David and I celebrated Jewish Christmas yesterday with my in-laws; we went to a movie and then drove around looking for a Chinese restaurant that was open. Actually, we never did, but a sports bar was open, so that's where we ended up eating.
The movie was "The Good Shepherd," which was extremely layered and nuanced. You really had to pay attention to details, and the foreshadowing was there for the ending, but it was so subtle that when I pointed it out to my husband David, he was amazed. Matt Damon's performance as CIA man Edward Wilson was masterful; you'd think he was a cold-hearted, soulless bastard except for his love of playacting and poetry.
Robert DeNiro appears as William Sullivan, a character based on the real-life founder of the OSS, "Wild Bill" Donovan. DeNiro's direction is masterful – the film runs a bit long at the end, but there's a lot of ground to cover, a lot of hidden layers to uncover, so I couldn't fault him there.
Damn, good movie. I'm still trying to work out what the significance of the title was – there's a lot of religious symbolism going on… ah. Got it. He's a Yale man, a member of Skull and Bones, and is present a couple of times when the Wiffenpoof Song is being sung, a traditional Yale song. His own son as an adult is a member of the Yale glee choir. The last verse is also a comment on what spies, especially well-connected Ivy League spies, can expect in eternity, and Edward as the eventual spymaster of CIA is the "good shepherd." His KGB adversaries probably code named him "Mother" for the same reason.
The Wiffenpoofs' Song
To the tables down at Mory's,
To the place where Louis dwells,
To the dear old Temple Bar we love so well,
Sing the Wiffenpoofs assembled
With their glasses raised on high,
And the magic of their singing casts its spell.Yes, the magic of their singing
Of the songs we love so well,
"Shall I wasting," and "Mavourneen,"
And the rest;
We will seranade our Louis
While life and voice shall last,
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest.
We're poor little lambs who have lost our way:
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We're little lost sheep who have gone astray:
Baa! Baa! Baa!Gentlemen songsters off on a spree,
Damned from here to eternity:
God have mercy on such as we:
Baa! Baa! Baa!
There's a good review here that doesn't give too much away.
The LeeVees:Goyim Friends:Hanukkah Rocks[3:16]