George Roy Hill brings John le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl to the screen in a Middle East drama set amid the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The film was released on Blu-ray in March 2024 by way of the Warner Archive Collection. The R-rated drama is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 soundtrack.

The first time I heard about the film was while reading Hollywood and Israel: A History by Tony Shaw and Giora Goodman. I didn’t think much of it again until Warner Archive announced their March 2024 titles in late February. By then, it had been nearly five months since the most barbaric attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Suffice it to say, there was never really a good time to watch this film during 2024. Looking back, I probably would have held off releasing the Blu-ray because of timing. Is there ever a good time to release The Little Drummer Girl on Blu-ray? I’ll tell you! I don’t know.

On September 8, 1981, a Palestinian bomb kills an Israeli diplomat and his family in West Germany. The Israeli secret service identifies the mastermind as Khalil (Sami Frey) and tracks his younger brother, Michel, who serves as courier for the explosives. Meanwhile in England, aspiring actress Charlie (Diane Keaton) befriends Michel after he defends Palestinian independence at a seminar. When the Israelis capture Michel, they decide to use Charlie, who sympathizes with the Palestinian cause, as bait to infiltrate Khalil’s elusive network.

Charlie’s recruitment begins when she is lured to Greece under the guise of a wine commercial. There, she meets Joseph (Yorgo Voyagis), an Israeli operative posing as a suitor, and Martin Kurtz (Klaus Kinski), the mastermind of the counter-intelligence operation. Though initially resistant, Charlie agrees to participate after Joseph convinces her that she can save lives by exposing extremists. She is carefully trained to pose as Michel’s lover, complete with fabricated letters and rehearsed memories, before being sent into the field.

The plan works when the PLO contacts Charlie, believing her story about Michel. Subjected to rigorous questioning, she gains their trust and is sent to a training camp in Beirut. Charlie’s commitment is tested further when she is tasked with helping assassinate an Israeli academic, where she finally comes face-to-face with Khalil. The Israelis intervene, sabotaging the mission and planting a device that ultimately leads them to Khalil’s hideout.

In The Little Drummer Girl’s bloody climax, Israeli forces storm the compound and kill Khalil, leaving Charlie traumatized and complicit in the destruction of a Palestinian camp. Broken by the ordeal, she struggles to return to her acting career, unable to reconcile her role in the violence. Joseph—whose real name is Gadi Becker—seeks her out in London and confesses his love. But Charlie, shattered by betrayal, manipulation, and loss of identity, admits she feels “dead” inside.

It’s not an understatement to say that The Little Drummer Girl is very much a film of its era. By the 1970s, Arabs were frequently depicted as terrorists on screen, so seeing the Israeli–Palestinian conflict portrayed this way is unsurprising, especially after reading about it in Hollywood and Israel. Some speculate who inspired the character of Charlie — perhaps Vanessa Redgrave, given her outspoken anti-Zionist stance at the time. Only John le Carré would know for sure, and he’s gone.

I’m not certain Diane Keaton was the ideal choice for Charlie. In adapting The Little Drummer Girl to the screen, the filmmakers changed her from a privileged Englishwoman in her 20s to an American in her 30s. She performs adequately as a woman caught between opposing sides, but the emotional and moral complexity doesn’t always resonate. Perhaps it was George Roy Hill’s direction or William Reynolds’ editing, but the film didn’t feel as slow as some other le Carré adaptations.

Does it work better as longform television than as a film? Possibly. At 130 minutes, the movie can only cover so much, whereas the six-episode, 342-minute AMC series has room for storytelling in 2018. I didn’t watch it when it first aired, but I’m curious how the two versions of The Little Drummer Girl compare. Still, the 1980s environment was very different from today’s world, which influenced how the story lands.

Much has and hasn’t changed since The Little Drummer Girl was released. Peace remains elusive, and recent events, like October 7, have pushed a two-state solution further out of reach. We might have better luck waiting for Moshiach’s arrival, if not Godot or Guffman.

Bonus Feature

• Original Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTOR: George Roy Hill
SCREENWRITER: Loring Mandel
CAST: Diane Keaton, Yorgo Voyagis, Klaus Kinski, Sami Frey, Michael Cristofer, David Suchet, Eli Danker

Warner Bros. released The Little Drummer Girl in theaters on October 19, 1984. Grade: 3/5

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