SBS in Australien rührt gerade ausgiebig die Werbetrommel für 'Berlin Station':
Zitat:
5 Dec 2017 - 12:32pm
'Berlin Station': The spy drama echoes the best of the John le Carré spy novels
Like the complex characters and gritty spycraft of the iconic spy author? Then you’ll love 'Berlin Station'.
By Anthony Morris
5 Dec 2017 - 12:31 PM
When CIA analyst Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage) arrives in Berlin to plug a leak, plumbing is the last thing on anyone’s mind. Someone at the CIA’s Berlin station is passing on secrets to a mystery whistler-blower known as Thomas Shaw, and neither the Americans nor the Germans are particularly happy about it. It’s the kind of undercover mission James Bond would sort out over a martini before dinner (presumably via some kind of blimp hijack or underwater chase sequence), but this series takes its tone from a much more serious source – one that’s done as much to shape the way we see spies today as any cocktail swigging tuxedo’d superhero.
John le Carré’s spy novels were originally positioned as a reaction to the runaway fame of James Bond – you’ve enjoyed the fantasy, now take a look at the real world of international spying. Rather than guns and glamour, le Carré focused on shades of grey, where little people trapped in big systems tried to figure out if it was even possible to live with honour and do the right thing in a world where the “right thing” could change at the stroke of a pen. More interested in characters and morality than good guys versus bad, le Carré changed the way we look at spies, turning them from international playboys to people like the rest of us – only with much higher stakes.
Berlin Station creator Olen Steinhauer is a successful spy novelist (this is his first television series), who’s cited le Carré’s Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy as his favourite spy novel. It’s not hard to see the influence. Berlin Station depicts a world where espionage is both supremely important and the kind of job that wears you down fast, where everyone has at least one personal agenda underneath everything they do and trusting no-one goes without saying… though it does get said here a fair bit.
Miller’s chief in Berlin is Cold War veteran Steve Frost (Richard Jenkins), a man clearly burnt out but still hanging on for his own reasons. Frost’s deputy (Lealand Orser) is the kind of hard-to-like man who gets things done; Frost’s administrator (Michelle Forbes) is equally no-nonsense, but with her eye on the path that leads to the top job. It’s office politics as usual, only with the kind of stakes – the secrets being leaked are the kind that can get people killed – that makes every lingering stare and angry glance gripping viewing.
Part of the appeal of le Carré’s view of espionage is that there are always so many layers to what’s going on. It’s not enough that one side is spying on another, everybody involved always has their own agendas (and romances) underneath the overlapping schemes of their organisations – and if you don’t have a past coming back to haunt you, you’re not really trying. Berlin Station revels in this kind of romantic noir atmosphere. Miller’s mission to flush out the traitor might be relatively straightforward, but there are so many subplots and side missions going on that you might want to draw up a chart (or at least, take a few notes).
While there’s a lot of satisfaction to be had from seeing the web of plots and motivations unravel, Berlin Station isn’t merely a dry exercise in plotting and scheming. What le Carré brought to spy drama was the idea that all the double-crosses and betrayals have a human cost, and that living such high stakes lives will eventually wear you down even if you don’t get a bullet in the back. That’s where this series really shines – time and again we’re reminded of the human cost of all this, whether it’s people having to shut themselves down to get the job done, or realising the organisation they’ve devoted their lives to will cut them loose without looking back.
The most obvious example of this is Hector DeJean (Rhys Ifans), an old comrade of Miller’s who’s crumbling around the edges. Ifans is no stranger to going big in roles, but here he makes Hector a somewhat subdued figure, though one clearly familiar with the seedy side of his line of work. If Miller is the spy who still believes in what he’s doing, Hector is the one who’s seen it and seen through it all. Which, in its own way, is a very valuable skill for a spy to have.
Shot on location in Berlin – which is clearly the dream location for a spy drama – the city’s reputation for debauchery adds yet another layer to the characters plotting and scheming. They live in a world without fixed morals or values. In Hector’s mind at least, why not have a good time while you can? It’s not bad advice – if you’re looking for a good time with a bunch of spies over summer, Berlin Station is a secret worth sharing.
Watch Berlin Station on Wednesday 13 December at 10:30pm on SBS. The first two seasons of the show are streaming at SBS On Demand from 14 December.
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/12/05/berlin-station-spy-drama-echoes-best-john-le-carre-spy-novels?cx_navSource=related-side-cx#cxrecs_s?cid=sbs:guide:tile1?cid=berlinstation:tw:editorial:20171206Zitat:
5 Dec 2017 - 12:41pm
Why Berlin is the go-to destination for the most thrilling spy dramas
Ever wondered why every great spy film and TV show seems to be set in the German city?
By Sarah Ward
5 Dec 2017 - 11:50 AM UPDATED YESTERDAY 12:41 PM
Panoramic views of the city, surveillance at great heights, a shooting in the streets — starting the series in thrilling style, the opening moments of Berlin Station have it all.
When CIA agent Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage) heads up to the Panoramapunkt observation deck to peer out over Berlin, he’s in the thick of a mission to find the person leaking classified information to a Julian Assange-like whistleblower. And he’s also in the best possible place to kick off a tense, twist-filled journey through American espionage operations in Germany.
Three decades ago, the Berlin Wall ran through Potsdamer Platz immediately below the observation deck. Remnants still exist today. Mere footsteps away sits the German Spy Museum Berlin, the city’s own exploration of its divided history — and the spying that went along with it.
Indeed, with its past paying no small part, Berlin has become a favourite location for on-screen espionage. There’s more to its secretive allure, however. Ever wondered why every great spy effort from Torn Curtain to Homeland to Atomic Blonde features the city’s streets? Beyond the shadows of the Second World War and the Cold War, here are a few reasons.
The iconic locations
From the Fernsehturm globe towering over Alexanderplatz to the commanding sight of the Brandenburg Gate in the centre of the city to the Glienicke Bridge (or Bridge of Spies, as it’s also known), Berlin is littered with iconic locations. And from The Bourne’s Supremacy’s tense events under the former to Steven Spielberg’s dramatisation of the story around the latter, so are Berlin-based spy films and TV shows.
In both period and modern espionage efforts, the sight of these recognisable sites doesn’t just remind viewers that they’re watching a movie or series. More than that, they act as shorthand, nodding to the city’s past both on- and off-screen. When viewers catch a glimpse of the area around Checkpoint Charlie in the 2015 film adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., for example, they’re reminded of its history as a crossing point through the then-split nation — and also its role in the opening of Octopussy and its importance to The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.
The everyday architecture
Beyond the obvious famous towers and locations, Berlin’s everyday structures boast a specific look. Even when they don’t particularly stand out or catch the eye, they add to an overall vision of a city pieced together from an eventful past. Here, Prussian, Weimar, Cold War-era and contemporary buildings sit side-by-side, wearing the city’s mélange of architectural styles both as evidence of its scars and as a badge of honour.
The fact that grey and brown prove the prevailing colours, and that stone and concrete feature heavily help Berlin’s intriguing historic-meets-industrial aesthetic. Although, the appeal of the city as a spy setting can be seen in something as simple as a lengthy, cement-heavy apartment block. Plenty of them can be found around town, after all. As rows of windows peer out on communal walkways, courtyards and gardens, it’s easy to imagine untold stories unravelling behind their walls. Voila, the perfect espionage backdrop, as Atomic Blonde’s speedy chase through the Mitte streets illustrates.
The mood
In Victoria, a woman wanders around Berlin with a group of German men she’s just met. They’re about to get immersed in a heist, but as they traverse the empty urban spaces as night turns to day, possibility awaits at every corner. In Wetlands, a teenager careens through the city, piecing together her messy life, which remains every bit as busy as her hometown. And in Run Lola Run, the film that clearly provided inspiration for both, Berlin proves both vibrant and chaotic, a place where a flame-haired woman can run through the streets only drawing a small amount of attention.
None of the above are spy films — but especially for efforts set long after the wall was torn down, they demonstrate just why Berlin is perfect for espionage antics, as Homeland’s fifth season also showed. Hustle and bustle might be a part of every city, but the mood in Germany’s capital is equal parts upbeat, urgent, enigmatic and intriguing, like anything could happen at any moment.
The music
One of the best songs of all time references the Berlin Wall. Berlin Station doesn’t feature David Bowie’s "Heroes" but it takes its theme song from another of his tracks, "I’m Afraid of Americans". And the sounds of his "Soul Love" can also be heard in the series’ first episode. With the legendary singer famously spending a creatively fulfilling period of his life in the city, his tunes have become synonymous with Berlin — and indicative of the kind of soundtracks that accompany such tales. In a nutshell: think music that matches the aforementioned mood.
Atomic Blonde went with Bowie as well, featuring "Under Pressure" and "Cat People (Putting out Fire)". Given its '80s setting, it also gave Nena’s "99 Luftballoons" a spin, too. If that sounds familiar, that’s because Deutschland 83 paired its own espionage hijinks to a similar pop soundtrack, including that very song and a shared use of New Order’s "Blue Monday".
And, if Berlin spy tales didn’t already boast a common sound, the original scores for both Berlin Station and Deutschland 83 are the work of German-born composer Reinhold Heil.
Watch Berlin Station on Wednesday 13 December at 10:30pm on SBS.
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/12/04/why-berlin-go-destination-most-thrilling-spy-dramas?cid=inbody:berlin-station-the-spy-drama-echoes-the-best-of-the-john-le-carr%C3%A9-spy-novelsZitat:
5 Dec 2017 - 11:53am
Go undercover with the thrilling 'Berlin Station'
SBS On Demand’s gripping thriller mirrors the real-life clandestine operations of the CIA in the German capital.
By Jim Mitchell
5 Dec 2017 - 11:53 AM
“There’s a leak in the CIA. We need you in Berlin. No one can know why you’re there – not the chief, not his deputy, not a soul.”
When CIA operative Valerie Edwards (Michelle Forbes) summons former CIA analyst Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage) to go undercover in Berlin to investigate the true identity of the Snowden-esque Thomas Shaw, a whistleblower leaking top secret information, the tone is set for the thrilling Berlin Station, now on SBS On Demand.
“Who am I looking at?” Daniel asks.
The response: “Everyone.”
That includes station chief Steven Frost (Richard Jenkins), deputy Robert Kirsch (Leland Orser), agent Hector DeJean (Rhys Ifans), and Valerie and Daniel themselves.
If you’re a fan of espionage thrillers like Homeland and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, you’re in for a treat. Get set for clandestine meetings, betrayals, and many a twist and turn.
“I think we really throw down the gauntlet,” says Armitage. “It’s a smart television show, and you really have to have your brain switched on in order to watch it and follow it.”
The storyline is all too real
With its ripped-from-the-headlines veracity, there’s an urgency to Berlin Station reflecting the ever-present threat of terrorism, breaches of national security by the likes of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and loss of faith in intelligence agencies.
“It’s happening in front of us. As we sit and watch CNN today, we’re seeing cyber-hacking and national security threats, and that’s very much what our show is about,” Armitage told Collider. “It’s about the steps that these professionals take, who are very ordinary patriots placed in the position of stemming the flow of national secrets, and at the same time, they are pulled in to question their own agency and government.”
The show’s accuracy also comes from its depiction of the long-held presence of the CIA in Berlin and in the context of the city’s history as a hot bed of espionage. Forbes says the string of terrorism events around the world that occurred during filming in Berlin hit home hard that this is the “new normal”.
“We went through the Brussels, Istanbul, Paris, Orlando and Baghdad bombings as we were there,” she says. “Along with all this loss and sorrow, and being what felt like right in the middle of it, there was just a really deep and devastating understanding that this is normal for us now, all of these bombings.”
It’s old school spy games
While there’s plenty of high-stakes action, Berlin Station, like a good John Le Carré thriller, makes its focus old school, in-the-field human intelligence, in what Armitage calls “a kind of post-technology drama”. It’s the very human face of spying, with complex, flawed characters now so synonymous with peak TV.
Berlin Station creator Olen Steinhauer has spent his career as a novelist delving into the morally murky world of espionage and the duplicity that defines it.
“What’s fascinating to me is that, for these people, it’s their job to go out and seduce others through lies and manipulation. Knowing that, I’ve always wondered how that affects how they feel about themselves,” he says. “That’s a major theme of the series – identity.”
“These guys are not superheroes; these guys are not James or Jane Bond," Orser told Deadline. "They’re broken, damaged people whose personal lives are a shambles. The CIA exacts an enormous toll on the people that work for it.”
To get an understanding of that toll, Forbes met with Valerie Plame, the CIA agent famously outed by the Bush Administration in 2003.
“It really helped me to understand what it’s like for a woman to be undercover and to sacrifice so much of your personal life in order to do this job,” says Forbes.
Don’t call it Homeland
Homeland is the obvious comparison to the show, especially since it was set in Berlin in season five, but Steinhauer says a key departure from the hit Showtime series is that Berlin Station represents the true collaborative nature of espionage.
"The one crucial difference is that, in Homeland, you're following Carrie (Claire Danes). She's the fulcrum of everything – it's her drive that gets things done. But that's not how intelligence works," he says. "How did they find Bin Laden? It was not one person who was driven to extremes. This show is supposed to show how normal people with an abnormal job have to work tougher. They are not superheroes. This is an ensemble [show] because intelligence is an ensemble."
A cast to die for
Between them, Berlin Station’s cast has a stellar resume of iconic TV shows and movies you may have caught them in. Armitage is best known as Thorin in The Hobbit trilogy and has starred in Hannibal, Spooks and Strike Back. Jenkins’ breakthrough role was as Fisher family patriarch and funeral director Nathaniel in HBO’s acclaimed drama Six Feet Under, and he was nominated for an Academy award for The Visitor.
Forbes has been a regular fixture on iconic TV series for some 20 years, starring in the likes of Homicide: Life on the Street, 24, True Blood, Battlestar Galactica, Prison Break and The Killing. Ifans, of course, made a name for himself as the scene-stealing Spike in Notting Hill, and has racked up star turns in the likes of Snowden, Elementary, The Amazing Spider-Man and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. And Orser was a recurring player in ER, Ray Donovan and the Taken trilogy, and played serial killer Richard Thompson opposite Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in The Bone Collector.
Fittingly, Forbes rates the cast with this atypical gush: “I love them to bits. I’d take a bullet for them.”
Watch Berlin Station on SBS On Demand from Thursday 14 December.
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/08/14/go-undercover-thrilling-berlin-station?cid=inbody:berlin-station-the-spy-drama-echoes-the-best-of-the-john-le-carr%C3%A9-spy-novels
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Gerade dieser Tage habe ich - völlig uninteressiert daran - gelesen, dass von 'Shooter' eine dritte Staffel bestellt wurde. Die 2. Staffel lief im Sommer. Möglicherweise muss man wohl noch warten, bis man Endgültiges hört: