Boardwalk Empire and The Constant Gardener.

Two topics in one post, just because. You probably saw my post on why the pitcher win stat must die. Klawchat on Thursday.

Finally got around to the first episode of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire last night , and I think my expectations were so high that I was bound to be a little disappointed, even though there’s a lot to like. The Prohibition Era/Roaring Twenties is my favorite period in U.S. history, in literature, film, or even non-fiction, so this series is tailor-made for me. Everything looks spectacular (outside of a couple of weak special effects), both the sets and the costumes, and Steve Buscemi really grew into the role as Atlantic City boss Nucky Thompson over the course of that one episode after a weak beginning with his speech to the Temperance League. Jimmy Darmody, (played by Michael Pitt), Nucky’s driver, has a chance to be an even more compelling character as a bright, young, ambitious kid whose moral compass has been warped or smashed by his experiences in Germany in World War I. Eddie, Nucky’s butler, was excellent as a sort of anti-Jeeves, although the role doesn’t offer much substance. And Paz de la Huerta … well, her character (Lucy) is mostly just comic relief, but if she’s naked a lot I won’t complain.

That first episode had plenty of cliches, though, starting with de la Huerta’s dim-witted showgirl/gangster moll. The other major female character, the abused, immigrant wife Margaret Schroder, comes with a back story we’ve seen a million times – beaten and subjugated by a jealous, alcoholic husband, who eventually gets his compuppance at Nucky’s hands, satisfying the viewer’s desire for vengeance but avoiding the harsh reality that domestic violence wasn’t seen the way we view it today. I can’t speak to the historical accuracy of the portrayals, but did notice that they made the Italian guy (Luciano) the loose cannon with the bad temper and the Jewish guy (Rothstein) the money-obsessed guy who cheats in his business dealings, both of which felt like unfortunate stereotyping. The editing style, particularly the montage sequence at the end, involved so many jump cuts that I had a hard time following the multiple strands, and the final murder in the episode lacked any context whatsoever. The main antagonist to Johnson, other than Rothstein, is Agent Van Alden, rocking a Dick Tracy jaw line but lacking any kind of back story to explain his zeal for stamping out alcohol (there are hints at a religious objection, but religious faith alone isn’t much of an explanation for Van Alden’s determination or steely expressions).

Buscemi and Pitt alone are reasons enough to continue watching, and the series is one of the only ones I’ve ever seen where the visual appeal would make me tune in anyway, but I am hopeful that this episode is the one where they worked out the kinks, setting up some stronger storylines and better characterizations for the rest of the season.

If you’ve set your mind on hiding the truth, then the first thing you’ve got to do is give people a different truth to keep them quiet.

I’ve been slacking on my reading during the moving/unpacking process but did knock out John Le Carré’s The Constant Gardener last week. A suspense novel involving spies that is less a spy novel than an angry novel of social criticism, it elevates a straightforward story of a widower’s quest to identify his wife’s murderers into a morally important work that is seldom preachy or strident without cause.

The superficial plot is that of the murder of Tessa Quayle and her research/activist partner Arnold Bluhm; their bodies are discovered in the first chapter, and the next hundred pages or so deal with the mundane nature of the death of the wife of a foreign service official – from the funeral to the investigation to the “handling” of the widower. It’s a slow beginning, but gradually builds enough of the case to set Justin off on the track that leads to the ultimate plot, the role in those murders of the multinational pharmaceutical corporations behind a supposed miracle TB drug called Dypraxa, whose side effects have apparently been ignored as it’s being given to poor Kenyans dying of the disease.

Le Carré still plays to his strengths as a spy novelist by sending Justin off on a run around the world, three continents and at least five countries, fleeing both his former employers and whoever killed his wife. Justin’s titular interest in gardening only plays a small role in defining his character, but le Carré does add some complexity through hints that Justin’s mind may be either going or playing tricks on him, a point of view pushed hard by the British foreign service, who appear to be operating in the pay of those same pharmaceutical companies who may have killed Kenyans through their drug trials and hushed it up. Through Justin’s investigation, which brings him into contact with all of the remaining major players in the drug’s development and early trials, le Carré offers the pharmaceutical companies’ points of view – particularly that they gave the drug to people who were likely to die of the disease anyway – but clearly has little sympathy for it; there’s a righteous anger bubbling just under the surface of The Constant Gardener that wouldn’t work if he was advocating a more controversial point of view, but given the existence of a similar incident that may have inspired this book, it’s hard to take the contrary position. The novel doesn’t have the same tension or psychological emphasis as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, but the author’s obvious rage at what he views as abuses of supra-national corporations takes their place to drive the book forward towards its inevitable, tragic conclusion.

Comments

  1. I greatly enjoy Le Carre’s writing but man, the anti-American stance he takes borders on the extreme (and I’m not an American!). Still, The Spy Who Came in From The Cold is still the single-best espionage novel I have ever read – Keith, I don’t recall seeing a review if you ever wrote about it.

  2. I agree with the assessment of Boardwalk Empire, except about the final killing of Big Jim. It’s pretty simply laid out that Big Jim was killed because he didn’t want to sell alcohol (thinking it to be too risky). Therefore, Torrio had him taken out. This is what happened in real life as well.

  3. Thanks Jibraun, I missed the reason too.

    I think, or hope, that they will go into depth on Van Alden as the season progresses.

    Keith, you going to watch Game of Thrones? I enjoy the books a lot so I hoped they don’t mess it up.

  4. I liked the first episode also. The beginning was slow but it grew on me and the visuals were fantastic. In reference to your stereotyping of the hot head Italian and the Jewish banker type, from all the info I have ever heard about Rothstein and Luciano that’s exactly how they were. Rothstein was called the Brain and was known for his calm ways, and Luciano was rougher around the edges.

    The ending was confusing at first but I did finally pickup what happened. I look forward to the rest of the season, and I think Michael Pitt will be the big winner if this series takes off.

  5. Boardwalk was visually stunning…had scorsese thumb print on the episode (think gangs of ny) I thought the cartoon character Italian mobster was silly, and they hit you over the head with the fact that Jimmy went to the war and saw and did bad things…Jimmy went to the war and saw and did bad things

  6. Re: Rothstein and Luciano, I too can’t speak to the historical accuracy, but I guess I’m giving the writers the benefit of the doubt. I assumed the writers didn’t “make” them that way, but rather they really were that way. I’d be interested to hear from someone who knows more about the characters’ real life counterparts.

    Also, awesome to hear them use the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s “Straight Up and Down” for the them song. It’s one of my favorite BJM songs. And if you ever get a chance to see them live, it’s worth it. I was a little concerned before seeing them a few months ago, but Anton is no longer the dick he appeared to be in ‘Dig’. No ranting. Just two hours of great music.

  7. Keith, why not take that one hour a week from Boardwalk Empire and put it towards The Wire, already?

  8. Ace: I gave it a paragraph back in 2007 when I read it.

    Jibraun: Totally missed that. They were too busy belaboring the “clams” joke, I guess.

    Shawn: No, wasn’t planning on it. Hadn’t even heard of the novels.

    Lyle: Because I’m not remotely interested in that show.

  9. Hard for me to watch a show now-a-days and not compare it to The Wire. The Wire was more than just a gangster/cop/drug show. It examines a lot of aspects of a flawed city.

  10. from what ive read van alden’s character’s motivations are pursued more in depth going forward. seems like these take a while to get going.

    keith, you might like the 6th season of the wire.. newspapers. then again maybe not. it’s basically a show about having a job

  11. Keith not sure if you have heard of bookman’s in Mesa yet, but it seems right up your alley. Used book store where you can trade books,movies for store credit. Pretty cool and worth a look I think

  12. Yeah, I guess my background knowledge of the history made it easier to identify who and why the killing occurred. Basically, the conversation between Capone and Jimmy outside lays the story. Capone states that Big Jim doesn’t want to sell alcohol. Near the end of the episode, you see Capone driving in with the stolen alcohol to Chicago, where he meets a joyous Torrio. In turn, Big Jim gets killed, so I guess context of the kill wasn’t as clear as I originally assumed.

  13. +1 to the guy in the chat who said “The Corrections” was terrible. It was kind of like “Wonder Boys” only without anything enjoyable. I can’t give that thing away on swaptree, if you want my copy I’ll send it to Phoenix now-

  14. Keith Law is the Joe Morgan of The Wire.

  15. I thought The Corrections was one of the better reads on the TIME 100. Also from the chat, An American Tragedy is not that tough of a read, at least relative to Gravity’s Rainbow, The Recognitions, Infinite Jest, etc.

  16. If anybody wants to stream some nice neo-folk or americana or whatever we’re calling it these days the new LP from the singer of Two Gallants is available here. Track #2 I think rules:
    http://mogmusicnetwork.com/pre-release-premiere-listen-to-two-galants-vocalist-adam-stephens-debut-i-we-live-on-cliffs-i–14017

  17. Keith – if you’re looking for a quality Netflix movie, or just a really good watch, check out the film version of the Constant Gardener. It strays from the book in a number of ways, but has 2 great performances (Fiennes & Weisz), and is beautifully directed.