“THE BOURNE IDENTITY” (1988) Review

 "THE BOURNE IDENTITY" (1988) Review

Years after Robert Ludlum's famous literary trilogy about an amnesiac CIA agent was published, Matt Damon starred in the movie versions of those novels between 2002 and 2007. Naturally, they became big box office hits and turned Damon into a full fledged action star. The ironic thing is that the three movies bore scant resemblance to the novels they were based upon. 

Fourteen years before Damon's first movie was released in the theaters, ABC Television aired a two-part miniseries based upon the first novel - "THE BOURNE IDENTITY". This miniseries starred Richard Chamberlain as David Webb aka Jason Bourne, the amnesiac CIA agent. And Jacyln Smith portrayed Marie St. Jacques, a Canadian economist who becomes his ally and lover.

As you can see, the first difference between the miniseries and the 2002 movie has been spotted. In the miniseries, Marie was an economist from Canada. In the movie, Franka Potente portrayed Marie as an unemployed German traveler trying to get into the U.S. Another major difference between the miniseries and the movie is that in the former, Chamberlain is a CIA operative who works for a black-ops organization called Treadstone 71. Treadstone’s job is to flush out the notorious assassin named Carlos. They recruit another assassin named Jason Bourne. But the real Bourne proves to be an uncontrollable asset and they kill him. Treadstone replaces the real Bourne with David Webb – Chamberlain’s character – who impersonates the dead assassin. In the movies, Bourne is nothing more than an alias for CIA/Treadstone assassin David Webb (Damon). As anyone can see, the miniseries’s plot – which adhered a lot closer to Ludlum’s novel – is a lot more complicated. Both versions begin with the shooting of one David Webb aka Jason Bourne aboard some boat in the Mediterranean. In this version, Webb/Bourne floats toward a fishing village off the coast of Southern France, where he is turned over to an alcoholic former doctor played by Denholm Elliot. The doctor discovers a chip embedded in his hip that contains a Swiss bank account number. Once Webb/Bourne recovers, he heads for Zurich to access the bank account. And there, his troubles begin. By the second half of the story Bourne/Webb finds himself not only hunted by Carlos and his minions, but by the police and the CIA.

From the first time I saw this miniseries in February 1988, I fell in love with it. It was an exciting and well written thriller about a man trying to come to terms with his past, while struggling to find his identity. Many critics tend to point the length of this version of ”THE BOURNE IDENTITY”. Considering that this version was created as a two-part miniseries and the complexities of the plot, I fail to understand why they have made such a fuss. Yes, ”THE BOURNE IDENTITY” is long in compare to the 2002 movie. It has a running time of three hours and five minutes. But this version’s length gave the producers the chance to air a rather close version of the novel without cutting out too much. And if I must be honest, I was never aware of the miniseries’ length, considering how well paced it was, thanks to director Roger Young and screenwriter Carol Sobieski.

Another criticism directed at the miniseries by certain fans was that the miniseries seemed outdated in compare to the 2002 version. Chamberlain’s version had been filmed fourteen years before Damon’s version. What did they expect? The only aspect of the miniseries’ plot that seemed outdated was the main villain, Carlos. Although the real Carlos was at large when the miniseries aired in February 1988, he was eventually caught six years later. The Alfred Hitchcock thriller, "NOTORIOUS" was filmed and released in 1946. In fact, there is a moment in which the film reveals the time period in which the film began – April 1946. Yet, hardly anyone complains about this.

As I had stated before, the miniseries is a tight and exciting thriller boasting fine performances from Chamberlain and Smith. The pair - who has been featured in a score of television miniseries and two successful TV series in the past - created a sizzling chemistry on the screen. I am amazed that they had never worked together before . . . or since. Chamberlain's Bourne is a more openly emotional character than the one portrayed by Matt Damon. One could say that Chamberlain has a more theatrical style of acting. Although there were moments I found it a bit hard to take, I really enjoyed his theatricality in a scene that featured him and Anthony Quayle, who plays a high-ranking French general married to Carlos’ mistress. Another thing I noticed about Chamberlain’s version of the character is that he seemed more inclined to use aliases and disguises to reach those from whom he need information – whether he was impersonating an employee of a New York furniture moving company, a Texas millionaire or a harried American businessman. Although I have never been that impressed by Jacyln Smith as an actress, I believe that she did some of her best work in this miniseries. As Marie St. Jacques, Smith was able to overcome her usual monotone style to infuse a great deal of passion and emotion into the role of a woman who desperately wants to help her lover, yet is constantly repelled by his profession. The supporting cast seemed to be top-notch. I especially enjoyed Anthony Quayle as the passionate French patriot who discovers the truth about his wife’s connections to Carlos; Denholm Elliot as the drunken ex-doctor who befriends Webb/Bourne at the beginning of the story; Peter Vaughn as Carlos’ Swiss-born right-hand man, and Donald Moffat as Webb/Bourne’s compassionate yet very harried boss/mentor, David Abbott. 

Most fans of the Bourne saga seem to be divided on their preference between the two versions. There are some who prefer Damon’s take on Bourne as a super spy/assassin who tries to distance himself from the villainous Treadstone/Blackbriar black-ops operations. And there are those who prefer Chamberlain’s take on the character, which adheres a lot closer to Ludlum’s original novel. Frankly, I am a fan of both the miniseries and the movie. And I hope that one day, I might encounter Jason Bourne fans who harbor the same views as me.

"THE BOURNE IDENTITY" (1988) Photo Gallery

Below is a gallery featuring images from "THE BOURNE IDENTITY", the 1988 television adaptation of Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel. Directed by Roger Young, the two-part miniseries starred Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith: 


"THE BOURNE IDENTITY" (1988) Photo Gallery

"GEORGE WASHINGTON" (1984) Review

"GEORGE WASHINGTON" (1984) Review

Twenty-four years before the award-winning HBO miniseries "JOHN ADAMS" aired, the CBS network aired a miniseries about the first U.S. President, George Washington. Simply titled "GEORGE WASHINGTON", this three-part miniseries was based upon two biographies written by James Thomas Flexner - 1965's "George Washington, the Forge of Experience, 1732–1775" and 1968's "George Washington in the American Revolution, 1775–1783". 

"GEORGE WASHINGTON" spanned at least forty years in the life of the first president - from 1743, when his father Augustine Washington died from a sudden illness; to 1783, when Washington bid good-bye to the officers who had served under him during the American Revolutionary War. The miniseries covered some of the major events of Washington's life:

*His training and profession as a surveyor of Western lands
*His experiences as an officer of the Virginia militia during the Seven Years War
*His friendship with neighbors George William and Sally Cary Fairfax between the 1750s and the 1770s
*The romantic feelings between him and Sally Fairfax
*His marriage to widow Martha Dandridge Custis and his role as stepfather to her two children
*His life as a Virginia planter
*His role as a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses
*His growing disenchantment with the British Parliament
*His brief experiences as a representative of the Second Continental Congress
*And his experiences as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army

Actually, one half of the miniseries covered Washington's life from his childhood to his years as a Virginia planter. The other half covered his experiences during the American Revolution. Glancing at the list above, I realized that "GEORGE WASHINGTON"covered a great deal in Washington's life. More importantly, Jon Boothe and Richard Fielder did a first-rate job by delving into the many aspects of the man's life and his relationships with great details and depth. This was especially apparent in Washington's relationships with his controlling mother, Mary Ball Washington; his friendship with George William Fairfax; his light romance with Sally Fairfax; his relationships with his military aides during the American Revolution and especially his marriage to Martha Custis.

I found it interesting that the miniseries managed to convey how difficult and controlling Mary Washington was as a parent. However, I found it slightly disappointing that the miniseries did not further explore Washington's relationship with his mother, once he became swept up into the Seven Year's War - especially since she had survived long enough to witness him become the first U.S. president. 

Washington's relationship with George William "Will" Fairfax proved to be a complex matter for two reasons. One, Will Fairfax had remained loyal to the British Crown throughout his life. During the decade leading to the outbreak of the American Revolution, that relationship threatened to fall apart due to the two friends' different political belief - something I was happy to see that the miniseries had conveyed. Another aspect that posed a threat to Washington's friendship with Fairfax was his romantic feelings for the man's wife, Sally Fairfax . . . and her feelings for him. There have been rumors that Washington's relationship with Sally had led to physical adultery, but no proof. But there is proof that they had strong feelings for one another and the miniseries; due to Fiedler and Boothe's screenplay, along with the performances of Barry Bostwick and Jaclyn Smith; did an excellent job of conveying the pair's emotional regard for each other in a subtle and elegant manner. What I found even more amazing was the miniseries' portrayal of Washington's courtship of and his marriage to Martha Custis. I was surprised that Boothe and Fiedler had portrayed Washington's feelings toward her with such ambiguity. This left me wondering if he had married her for love . . . or for her fortune. By the last half hour or so of the miniseries, Washington finally admitted to Martha that he did love her. However, the manner in which Bostwick portrayed that scene, I found myself wondering if Washington was himself amazed by how much his feelings for Martha had grown. 

I do not know what to say about the miniseries' portrayal of Washington's relationships with his military aides during the American Revolution. I do not doubt that his aides were loyal to him or probably even worship him. But I must admit that it seemed the miniseries' portrayal of this relationship seemed to make Washington's character just a touch too ideal for my tastes. In fact, one of the miniseries' main problems seemed to be its idealistic portrayal of the main character. Aside from Washington's bouts of quick temper, his ambiguous affections for his wife Martha, and his cold relationship with his less than ideal stepson, John "Jacky" Parke Custis; the miniseries made very little effort to portray Washington in any negative light. In fact, Washington's demand for higher rank within the Virginia militia and British Army during the Seven Years War is portrayed as justified, thanks to Fiedler and Boothe's screenplay. Personally, I found his demand rather arrogant, considering his young age (early to mid-20s) and limited training and experience as a military officer at the time. Not only did I found his demand arrogant, but also rather astounding. What I found even more astounding was the miniseries' attitude that television viewers were supposed to automatically sympathize with Washington's demands.

The miniseries' portrayal of Washington in the second half - the period that covered the American Revolution - nearly portrayed the planter-turned-commander as a demigod. Honestly. Aside from his occasional bursts of temper, General George Washington of the Continental Army - at least in this miniseries - was a man who could do no wrong. And at times, I found this rather boring. I cannot recall any moment during the miniseries' second half that questioned Washington's decisions or behavior. Most of his military failures were blamed on either military rivals or limited support from the Continental Congress. 

And then . . . there was the matter of black soldiers serving in the Continental Army. According to "GEORGE WASHINGTON", Southern representative in Congress wanted blacks - whether they were former slaves or freemen - banned from serving in the army. It was Washington who demanded that Congress allow black men to fight alongside white men in the country's rebellion against the British Empire. By the way . . . this was a complete lie. Despite black men fighting in the Massachusetts militias during the Battles at Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill, Washington signed an order forbidding them to become part of the Continental Army when the white New England militiamen did. Come to think of it, when it came to racism and slavery, "GEORGE WASHINGTON" presented a completely whitewashed portrait of the future president. The miniseries even featured a pre-war scene in which Washington prevented his overseer from breaking apart slave families at Mount Vernon by selling some of the slaves for needed funds for the plantation. In reality, Washington was not above selling off slaves or breaking up families for the sake of profit or punishing a slave. At a time when historians and many factions of the American public were willing to view the Founding Fathers in a more ambiguous light; Fiedler and co-producers Buzz Kulik and David Gerber lacked the guts to portray Washington with a bit more honestly . . . especially in regard to race and slavery. If they had been more honest, they could have portrayed Washington's growing unease over slavery and race, following Congress' decision to allow them within the ranks of the Continental Army in 1777. Unfortunately, putting Washington on a pedestal seemed more important than allowing him some semblance of character development.

Production wise, "GEORGE WASHINGTON" struck me as first-rate. The miniseries had been shot in locales in Virginia and Southern Pennsylvania, adding to the production's 18th century Colonial America atmosphere. I cannot say whether Harry Stradling Jr.'s cinematography also contributed to the miniseries' setting. If I must be honest, I did not find his photography that memorable. But I was impressed by Alfred Sweeney's production designs, along with Sig Tingloff's art direction and Arthur Jeph Parker's set decorations. However, I had a problem with the costume choices selected by a costume team supervised by Michael W. Hoffman. To be honest, I did not have much trouble with the costumes for the men. The women's costumes proved to be another man. A good deal of the story is set among the colonial Virginia gentry. I hate to say this, but I found a good deal of the women's costumes less than impressive. They looked as if they came straight from a costume warehouse in the middle of Hollywood. I especially had a problem with Jaclyn Smith's wardrobe as Sally Fairfax. I realize that she is supposed to be an 18th century version of a Southern belle. But there were one or two costumes that seemed to be some confusing mixture of mid 18th and mid 19th centuries. Yikes.

I certainly had no problem with the performances featured in the 1984 miniseries. The latter featured solid performances from legendary actors like Lloyd Bridges, Jose Ferrer, Trevor Howard, Jeremy Kemp, Clive Revill, Anthony Zerbe, Robert Stack and Hal Holbrook. However, I really enjoyed James Mason's energetic portrayal of the doomed General Edward Braddock; Rosemary Murphy's skillful performance as the future president's demanding mother, Mary Ball Washington; Richard Kiley's emotional portrayal of Washington's neighbor, planter George Mason; and John Glover's ambiguous performance as the ambitious Revolutionary officer, Charles Lee. I was also impressed by Stephen Macht's performance as the ambitious and volatile Benedict Arnold. I could also say the same about Megan Gallagher's portrayal of Arnold's wife, Peggy Shippen. Ron Canada provided a good deal of depth in his limited appearances as Washington's slave valet, Billy Lee. Philip Casnoff, who was a year away from his stint in the "NORTH AND SOUTH" miniseries, gave a very charming and humorous performance as Washington's French-born aide and close friend, the Marquis de Lafayette. And Leo Burmester gave an excellent performance as Eban Krutch, the New England born Continental soldier, who served as the viewers' eyes of both Washington and the war throughout the miniseries' second half.

I really enjoyed David Dukes' performance as Washington's neighbor, mentor and close friend, Will Fairfax. I found it quite energetic and charming. And he managed to develop a first-rate chemistry with Barry Bostwick. Come to think of it, so did Jaclyn Smith, who portrayed Fairfax's wife and the object of Washington's desire, Sally Fairfax. I also found Smith's performance rather complex as she had to convey her character's feelings for Washington in a subtle manner. At first, I found Patty Duke's portrayal of the future First Lady, Martha Washington, solid but not particularly interesting. Thankfully, the last quarter of the miniseries allowed Duke to prove what a first-rate actress she could be, as it explored Mrs. Washington's reaction to the privations suffered by the Continental Army's rank-and-file. Her performance led to an Emmy nomination. And finally, I come to the man of the hour himself, Barry Bostwick. Despite the miniseries being guilty of whitewashing some of Washington's character, I cannot deny that Bostwick gave a superb performance. The actor skillfully conveyed Washington's character from the callow youth who was dominated by his mother and his ambition to the weary, yet iconic military general who carried the rebellion and the birth of a country on his shoulders. It is a pity that he did not receive any award nominations for his performance.

I may have my complaints about "GEORGE WASHINGTON". Despite its detailed account of the first president's life, I believe it went out of its way to protect his reputation with occasional whitewashing. And some of the miniseries' production values - namely the women's costumes - struck me as a bit underwhelming. But despite its flaws, "GEORGE WASHINGTON" proved to be a first-rate miniseries that delved into the history of the United States during the mid-and-late 18th century, via the life of one man. It also benefited from excellent direction from Buzz Kulik and superb performances led by the talented Barry Bostwick. Not surprisingly, the miniseries managed to earn at least six Emmy nominations.

"GEORGE WASHINGTON" (1984) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "GEORGE WASHINGTON", the 1984 adapation of 1965's "George Washington, the Forge of Experience, 1732–1775" and 1968's "George Washington in the American Revolution, 1775–1783", two of James Thomas Flexner's biographies on the first U.S. President. Directed by Buzz Kulik, the three-part miniseries starred Barry Bostwick as George Washington: 


"GEORGE WASHINGTON" (1984) Photo Gallery