In the early 1970s, at the height of the IRA's terrorist campaign, a sympathetic but myseterious American film-maker was allowed access to the organisation, and consequently filmed its members as they made and planted bombs. The film, however, was never shown. This documentary attempts to trace how the film was made, what exactly happened to it, and oddly, although it might appear to be IRA propaganda, whether British or American intelligence had any role in its making. It also catches up with some of those featured in the movie, who are mostly unrepentent of their actions. In the overall story of the Troubles, it's a minor affair, but the footage recorded is still a compelling and scary reminder of what can happen when a government is perceived by many to have no legitimancy. Whatever its original purpose, it reminds us now of how fragile, but precious, peace can be.
2 Reviews
When Your Friend Is A Spy...
lewilewis199731 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Fascinating, eye opening view by an independent American documentary crew filming the IRA during their most turbulent times.
The problem is the IRA rated themselves a bit too smart, the film crew were lead by the CIA, MI5 + MI6 and Mossad, who were smarter.
The footage and interviews gained are ground-breaking for the time, it's a shame that it took 50+ years for the BBC to get hold of this 'documentary'. Why the inverted commas? It seems that this was an infiltration and intelligence operation all along. Lots of unfiltered footage for the above mentioned services to study, and I'm sure they did.
No one comes out of this untarnished, not even Martin McGuinness, the main architect of the Good Friday Agreement.
Watch it twice, this is too informative to be ignored. I'm an Englishman, and yet again I'm ashamed.
The problem is the IRA rated themselves a bit too smart, the film crew were lead by the CIA, MI5 + MI6 and Mossad, who were smarter.
The footage and interviews gained are ground-breaking for the time, it's a shame that it took 50+ years for the BBC to get hold of this 'documentary'. Why the inverted commas? It seems that this was an infiltration and intelligence operation all along. Lots of unfiltered footage for the above mentioned services to study, and I'm sure they did.
No one comes out of this untarnished, not even Martin McGuinness, the main architect of the Good Friday Agreement.
Watch it twice, this is too informative to be ignored. I'm an Englishman, and yet again I'm ashamed.
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