Page Eight

Masterpiece Theater has is having a resurgence with the remarkable popularity of Downton Abbey, and has been parodied on Sesame Street since 1978 (who could forget Monsterpiece Theater?), but the BBC has produced some truly excellent material for another relative of the classic: Masterpiece Contemporary. Previously, I reviewed (albeit briefly) The Last Enemy, which premiered as the debut presentation from Masterpiece Contemporary. In November 2011, Sir David Hare wrote and directed Page Eight, an old-fashioned intrigue. If Jason Bourne had been English, and well over the hill, perhaps this would have been his story.

Page Eight starts off like a film noir, introducing Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) on his way home, accompanied by a slick jazz track. He's a long-time employee of MI-5, the UK answer to the CIA, college classmate of the Director General, Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon - are you seeing the caliber of performers here?). When Benedict dies suddenly, it's up to Johnny to find out what plans Benedict had for the unpopular intelligence he'd just revealed. Who was Benedict's source? Why share the information? The information printed at the bottom of page eight will decide: Who stands for country, and who looks out only for his or her career?

Rachel Weisz features as Nancy Pierpan, Johnny's neighbor. Nancy's brother died recently, and she believes his death may have been covered up by the government. Regardless, her tenuous friendship with Johnny is founded in mutual awkwardness, and grieving.

Johnny explains his work at MI-5 by saying, "Deciding who to trust. That's what the job is." My biggest problem with this piece is my own preconceived associations of the actors in the film. While my tendency to trust the esteemed Nighy and Gambon works in their favor, my desire to trust Ralph Fiennes (as Prime Minister Alec Beasley) and Saskia Reeves (as Home Secretary Anthea Catcheside, but familiar from BBC detective series Wallander and Luther) works against the goal of uncertainty or ambivalence. My recognition of Rachel Weisz from her brilliant role as Evelyn in The Shape of Things makes me distrust her, despite Johnny's decision to trust Nancy. 

Page Eight  is slow, but rewarding viewing. Even though Johnny declares himself impartial party in the political tug-of-war started by Benedict's death, the drama takes a rather anti-establishment stance, finding fault in both American and British leadership. With questionable principles on both sides, even Johnny is less neutral than he would like to believe. Even an old man, whose priority had been the good of the country, is apt to doing what's best for those he cares about.

Notes:
- Sir David Hare was hoping for a trilogy; the success of this first installment means that Johnny Worricker, Alec Beasley, Anthea Catcheside and several of their colleagues are set to recur in two forthcoming episodes titled, "Salting the Battlefield" and "Turks & Caicos." We should see these films sometime in 2014. 
- Ewen Bremner will return for the next two films, reprising his role as journalist Rollo Maverley. If he looks familiar, you probably know him from Trainspotting, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, or AVP: Alien Vs. Predator. He also gave memorable performances in Death at a Funeral and The Reckoning.
- Need a good jazz score? Composer Paul Englishby provided the music for Page Eight; he also provided a really fun score for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. He's also written the music for Luther and David Tennant's Hamlet. Seriously, how do I get involved with the BBC? Those folks keep good company.