No, not that Garbo.
The subject of Edmon Roch's feature length directorial debut is not a movie star, but perhaps the most infamous and effective double agent in the annals of Word War II. Code-named "Garbo" by British intelligence for his unparalleled skills of deception, Spaniard Juan Pujol García created an entire imaginary network of spies across Europe for the sole purpose of feeding false intel to the Germans. By the war's end, Pujol had been decorated by both the Allies and Axis, saved thousands of lives, and helped facilitate the D-Day landings by misinforming the Nazis about the timing and precise location of the Normandy invasion. What the hell did you ever do that was so great?
Roch's documentary seeks to illuminate the man behind the legend, but while his many experts -- a novelist, an MI5 specialist, a journalist, a fellow spy -- unearth a treasure trove of fascinating facts, Pujol always appears fuzzy, just out of focus. This is partly due to the overall tone of the film, which strikes an almost jaunty, whimsical chord. Roch stuffs the screen with slices of propaganda footage and a seemingly endless array of clips from ostensibly relevant Hollywood movies like Patton, The Longest Day, The Stranger, Invisible Agent, The Secret Code and Our Man in Havana. If you think it might be more than slightly disorienting to ingest a frantic collage of spy flicks while trying to comprehend an incredibly complex real-life narrative, well, you'd be right. I understand Roch's desire to enrich his production, but I was constantly distracted by my own need to discern the meaning of the clips. In other words, my mind wasn't on Pujol.
An individual's transformation from bourgeoisie businessman to super spy should be a fascinating story full of suspense and intrigue, but in Roch's hands, it just kinda sits there, weighed down by an excess of window dressing. This is a tale deserving of clear narration, appropriate footage, explicit graphics, and perhaps some fittingly invigorating music. While Garbo: The Spy has plenty of interesting information to dispense, the manner in which it does could use a going-over.
SumOlogy: This doc on WWII's wiliest double agent could stand to cut the fat.
Garbo: The Spy is currently playing at Laemmle Music Hall in Los Angeles and the Quad Cinema in New York.
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