Stylish Television: The Ipcress File
In the wake of the fabulous final series of Peaky Blinders, there has been another brilliant series on terrestrial TV at 9pm on Sunday nights, one which has been unfairly overshadowed in my opinion. This series is The Ipcress File, which has its own link to Peaky Blinders in its lead actor Joe Cole, who played John Shelby in the BBC series before coming to an untimely end.
The Ipcress File is based on the 1962 novel by Len Deighton that is centred around Harry Palmer, an unlikely and rather reluctant British agent taking part in activities in Berlin at the height of the Cold War. It has been filmed as a classic movie with Michael Caine playing the spy in a role that is now iconic. As a nod to Caine, Joe Cole’s Harry wears a pair of black rimmed glasses, but is swiftly making the role is own with a masterly performance that is a masterclass in underplaying. He is a working class hero and a man for our times, and is superbly supported by a cast that includes the always brilliant Tom Hollander, and the coolly beautiful Lucy Boynton as Jean Courtney, the upper crust agent whose fiance believed she was working in an admin job at the BBC.
The Ipcress File is a series that could’ve been designed with the word ‘cool’ in mind. It has the look of a period piece from the 1960s, from the opening credits to the cinematography of how it is filmed, and the glorious outfits worn by Jean throughout which make her look like a cross between Alexandra Bastedo in the Champions and Jackie Kennedy, complete with the pillbox hat and pastel suits. It is a stark, stylish series, one which is an arresting feast for the eyes, but also exciting and watchable too. It is definitely one worth watching, even if it has had to be on catch up due to a certain mob from Small Heath.
fashion-mommy
Welcome to the world of fashion-mommy, a world of fashion, lifestyle, theatre and fun. Enjoy the ride.
One Comment
Sam Turner
I think Joe Cole delivered a credible character in the Ipcress File with subtle nuanced differences. The Joe Cole version of the Ipcress File may well prove to be of the same enduring quality as the epic Harry Saltzman version starring Michael Caine. In a way though it is a shame that the film industry is producing yet another remake of a classic thriller. If success is to breed success the film industry must not polish old gems but mine for new ones. In the espionage genre, an example of such a new gem is Beyond Enkription, the first fact based spy thriller in The Burlington Files series. I only mention that because, coincidentally, some critics have likened its protagonist to a “posh Harry Palmer” and the first novel in the series is indisputably Deightonesque. It’s worth checking out this enigmatic and elusive thriller. Not being a remake it may have eluded you.