This is one of those films that are normally put into the category of 'interesting failure'. To make a note right up front, the plot is almost impossible to follow. The story concerns the labyrinthine politics of the Middle East and the main character's unsuccessful attempt to make any sense of the issues involved.
Unintentionally 'The Little Drummer Girl' reflects the American bewilderment at understanding the almost tribal loyalties of the political situation between Jews and Arabs, which it still finds virtually impossible to comprehend. This is a facile rendering of issues that perhaps are too serious to be regurgitated as entertainment for the masses and for this reason 'Little Drummer Girl' is, to say the least, disappointing. (It does not escape me that I am writing this at the time of the Egyptian uprising of January 2011.)
The film opens in the provinces of England where a young American actress (Diane Keaton) is plying her trade on the stage, an unknown personality but pretty and talented. She attends a local meeting of Palestinian sympathisers and is recruited to the Palestinian cause as a secret agent. Or so it seems. The meeting was merely a front for the secret Israeli Mossad agency and she is in fact expected to help the Mossad find a so-called Palestinian terrorist who has escaped their so-called 'justice'. Naturally, being an all-American red blooded girl, she discovers the terrorist's whereabouts and falls in love with this dashing freedom fighter. Keaton then proceeds to blunder around London and the Middle East attempting to trap him because the Mossad is telling her that he is only a murderer of innocent civilians who is getting what he deserves. So, feelings get mixed up with political conviction.
If 'The Little Drummer Girl' is to believed, not only this woman, but most Americans in general are an extremely naïve lot when it comes to understanding American foreign policy in the Middle East. The audience as well as Keaton are meant to feel foolish by the mechanics of the plot, in which neither viewer nor protagonist is told a whit about what is going on amidst the mayhem of violence, bombings, and secret double crosses. 'The Little Drummer Girl' can't be accused of being a dull film; on the contrary, it expects too much from the audience: there is too much story to take in; there are no discernible heroics for the audience to cheer on as both sides, Arab and Israeli appear to be ruthless and untrustworthy; and the main character is vacillating, constantly left uninformed and is constantly making the wrong decisions when it comes to trusting any individual. As the audience is meant to identify with her, they end up feeling the same way, ie out of their comfort zone, which is not a good thing for an audience to be feeling.
For Diane Keaton this is a demanding part but I believe that she was miscast. To me a better choice would have been someone with more cojones, perhaps Susan Sarandon, or even Jessica Lange (who was probably too young for the part anyway.) Klaus Kinski makes up for this miscasting as he has an important role as the chief of Mossad, a wily character who manages to make the Mossad (seem) likable, and their reactionary politics tolerable for a piece of escapism which this is, despite its pretensions toward being something more important.
Directed by George Roy Hill, this was once available on rental video, but I have not seen it anywhere else. 'The Little Drummer Girl' is little more than the sum of its shortcomings. It's about an important subject and it tries to take that subject seriously; its production values are high, there's plenty of action as well as plot and for such onerous subject matter the film is reasonably entertaining. It's a good example of how a film can still retain its entertainment value as a genre entry, and remain something that is worth seeing for curiosity value but it would be a mistake to indicate that it signified anything more than that.
If anyone was to accuse 'The Little Drummer Girl' of being Hollywood propaganda, I would not attempt to argue with them.
Unintentionally 'The Little Drummer Girl' reflects the American bewilderment at understanding the almost tribal loyalties of the political situation between Jews and Arabs, which it still finds virtually impossible to comprehend. This is a facile rendering of issues that perhaps are too serious to be regurgitated as entertainment for the masses and for this reason 'Little Drummer Girl' is, to say the least, disappointing. (It does not escape me that I am writing this at the time of the Egyptian uprising of January 2011.)
The film opens in the provinces of England where a young American actress (Diane Keaton) is plying her trade on the stage, an unknown personality but pretty and talented. She attends a local meeting of Palestinian sympathisers and is recruited to the Palestinian cause as a secret agent. Or so it seems. The meeting was merely a front for the secret Israeli Mossad agency and she is in fact expected to help the Mossad find a so-called Palestinian terrorist who has escaped their so-called 'justice'. Naturally, being an all-American red blooded girl, she discovers the terrorist's whereabouts and falls in love with this dashing freedom fighter. Keaton then proceeds to blunder around London and the Middle East attempting to trap him because the Mossad is telling her that he is only a murderer of innocent civilians who is getting what he deserves. So, feelings get mixed up with political conviction.
If 'The Little Drummer Girl' is to believed, not only this woman, but most Americans in general are an extremely naïve lot when it comes to understanding American foreign policy in the Middle East. The audience as well as Keaton are meant to feel foolish by the mechanics of the plot, in which neither viewer nor protagonist is told a whit about what is going on amidst the mayhem of violence, bombings, and secret double crosses. 'The Little Drummer Girl' can't be accused of being a dull film; on the contrary, it expects too much from the audience: there is too much story to take in; there are no discernible heroics for the audience to cheer on as both sides, Arab and Israeli appear to be ruthless and untrustworthy; and the main character is vacillating, constantly left uninformed and is constantly making the wrong decisions when it comes to trusting any individual. As the audience is meant to identify with her, they end up feeling the same way, ie out of their comfort zone, which is not a good thing for an audience to be feeling.
For Diane Keaton this is a demanding part but I believe that she was miscast. To me a better choice would have been someone with more cojones, perhaps Susan Sarandon, or even Jessica Lange (who was probably too young for the part anyway.) Klaus Kinski makes up for this miscasting as he has an important role as the chief of Mossad, a wily character who manages to make the Mossad (seem) likable, and their reactionary politics tolerable for a piece of escapism which this is, despite its pretensions toward being something more important.
Directed by George Roy Hill, this was once available on rental video, but I have not seen it anywhere else. 'The Little Drummer Girl' is little more than the sum of its shortcomings. It's about an important subject and it tries to take that subject seriously; its production values are high, there's plenty of action as well as plot and for such onerous subject matter the film is reasonably entertaining. It's a good example of how a film can still retain its entertainment value as a genre entry, and remain something that is worth seeing for curiosity value but it would be a mistake to indicate that it signified anything more than that.
If anyone was to accuse 'The Little Drummer Girl' of being Hollywood propaganda, I would not attempt to argue with them.