How do I play on the drum? The film by George Roy Hill based on the novel of the same name by John Le Carré “Little Drummer Girl”.
The film is about a war, not always visible, but, nevertheless, cruel and bloody, about the romantics and practices of this war, about the truths and untruths of this war. The film shows the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we could even change the scene, and nothing would change drastically, it would still be a conflict, / look more broadly, war /, modern times. The time in which you and I live.
George Roy Hill, American director. Like many in cinema, he began with the theater, wrote plays for the theater, taught stage art. He fought in the Korean War, in aviation. Since the sixties he has been shooting a feature film.
John Le Carré, English writer, /specialized in the genre of spy novel /. He served in Austria as part of the British Intelligence Corps, cooperated with the counterintelligence MI5, / the state department of British counterintelligence /. He studied at the University of Bern and Oxford, / Honorary Doctor of Oxford University /, taught at Eton.
A young, promising actress, Charmian, aka Charlie, /Diane Keaton /, after a lecture by a certain “revolutionary in the mask” begins to think about the fate of the world, / to the best of her modest capabilities, of course /, not knowing that she was put on the eye of the Israeli special services. It is no coincidence that she meets a young Israeli officer Joseph, and it is no coincidence that she gets to General Martin Kurtz. Manipulating on beliefs, playing on vanity and ambition, he turns Charlie into Charlie's agent. He seduces her with a new creative work, which is as follows. To lure the terrorist Khalil into a death trap by playing the mistress of his younger brother, Selim, who is in prison at the time. And for this she goes from prosperous Europe to Lebanon, / to the militant training camp /.
As the classic said, our life is a game. Playing in life, in the name, ideas, a bright future, in a veiled theater of war. Everything happens in life, you don’t always immediately know where you are, but the result of this game is always the same. It ends in death. It's killing people. On one side and the other, you will not understand who is right, who is guilty. Or, it is true, there are no innocents in war. It is not for nothing that folk wisdom says, starting a war, do not forget to prepare a coffin for yourself.
The role of a terrorist's mistress is simply not played. I am not speaking for the inner censor, unless you are not a moral freak, and the blood of men is to you, no matter how the water from the tap flows.
In this operation, we are not up to snot.
John Le Carré, “The Most Dangerous Man”
You can say so, but at some point you will still understand that this is a one-way road, / to the next world / and with all the bulk.
Let us also suppose that this is only a moment of weakness, we will not turn the other cheek, we will be an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but will we solve the problem by such methods? The problem of peaceful coexistence. We won't. Thousands of years of historical experience suggests that we will not decide. So what do you do?
It's an open question. Neither the author, John Le Carré, nor the director, George Roy Hill, give an answer. I will not give an answer either, I will only say that it is necessary to act differently, because like gives rise to like.
All political and ideological attitudes converge on one material component. It is the alpha and omega of any social relationship. I know deep down, you want to be a fair romantic, and you have to be a cynical practitioner. Because you're a simple man, with your hard-won truth.
The same truth that, with skillful processing, creates another truth. The bloody truth of war.
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Well, this is more, less clear, you say, but why the name, why the little drummer, why would it?
It’s just that there’s such a popular Christmas song in England, and it’s called “Little Drummer.” You may even remember her as Boney M. It was written in the forties, based on Czech praise songs, written by an American composer, and is still very popular.
That's the song. The three Magi Melchior, Kaspar and Balthazar invited the poor boy to the nativity scene. The boy did not have money for a gift to the baby Jesus, he played the drum for him. He did his best. From the heart.
For a more complete picture, I will give a few lines from this song, in my own translation
As I play the drum pam pam pam pam param
How can I and how can I do it?
Pam pam pam pam para pam pam pam pam
We played, we tried, smile at us.
Pam pam pam pam para pam pam pam pam pam