Below is part three of my interview with Ben Macintyre, author of Agent ZigZag:
Davis: You describe the 1967 film about Eddie Chapman, Triple Cross, in your book as a rather poor film that bore only a superficial relation to the truth.
Macintyre: I think it tried to turn Chapman into a James Bond character, which he was not, and missed the opportunity to make a really interesting and challenging film about the nature of heroism. It was essentially propaganda, in my view.
Davis: I thought it was a good thriller, if poor history. The cast – Christopher Plummer, Yul Brynner, Gert Frobe and others – were very good, in my view. Frobe portrayed Auric Goldfinger in the film Goldfinger and Triple Cross‘ director, Terence Young, as you know, directed the first two Bond films and the fourth in the series.
Macintyre: The film was entirely inaccurate, and despite some very good actors, I found the acting very wooden.
Davis: As you wrote a book, For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond, do you find it curious that Young knew both Chapman and Fleming?
Macintyre: I think there is a direct link between Chapman and the film version of Bond, in the sense that Connery modeled his performance on Young, who in turn modeled his own image on his former friend and flatmate, Eddie Chapman.
Davis: In part, yes, but I see more of Fleming’s Bond from the novels in the early films. Did Fleming know Chapman?
Macintyre: Not as far as I know.
Davis: Have you received any offers to make a film based on your book?
Macintyre: The film rights have been bought by New Line (Warner Bros.) with Tom Hank’s production company Playtone as co-producer. The first script has now been completed.
Davis: What actor would you like see portray Chapman?
Macintyre: The actor I would dearly love to play Chapman is James McAvoy. He is not only a brilliant actor, and British, but he has that callow, slightly dodgy expression, while being extremely good-looking. That would fit Chapman perfectly.
Davis: How, and why, should we remember Chapman?
Macintyre: As both an example and warning: he was a very bad man who managed, for one very brief period of his life, to find the inner mettle to do something very good indeed.
Davis: Are you working on a new book?
Macintyre: Yes, another wartime espionage and deception story, coming out next year. I cannot say any more, as it is under wraps!
Davis: I read and enjoy your Times column online. Does being a columnist for a major British newspaper that maintains historical archives help you in your research of books on historical people?
Macintyre: I have found the Times archive hugely useful for all my books, but these archives are now full digitized and accessible to the public, so working for the Times does not really give the advantage it once did!
Davis: I truly enjoyed Agent ZigZag and I look forward to reading your new book as well.
Read parts one and two of the interview.
Paul Davis also writes an American crime blog for GreatHistory.com. You can visit Paul Davis’ web site here . You can reach him at pauldavisoncrime@comcast.net
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Laszlo G said:
WOW
December 16th, 2009 at 6:06 pm