Game, Set and Match

Last updated

Game, Set and Match
GameSetMatchSoundtrack.jpg
Soundtrack cover
Genre Drama
Based on Berlin Game , Mexico Set and London Match
by Len Deighton
Written by John Howlett
Directed by Ken Grieve, Patrick Lau
Starring Ian Holm
Michael Culver
Michael Degen
Mel Martin
Gottfried John
Anthony Bate
Theme music composer Richard Harvey
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languagesEnglish, German
No. of series1
No. of episodes13
Production
ProducerBrian Armstrong
Running time60 minutes
Production company Granada Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release3 October (1988-10-03) –
19 December 1988 (1988-12-19)

Game, Set and Match is a 1988 television serial directed by Ken Grieve and Patrick Lau and written by John Howlett. It is based on the books Berlin Game (1983), Mexico Set (1984), and London Match (1985) by Len Deighton. The two directors worked separately on different episodes. [1] Filmed on location in Berlin and Mexico, the project included a large international cast with 3,000 extras and a budget of $8 million. While critically acclaimed, the ratings for the series were a disaster. [2] Ian Holm was nominated for a BAFTA award for his portrayal of Bernard Samson.

Contents

It was aired in 1989 in the United States as part of the PBS show Mystery! [3]

Plot synopsis

The series focuses on Bernard Samson (Ian Holm), beginning with his search for the "mole" that threatens the Brahms Network in East Germany. Samson is sent to Berlin to bring out a Brahms agent. He is then sent to Mexico to try to persuade a KGB major (Gottfried John) to defect, using his childhood friend Werner Volkmann's wife Zena as bait. After it appears another traitor is working at London Central, Samson himself becomes one of the prime suspects.

Cast

Episodes

Film #TitleOriginal release dateLength
1"Berlin Game: Part 1"3 October 1988 (1988-10-03)TBA
Bernard Samson, once a field agent for British MI6 based in West Berlin, is now working at a desk. A flashback relates how Samson attempted to run an aging Polish agent in Gdańsk. The agent's son is an officer in the Polish army and Samson is to make contact and try to "turn" him. The attempt proves to be a set-up and fails.
2"Berlin Game: Part 2"3 October 1988 (1988-10-03)TBA
A leak from within London Central has been discovered in the German arm of the British SIS. The leak causes concern among the higher levels of the SIS in regard to their East German "Brahms Network", especially their most valuable agent, "Brahms Four".
3"Berlin Game: Part 3"10 October 1988 (1988-10-10)TBA
Samson has been sent back to Berlin. He meets with station chief Frank Harrington, then tracks down his childhood friend and former agent Werner Volkmann's wife Zena, who has become Harrington's mistress. Werner is suspected of being the leak, while Samson has suspicions it is Giles Trent of the Foreign Office. He also suspects his wife, Fiona—who is security chief at London Central—is having an affair with his superior Bret Rensselaer.
4"Berlin Game: Part 4"17 October 1988 (1988-10-17)TBA
Giles Trent has attempted suicide after being confronted as a Russian spy. After agreeing to become a double agent, Trent is murdered by a member of the Brahms Network who believes Trent to be the leak. Samson does not believe Trent was responsible for the leak and was planted by the Russians to divert attention from the real mole. Samson is sent back over the Berlin Wall to contact Brahms Four who wishes to be extracted from East Germany.
5"Berlin Game: Part 5"24 October 1988 (1988-10-24)TBA
Bernard and Werner successfully extract Brahms Four from the East. Samson discovers the identity of the mole.
6"Mexico Set: Part 1"31 October 1988 (1988-10-31)TBA
Werner and Zena notify Bernard they have spotted Erich Stinnes, a KGB major who was responsible for Bernard's capture in East Berlin, in Mexico City. Bernard and Dickie Cruyer travel to Mexico to attempt Stinnes' defection to the West.
7"Mexico Set: Part 2"7 November 1988 (1988-11-07)TBA
Using Zena as bait, Bernard has contacted Stinnes and continues attempting to convince him to defect. Samson is suspicious that Stinnes is playing a double game.
8"Mexico Set: Part 3"14 November 1988 (1988-11-14)TBA
The attempt to turn Stinnes continues with Zena attempting to run the operation for her own gain. Bernard is frustrated with the double dealing of Zena as well as his superiors.
9"Mexico Set: Part 4"21 November 1988 (1988-11-21)TBA
Still tracking Stinnes, Bernard himself comes under suspicion that he is a double agent.
10"Mexico Set: Part 5"28 November 1988 (1988-11-28)TBA
The defection of Stinnes is completed, although with disastrous consequences. Stinnes is taken to England to be debriefed.
11"London Match: Part 1"5 December 1988 (1988-12-05)TBA
Based on information gained from Stinnes, Bernard locates a British woman working as a Russian courier. Her interrogation leads to suspicions that there is an additional mole in London Central.
12"London Match: Part 2"12 December 1988 (1988-12-12)TBA
Stinnes continues to be debriefed and information points to Bret Rensselaer.
13"London Match: Part 3"19 December 1988 (1988-12-19)TBA
Rensselaer is further incriminated and turns to Bernard to help clear him. Werner is captured in East Germany and an arrangement is made to make a prisoner exchange for him.

Reception

Clifford Terry, writing for the Chicago Tribune , called the series "a crackling cloak-and-dagger thriller". He noted that "the sharp direction by Kenneth Grieve and Patrick Lau and the provocative script by Howlett... comes up a winner through an assemblage of superb performances." [4] In TV Week, a supplement to The Philadelphia Inquirer , Lee Winfrey praised the production, calling it a "mind-bender", and singling out Gottfried John as a "mesmerizing menace", and cited Holm as "[holding] things together." [5] Conversely, in his review for The New York Times , John O'Connor wrote "Costly and ambitious, the 13-hour production of Game, Set and Match... is a mess." He cited Ian Holm as being miscast. [1]

Soundtrack

Game, Set and Match
Soundtrack album by
Richard Harvey
Released1988
Genre Television score
Label Chrysalis
Producer Richard Harvey

The soundtrack by Richard Harvey for Game, Set and Match was released on LP in 1988. Some of the music ("Game, Set and Match", "Goodbye Codes" and "The Cloisters of San Jacinto") was reissued in 2016 on Shroud for a Nightingale: The Television Drama Music of Richard Harvey. "The Bridge" and "The End Game" are available on Shroud for a Nightingale: The Screen Music of Richard Harvey. [6] [7]

Track list

All songs by Richard Harvey.

  1. "Game, Set and Match"
  2. "Wrong Side of Charlie"
  3. "Tante Lisl - The Wings of Remembrance"
  4. "Unter Den Linden"
  5. "Goodbye Codes"
  6. "Coming Home"
  7. "The Bridge"
  8. "Tianguis"
  9. "Domingo's Path"
  10. "Snakes & Ladders"
  11. "The Cloisters of San Jacinto"
  12. "The Hurricane Season"
  13. "A Christmas Spy"
  14. "A Rough Crossing"
  15. "The Oxford Joker"
  16. " Pulling Strings"
  17. "The End Game"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spy film</span> Film genre

The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy. Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, le Carré, Ian Fleming (Bond) and Len Deighton. It is a significant aspect of British cinema, with leading British directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed making notable contributions and many films set in the British Secret Service.

Leonard Cyril Deighton is a British author. His publications have included cookery books and works on history, but he is best known for his spy novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Holm</span> British actor (1931–2020)

Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert was an English actor. After graduating from RADA and beginning his career on the British stage as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he became a successful and prolific performer on television and in film. He received numerous accolades including two BAFTA Awards and a Tony Award, along with nominations for an Academy Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for services to drama.

<i>Oh! What a Lovely War</i> 1969 British musical film by Richard Attenborough

Oh! What a Lovely War is a 1969 British epic comedy historical musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough, with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves.

Bernard Samson is a fictional character created by Len Deighton. Samson is a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) – usually referred to as "the Department" in the novels. He is a central character in three trilogies written by Deighton, set in the years 1983–1988, with a large gap between 1984 and 1987. The first trilogy comprises the books Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match, the second comprises Spy Hook, Spy Line and Spy Sinker, and the third and final trilogy comprises Faith, Hope and Charity. The plot of the entire trilogy of trilogies revolves around Samson's wife Fiona, also an intelligence officer, and which side she is really working for, after she has defected to the East Germans in the first trilogy, leaving a distraught Bernard with their two children. Her defection also causes some of his superiors to question his loyalty.

Patrick Drury is an English character actor best known for playing shopkeeper John O'Leary in the Channel 4 television comedy Father Ted and Ivan in The Beiderbecke Connection.

<i>Berlin Game</i> 1983 spy novel by Len Deighton

Berlin Game is a 1983 spy novel by Len Deighton. It is the first novel in the first of three trilogies about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Berlin Game is part of the Game, Set and Match trilogy, being succeeded by Mexico Set and London Match, and followed by the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy and the final Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900-1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

<i>Mexico Set</i> 1984 novel by Len Deighton

Mexico Set is a 1984 spy novel by Len Deighton. It is the second novel in the first of three trilogies about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Mexico Set is part of the Game, Set and Match trilogy, being preceded by Berlin Game and followed by London Match. This trilogy is followed by the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy and the final Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900-1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

<i>London Match</i> 1985 spy novel by Len Deighton

London Match is a 1985 spy novel by Len Deighton, concluding the first of three trilogies about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). London Match is part of the Game, Set and Match trilogy, being preceded by Berlin Game and Mexico Set. This trilogy is followed by the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy and the final Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900-1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

<i>Spy Hook</i> 1988 novel by Len Deighton

Spy Hook is a 1988 spy novel by Len Deighton. It is the first novel in the second of three trilogies about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Spy Hook is part of the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy, being succeeded by Spy Line and Spy Sinker. This trilogy is preceded by the Game, Set and Match trilogy and followed by the final Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900-1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

<i>Spy Line</i> 1989 spy novel written by Len Deighton

Spy Line is a 1989 spy novel written by British writer Len Deighton. It is the second novel in the second of three trilogies about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Spy Line is part of the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogy, being preceded by Spy Hook and followed Spy Sinker. This trilogy is preceded by the Game, Set and Match trilogy and followed by the final Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900-1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

A ballade, in classical music since the late 18th century, refers to a setting of a literary ballad, a narrative poem, in the musical tradition of the Lied, or to a one-movement instrumental piece with lyrical and dramatic narrative qualities reminiscent of such a song setting, especially a piano ballade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Harvey (composer)</span> British composer and musician

Richard Allen Harvey is an English composer and musician. Originally of the mediaevalist progressive rock group Gryphon, he is best known now for his film and television soundtracks. He is also known for his guitar concerto Concerto Antico, which was composed for the guitarist John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Mel Martin is an English actress.

John Howlett was an English author and screenwriter who lived in Rye, East Sussex.

<i>Faith</i> (novel) 1994 novel by Len Deighton

Faith is a 1994 spy novel by Len Deighton. It is the first novel in the final trilogy of three about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Faith is part of the Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy, being followed by Hope and Charity. This trilogy is preceded by the Game, Set and Match and the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogies. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900-1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

<i>Charity</i> (novel) 1996 novel by Len Deighton

Charity is a 1996 spy novel by Len Deighton. As of 2023 it is the last fiction novel of the author’s to be published. It is the final novel in the final trilogy about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). Charity is part of the Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy, being preceded by Faith and Hope. This trilogy is preceded by the Game, Set and Match and the Hook, Line and Sinker trilogies. Deighton's novel Winter (1987) is a prequel to the nine novels, covering the years 1900–1945 and providing the backstory to some of the characters.

<i>Animal Crackers</i> (2017 film) 2017 animated film

Animal Crackers is a 2017 animated comedy-fantasy film directed by Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft, written by Sava and Dean Lorey and based on the animal-shaped cookie. The film features the voices of Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Danny DeVito, Ian McKellen, Sylvester Stallone, Patrick Warburton, Raven-Symoné, Harvey Fierstein, Wallace Shawn, Gilbert Gottfried, Tara Strong, James Arnold Taylor, Kevin Grevioux, and Lydia Rose Taylor in her film debut. It tells the story of a family who comes across a box of magical animal crackers that turns anyone that consumes a cracker into the animal that the cracker represents and this animal handily saves the circus that the family was associated with.

Len Deighton is an English author known for his novels, works of military history, screenplays and cookery writing. He had a varied career, including as a pastry cook, waiter, co-editor of a magazine, teacher and air steward before writing his first novel in 1962: The IPCRESS File. He continued to produce what his biographer John Reilly considers "stylish, witty, well-crafted novels" in spy fiction, including three trilogies and a prequel featuring Bernard Samson.

References

  1. 1 2 John O'Connor (23 March 1989). "13 Hours' Worth of British Spying on the 'Mystery' Series". The New York Times . Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  2. ↑ Britton, Wesley (2005). Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 134. ISBN   0-275-98556-3.
  3. ↑ Nancy Mills (16 April 1989). "Deighton Spy Lead Fits Ian Holm Like Black Glove". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Clifford Terry (23 March 1989). "There's No Mystery To The Appeal Of 'Game, Set & Match'". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  5. ↑ Lee Winfrey (19 March 1989). "Mini-series takes mysterious turn". The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  6. ↑ Harvey, Richard. "Shroud for a Nightingale: The Television Drama Music of Richard Harvey". Allmusic . Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Harvey, Richard. "Shroud for a Nightingale: The Screen Music of Richard Harvey". Allmusic . Retrieved 25 February 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.