[2021:31] MOVIETALK - A CALL TO SPY (2019) : WOMAN CAN GO TO WAR TOO [eng] / SEDIKIT TENTANG FILEM A CALL TO SPY (2019) [ina]
English
a. Preamble
This US-produced film was first screened to the public on June 21, 2019 in Edinburgh, and was released in the United States on October 2 next year. The film which was inspired by true event is distributed by IFC Films. Apart from playing a role in this film as Virginia Hall (an American who worked with the British spy agency SOE, Special Operation Executive, and the American secret agency OSS –Office of Strategic Services- in World War Two), Sarah Megan Thomas was also the writer and the producer of this film, which was directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher.
b. Plot
At the dawn of World War Two, with most of Europe having fallen under Nazi rule, Britain was one of the few which might immediately feel the pace of Nazi moves in their country. The British hero of the Second World War who was the Prime Minister at that time, Winston Churchill, decided to form a special secret agency that regulated spying with sabotage capabilities. The spies worked with the agency would also build safe houses and resistance forces in France, which was already under Nazi German control.
The new spy agency was named Special Operations Executive or SOE. Vera Atkins (portrayed by Stana Katic), SOE Administrator who was a woman of Jewish descent came up with the idea that female spies would be more promising for mission success, because they arous less suspicion than men. His idea elicited opposition from some parties and even at a certain level he and the women he later recruited were ridiculed by some would-be male spies who felt war was just men's business.
Among the women Atkins recruited was Virginia Hall, an American who had been in France for so long that she understood a lot about the country. Hall's left leg had to be replaced with wood after an accident when she hunted wild ducks in America back when she was a teenager. Hall has had a dream to become a diplomat but she continued to be rejected for reasons that are not clear.
Apart from Hall, Atkins also recruited Noor Inayat Khan (portrayed by Radhika Apte). Atkins was a British citizen of mixed blood. His late father was an Indian and his mother an American. Khan was known as the best wireless operator at the time in Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), and his expertise would certainly be of great help to the mission of winning the war. "Why did you join, Noor?" Asked Atkins while recruiting her. “You were born in Russia to an American mother and an Indian father who was Muslim. A descendant of last Mughal Emperor, I understand."
“Because I am a British citizen,” answered Khan, and I grew up in France as my
home. I cannot just stand by and let the Nazis do what they're doing.”
“Is that all, Noor?”
“Well, actually, I also wish that an Indian would win high military distinction in this war, because if a few of us could do something brave in the allied service, it might bridge the gap between the Indians and the British.”
After arriving in France, Hall disguised herself as an American journalist. He was tasked with forming a resistance force and finding safe houses for allied spies who would follow. Khan as a wireless operator must always be with her radio equipment to convey the latest developments to SOE headquarters. They had to move from place to place to avoid the suspicion of the NAZI security officers.
But betrayal messed up their operation. The strength of the resistance that had been formed leaked to the NAZIs. The fighters were captured and publicly executed. Hall manages to escape back to SOE headquarters. Meanwhile Khan was caught and had to undergo a series of interrogations until she was finally shot to death. Khan is said to have remained her silence to death.
After the war ended, SOE was absorbed into MI6. Atkins, on his own initiative, conducted an investigation by interviewing the captured NAZI soldiers. She also visited concentration camps to find out the fate of agents she had sent to NAZI occupied territories. No less than 40 women were recruited by the SOE and sent behind enemy lines. Most of them did not survive.
Hall then joined the newly formed spy agency, the CIA. She became the first woman to join the CIA.
c. My Opinion
This film is attractive to war and spy films enthusiasts. Especially because this also contains a history of the twists and turns of the formation of a secret organizations and the early history of women's work in the world of spies, especially in the West. War violence is the main thing that is highlighted in this film even though it also gets the portion which I think is sufficient. The content of the drama is also not excessive so that it does not saturate the audience. There is nothing that stands out from this film. In total, the film is "easy" to follow. Something worth to watch.
d. Rating
IMDB : 6,3/10 | Rotten Tomatoes : 72% | Metacritic : 65%
Thanks.
Bahasa Indonesia
a. Pembuka
Filem produksi Amerika Serikat ini pertama kali diputar untuk umum pada 21 Juni 2019 di Edinburgh, dan dirilis di Amerika Serikat pada 2 Oktober 2020. Filem yang diinspirasikan oleh kisah nyata ini diedarkan oleh IFC Films. Selain ikut berperan dalam filem ini sebagai Virginia Hall (seorang Amerika yang bekerja dengan badan mata-mata Inggris SOE -Special Operation Executive- dan badan rahasia Amerika OSS –Office of Strategic Services- pada Perang Dunia Ke Dua), Sarah Megan Thomas juga menulis cerita dan menjadi produser filem yang disutradarai oleh Lydia Dean Pilcher ini.
b. Plot
Pada awal Perang Dunia Ke Dua, dengan sebagian besar Eropah sudah jatuh ke dalam kekuasaan NAZI, Inggris menjadi salah satu dari sedikit yang mungkin akan segera merasakan derap langkah NAZI di negeri mereka. Pahlawan Perang Dunia Ke Dua Inggris yang saat itu adalah Perdana Menteri, Winston Churchill, memutuskan untuk membentuk suatu badan rahasia khusus yang mengatur kegiatan mata-mata dengan kemampuan sabotase, dan untuk membangun rumah-rumah aman (persembunyian) dan membangun kekuatan perlawanan (Resistance) di Perancis yang saat itu sudah di dalam kuasa NAZI Jerman.
Badan mata-mata baru itu diberi nama Special Operation Executive atau SOE. Vera Atkins (diperankan oleh aktris Stana Katic), Administrator SOE yang merupakan seorang wanita keturunan Yahudi datang dengan ide bahwa mata-mata wanita akan lebih menjanjikan keberhasilan misi, karena mereka lebih sedikit menimbulkan kecurigaan daripada pria. Idenya mendatangkan penentangan dari beberapa pihak bahkan pada level tertentu dia dan wanita-wanita yang nanti direkrutnya ditertawakan oleh beberapa calon mata-mata pria yang merasa perang hanyalah urusan kaum lelaki.
Di antara wanita yang direkrut Atkins adalah Virginia Hall, seorang Amerika yang telah lama di Perancis sehingga dia memahami banyak hal tentang negeri itu. Kaki kiri Hall harus diganti dengan kayu setelah sebuah insiden saat dia berburu bebek liar di Amerika pada saat dia masih remaja. Hall telah menyimpan mimpi untuk menjadi diplomat namun dia terus ditolak dengan alasan yang tidak jelas.
Selain Hall, Atkins juga merekrut Noor Inayat Khan (diperankan oleh Radhika Apte). Atkins adalah seorang penduduk Inggris berdarah campuran. Mendiang ayahnya adalah seorang berdarah India dan ibunya adalah seorang Amerika. Khan dikenal sebagai operator radio niskabel terbaik saat itu di Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), dan kepiawaiannya tentu akan sangat membantu misi memenagkan perang. “Kenapa kau bergabung, Noor?” Tanya Atkins saat merekrutnya. “Kamu lahir di Rusia. Ibumu seorang Amerika. Ayahmu seorang India muslim, keturunan kaisar Mughal terakhir, setahuku.”
“ … Karena aku seorang warga Inggris. Dan aku tumbuh di Perancis sebagai rumahku. Aku tidak bisa hanya duduk dan melihat saja NAZI melakukan apa yang mereka lakukan.”
“Itu saja?”
“Well, sebenarnya, aku juga berharap seorang berdarah India mendapatkan penghargaan militer yang tinggi dalam perang ini. Karena jika ada di antara kami bisa melakukan sesuatu yang berani dalam perang ini, itu akan membantu mempersempit jurang antara India dan Inggris.”
Setelah sampai di Perancis, Hall menyamar sebagai wartawan Amerika. Dia bertugas membentuk pasukan perlawanan dan mencarikan rumah-rumah persembunyian untuk mata-mata pasukan sekutu yang akan menyusul. Khan sebagai operator komunikasi nirkawat harus selalu bersama dengan perangkat radionya itu untuk menyampaikan perkembangan terakhir ke markas SOE. Mereka harus berpindah-pindah tempat untuk menghindari kecurigaan petugas keamaan NAZI.
Namun pengkhianatan membuat kacau operasi mereka. Kekuatan perlawanan yang telah dibentuk bocor kepada NAZI. Para pejuang ditangkap dan dieksekusi di muka umum. Hall berhasil menyelamatkan diri kembali ke markas SOE. Sementara Khan tertangkap dan harus menjalani rangkaian interogasi sampai akhirnya dia dihukum mati. Khan disebutkan sampai mati tetap “menutup mulut”.
Setelah perang berakhir, SOE dileburkan ke MI6. Atkins, atas inisiatif pribadi melakukan investigasi dengan mewawancarai para prajurit NAZI yang tertawan. Dia juga mengunjungi kamp-kamp konsentrasi untuk mendapatkan kejelasan nasib agen-agen yang pernah direkrutnya. Tidak kurang dari 40 wanita telah direkrut oleh SOE dan dikirimkan ke wilayah jajahan NAZI Jerman. Sebagian besar dari mereka tidak selamat.
Hall kemudian bergabung dengan agensi mata-mata yang baru dibentuk setelah Perang Dunia Ke Dua itu, CIA. Dia menjadi wanita pertama yang bergabung dengan CIA.
c. Pendapatku
Filem ini menarik bagi peminat filem perang dan mata-mata. Terlebih karena ini juga berisi sejarah tentang lika liku terbentuknya suatu badan rahasia dan sejarah awal kiprah wanita dalam dunia mata-mata khususnya di Barat. Kekerasan perang bukanlah hal utama yang ditonjolkan di dalam filem ini meskipun juga mendapatkan porsinya yang menurutku cukup. Muatan dramanya juga tidak berlebihan sehingga tidak membuat penonton jenuh. Tidak ada hal menonjol dari filem ini. Secara keseluruhan, filem ini “mudah” diikuti.
d. Rating
IMDB : 6,3/10 | Rotten Tomatoes : 72% | Metacritic : 65%
Terimakasih
Related Article / Artikel Terkail
| Thumbnail | Title / Judul | Date / Tgl |
|---|---|---|
 | [2021:27] MOVIE TALK : KALASHNIKOV AK47 (2020) [eng] / TENTANG FILEM KALASHNIKOV AK47 (2020) [ina] | 20210220 |
 | Everly [2014] : Sendiri Melawan Dunia | 20181103 |
 | Before I Go To Sleep [2014] : Selamatkan Ingatanmu! | 20181007 |
 | The Call (2013) : Panggilan Masa Lalu | 20180915 |
 | We Were Soldiers (2002) : Suasana Pertempuran Di Lembah Kematian Vietnam | 20180914 |
 | Tears of the Sun (2003) : Perang Memang Memilukan | 20180913 |
5 Latest Articles / 5 Postingan Terakhir
Genre: drama, war
gak masuk waiting list saya 🤭🤭
Ya. Gapapa. 😁
Udah lihat serial WandaVision? Baru sampai 7 episode. Per episode sekitar 30 menit saja. Tentang kehidupan si Wanda dan Vision, dua tokoh superhero Marvel dari tim Avengers.
wah... menarik ini... dari awal muncul wanda di Avengers 3 sudah suka karakternya.. langsung masuk list ini... 😀
Haha. Jangan berharap banyak kali aksi dan efek visual. Ini bikinan disney. Kan marvel studios sudah diambil sama disney. WandaVision itu jadi kaya sinetron tapi lucu. Komedi romantis gitu. Hahah.
🤭🤭 ntar malam coba download dulu beberapa episode, kalau menarik ya lanjut...
terakhir nonton yg serial itu Arrow, Super Girl sama Tue walking dead.. tapi gak ada yang kelar kecuali Game of trones
https://twitter.com/aneukpineung78a/status/1365610025134084099