been interested in the Cold War. I was raised in the Cold War. All of the intelligence stuff was interesting to me. ”[2]
De Niro wanted to do a film about the CIA from the Bay of Pigs to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including Roth's script ended just after the Bay of Pigs. They ended up making a deal: Roth would write up De Niro's idea into a screenplay if the actor would direct his existing script. If The Good Shepherd proved to be a commercial success then their follow-up would be De Niro's pitch. The project subsequently moved to Universal Pictures where producer Graham King agreed to help finance the $110+ million budget. Graham King (born December 19, 1961) is a Film producer and President and CEO of Initial Entertainment Group who is best known for his He had a deal with Leonardo DiCaprio who was interested in playing the film's protagonist Edward Wilson. Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974 is a three-time Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe -winning American film actor. De Niro planned to shoot the movie in the fall of 2004 but DiCaprio couldn’t do it then because he was making The Departed for Martin Scorsese. The Departed is a 2006 crime thriller Film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, King left with him and so did his financial backing. King told Daily Variety, "If the marketplace got better, I'd love to make this movie. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman It's one of the best scripts I've ever read (but) you can't make the movie for any less than we have it budgeted for. I certainly wouldn't disrespect Bob (De Niro) by getting him to cut the budget of the film. " On November 20, 2004, Variety magazine reported that Matt Damon agreed to star as Wilson and James Robinson's Morgan Creek Productions agreed to help finance the film with a budget under $90 million which meant that many of the principal actors, Damon included, would have to waive their usual salaries to keep costs down. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Principal photography began on August 18, 2005 with shooting taking place in New York City, Washington D.C., London and the Dominican Republic. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with
De Niro wasn’t interested in making a spy movie with flashy violence and exciting car chases. “I just like it when things happen for a reason. So I want to downplay the violence, depict it in a muted way. In those days, it was a gentleman's game. ”[2] He and Roth were also interested in showing how absolute power corrupted the leaders of the CIA. Early on, De Niro said in an interview, “they tried to do what they thought was right. And then, as they went on, they became overconfident and started doing things that are not always in our best interests. ”[2] In order to achieve authenticity, he hired ex-CIA operative Milt Bearden (who worked for the agency for 30 years) as the film's technical advisor. Milton Bearden (b 1940 is a retired Central Intelligence Agency officer author and film consultant
The music for the film was by Bruce Fowler and Marcelo Zarvos. ” Bruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American Trombone player and Composer. Marcelo Zarvos is a Brazilian pianist and composer He began in classical music in his teens and studied at the Berklee College of Music. They replaced James Horner, who left the project due to creative differences. James Roy Horner (born August 14 1953) is an American Composer of orchestral and film music [3]
Edward Wilson, the character played by Matt Damon, is based at least in part on James Jesus Angleton, the long-serving director of the CIA's counter-intelligence staff who also fell victim to intense paranoia during his career, and covert operations specialist Richard Bissell. James Jesus Angleton (December 9 1917 &ndash May 12 1987 known to colleagues as Jim and nicknamed "the Kingfisher" was a long-serving chief of the Central Intelligence This article is a subset article of Intelligence cycle security. A covert operation is a Military or political activity carried out in such a way that the parties responsible for the action can be an Open secret, but Richard Mervin Bissell Jr ( September 18, 1909 &ndash February 7, 1994) was an American intelligence officer [2] Bill Sullivan, the character played by Robert De Niro, is based on William Stephenson and William Joseph Donovan. Sir William Samuel Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC, ( January 23, 1897 &ndash January 31, 1989) was a "Wild Bill Donovan" redirects here For the Baseball Pitcher and manager see William Edward Donovan. William Hurt's character Phillip Allen is likely based on former CIA Director Allen Dulles, while Lee Pace's character Richard Hayes shares some similarities, including a similar name, to Dulles' eventual successor Richard Helms. Allen Welsh Dulles (April 7 1893 &ndash January 29 1969 was the first civilian and the longest serving (1953-1961 Director of Central Intelligence (de-facto head of Lee Grinner Pace (born March 25, 1979) is an Emmy Award-nominated and two-time Golden Globe -nominated American Actor Richard McGarrah Helms ( March 30, 1913 &ndash October 23, 2002) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI from 1966 to 1973 High-ranking British operative turned Soviet mole, Arch Cummings, bears some similarities to Kim Philby (who fled to the USSR after being exposed and spent his last years friendless and mired in alcoholism). Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby or HAR Philby ( OBE: 1946-1965 ( 1 January, 1912 – 11 May, 1988) The character Yuri Modin shares similar characteristics to Soviet defector Anatoliy Golitsyn, and the character of Dr. Anatoliy Mikhaylovich Golitsyn CBE (Анатолий Михайлович Голицынborn August 25, 1926 in Piryatin, Ukrainian SSR Ibanez bears some similarities to Jacobo Arbenz. Colonel Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán ( September 14, 1913 &ndash January 27, 1971) was the President of Guatemala from 1951 to 1954 when
In May, 2007, CIA's historians publicly released an article referencing the film's depiction of the OSS and CIA, and discussing factual details surrounding the actual persons on whom some of the film's characters were based. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all The article also addressed inaccurate but enduring beliefs that Yale's famous secret society Skull and Bones was an incubator of the U. Skull and Bones is an elite Secret society based at Yale University, in New Haven Connecticut. S. Intelligence Community. [4]
Oscar-winning actor Joe Pesci appears in one scene as a Mafia boss ("Joseph Palmi") who, it is implied in the film, is a fictionalized composite of Santo Trafficante Jr. & Sam Giancana (in one scene it is mentioned that Castro has seized "three of [Palmi's] casinos and thrown him out of Cuba. Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Santo Trafficante Jr ( November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was one of the last of the old-time Mafia bosses in the United Salvatore "Momo" Giancana (born Salvatore Giangana) June 15, 1908 &ndash June 19, 1975) was an Italian-American The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la " In fact, Castro did nationalize several casinos owned by both Chicago and Florida organized crime interests). The CIA recruited such mafiosi for multiple assassination attempts against Fidel Castro. The story thread, however, is not fully developed in the film.
Historical accuracy
The film takes many liberties with the historic events it portrays. Notably, the film inaccurately depicts the Bay of Pigs failure as the result of a leak within the agency. In fact, the CIA's own analysis came to the conclusion that the Bay of Pigs Invasion failed because of a combination of incompetent planning and execution, unrealistic expectations, and poor security.
A Crime So Immense, an article by James K. Galbraith states that a previously redacted version of the Taylor Report on the Bay of Pigs shows the Russians did know the date of the planned invasion. James K Galbraith (born January 29 1952 is a progressive American Economist who writes frequently for mainstream and liberal publications on economic topics
"One of the great travesties of the Cold War surfaced on April 29, when the Washington Post reported the declassification in full of General Maxwell Taylor's June, 1961 special report on the Bay of Pigs invasion. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Partial versions of this document have been available for decades. But only now did its darkest secret spill. Here is what Taylor reported to Kennedy. The Russians knew the date of the invasion (Therefore, Castro also knew). The CIA, headed by Allen Dulles, knew that the Russians knew (Therefore, they knew the invasion would fail). The leak did not come from the invasion force; it had happened before the Cuban exiles were themselves briefed on the date. Kennedy was not informed. Nor, of course, were the exiles. And knowing all this, Dulles ordered the operation forward. "
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews with the review tallying website rottentomatoes.com reporting that 89 out of the 161 reviews they tallied were positive for a score of 55% and a certification of "rotten" (according to the website's criteria). Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. [5] Metacritic gave the film a metascore of 66/100 ("Generally favorable reviews"). Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. [6] Time magazine [7] said Matt Damon "is terrific in the role — all-knowing, never overtly expressing a feeling. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Indeed, so is everyone else in this intricate, understated but ultimately devastating account of how secrets, when they are left to fester, can become an illness, dangerous to those who keep them, more so to nations that base their policies on them. " David Ansen in his Newsweek [8] wrote, "For the film's mesmerizing first 50 minutes I thought De Niro might pull off the The Godfather of spy movies. Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. The Godfather is a 1972 Crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed . . Still, even if the movie's vast reach exceeds its grasp, it's a spellbinding history lesson. "
Current Event Magazine GlobeMag gave the acting a score 8/10, while the plot/writing received a score of 5/10, saying the movie ". . . was like a slow pulse, nothing. . . then something. . . nothing. . . then something, making for an uneventful and generally confusing movie. . . "
Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly praises De Niro's direction and Damon's performance, noting the latter's maturation as an actor. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc She gives the movie a grade of "B"[9].
However, Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News wrote, "If the lives of CIA spies are really this dreary, they may as well keep their secrets to themselves", and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine opined, "It's tough to slog through a movie that has no pulse. The Daily News of New York City is the fifth most-widely circulated daily Newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 703137 Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published "
In 2007, the cast of The Good Shepherd won the silver bear of the prestigious Berlin film festival for outstanding artistic contribution. It was the only American entry in 2007 to win a prize at the festival. The film was also an Oscar nominee in 2007.
References
- ^ Roth co-wrote Forrest Gump and Munich; see Internet Movie Database entry on Eric Roth [1] retrieved 20 APR 2007
- ^ a b c d Horn, John. Forrest Gump is a 1994 Comedy film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and the name of the title character Munich is a 2005 semi-fictionalized film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes "Intelligence Design", Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2006. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-04-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus
- ^ "Marcelo Zarvos and Bruce Fowler replace James Horner on The Good Shepherd", Los Angeles Times, October 31, 2006. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-01-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes.
- ^ The Good Shepherd — Central Intelligence Agency
- ^ The Good Shepherd at Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Accessed January 14, 2006
- ^ The Good Shepherd at Metacritic
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568455-3,00.html Time review] Accessed January 14, 2006
- ^ Newsweek review Accessed January 14, 2006
- ^ The Good Shepherd review in Entertainment Weekly [2]
External links
- Official site
- Intelligence in Recent Public Media An analysis of The Good Shepherd by CIA analysts
- The Good Shepherd at the Internet Movie Database
- The Good Shepherd at Allmovie
- Theatrical trailer