The IPCRESS File

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  • The IPCRESS File

    Just watched this and it got me thinking about the protag.

    For those DD'ers that have seen the IPCRESS File with Michael Caine, wanted to get thoughts on his character Harry Palmer? What did you dig/ dislike?

    For me he was ahead of his time. A modern day man.

  • #2
    Re: The IPCRESS File

    This is in my top five movies...

    And, though the protagonist is as well written as the rest of the script, I mostly think of the dialogue ("A word in your shell like ear", "Dalby works his men, and he doesn't even have my sense of humor." "I shall miss that.") and the amazing visuals and visual storytelling. From the shot through the phone booth wall of the fight scene, using the mullions to create almost comic book frames... to spotting the CIA Agent among the scientists when Harry has his glasses off... to the Christ like nail in his palm. Oh, and the plotting: I love how Harry is trapped in some hell hole prison in Albania, even if he escapes he's still in *Albania*... and then he escapes... and is in London! And the big twist as to who the turncoat is, and the scene at the end where he must pick which one to kill.

    Produced by the one of the producers of the James Bond movies, as the "anti Bond"... the spy who does paperwork.

    PS: In the novels, the character has no name.

    Bill
    Free Script Tips:
    http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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    • #3
      Re: The IPCRESS File

      I really liked it too, and preferred the films to the books.

      Having him deal with the mundane stuff - buying peas, doing paperwork as Bill says- really brought a smile to my face. We hear a lot about the everyman character, here is someone with normal problems - having to work overtime on the weekend etc.

      Michael Caine perfectly cast also

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      • #4
        Re: The IPCRESS File

        Great flick, and second everything Bill and Bairn said.

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        • #5
          Re: The IPCRESS File

          What do you folks think about the fact we never know who he REALLY is? After all the name Harry Palmer was created for the films -- gives food for thought. I mean, why did Len Deighton choose NOT to give him an identity...?

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          • #6
            Re: The IPCRESS File

            Been awhile since I've read the books, but I think it was in first person so it probably was more a matter of convenience, i.e. easier for the reader to place himself in "Harry's" shoes. I don't believe Deighton had any literary pretense to using a nameless narrator, just that it worked for what he was doing and went with it.

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            • #7
              Re: The IPCRESS File

              I'd be interested to see how HP would fit into the modern movie world of spies and espionage. Bourne has no memory and is an efficient killer with a concscience. Bond is a playboy & a thrill seeker. Perhaps HP's best angle would be to mix the dogged work ethic and love of finer things in life (from his specific cigarettes to his passion for coffee) with a hard boiled, devil may care attitude and a layered back story about who he really is...?

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              • #8
                Re: The IPCRESS File

                I think an update could work. With James Bond mimicking the Jason Bourne style of late, I think a bureaucratic take on the spy angle would be great. Maybe a cross between BRAZIL and the Bourne movies.

                I think you've given me my next screenplay, Mintclub. Thanks.

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                • #9
                  Re: The IPCRESS File

                  Tangent: One of the things I really enjoyed about MI: GHOST PROTOCOL was that the gadgets didn't always work the way there were supposed to, or, as in the case with the hallway projector, worked great until they ended up having to work beyond their limits.

                  THAT is how the James Bond movies should've gone. You keep the Bond gadgets, but they're new so they don't always work the way they're supposed to.

                  I think there's other avenues that could be explored in "spy" movies and I think the Deighton novels would be a good stepping off point for something "new".

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                  • #10
                    Re: The IPCRESS File

                    Originally posted by Richmond Weems View Post

                    I think you've given me my next screenplay, Mintclub. Thanks.
                    Ha, glad I could assist! 😉

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                    • #11
                      Re: The IPCRESS File

                      Just saw the trailer for "The Kingsman: The Secret Service." It features Colin Firth and when I saw his character, he immediately reminded me of Harry Palmer (including the glasses). If they did a remake, I think Colin Firth would be a great choice. Check out the trailer. The scene with Colin is about :23 into it.

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                      • #12
                        Re: The IPCRESS File

                        Agreed, Paladin.

                        And the resemblance between Firth's character and Harry Palmer seems to be intentional. Which is a nice touch.

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                        • #13
                          Re: The IPCRESS File

                          He would be great as Harry Palmer...

                          And this film looks like my teenaged James Bond fantasies.

                          Bill
                          Free Script Tips:
                          http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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