Errol Morris Met His Match with John le Carré and ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’
Jim Hemphill
Over the course of his 45-year career, documentary filmmaker Errol Morris has interviewed an eclectic array of subjects ranging from physicist Stephen Hawking and execution technician Fred A. Leuchter to controversial figures like Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and political strategist Steve Bannon. Yet when he sat down with novelist David Cornwell (aka John le Carré) for his latest film “The Pigeon Tunnel,” Morris realized he had finally met his match. “He was perhaps the most articulate person I have ever interviewed,” Morris told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “I got the sense that he was really prepared — probably better prepared than I was.”
The director sat down to interview Cornwell, and before he knew what was happening, his interview subject was interviewing him. “He was interrogating me! The question [he asked]: ‘Who are you?’ It’s so strange and disarming. How do you answer such a question?” In trying to find out who Cornwell was, Morris once again found himself delving into one of his most frequent themes, the question of whether or not it is possible to truly know someone — or even ourselves. Cornwell’s former life as a spy and his primary occupation as a novelist writing about that world made him as obsessed with such questions as Morris, yet by the end of “The Pigeon Tunnel” those questions remain unresolved.
The mysteries at the heart of Cornwell’s life and work led Morris and cinematographer Igor Martinović to a compositional approach that acted as a visual corollary. “After reading [Cornwell’s] autobiography, Errol realized that by utilizing mirrors in the shooting style we could parallel David’s life,” Martinović told IndieWire. “As a spy, he had to embody many different personas — even his name as a writer is not his real name. Duplicating images of him during the interview process was a way of creating this idea of multiple personalities.” By placing mirrors throughout the library in which Morris interviewed Cornwell, the filmmakers created not only a metaphorically appropriate visual style but one with an elegance and beauty that matches the author’s hypnotic speaking voice.
Not that it was easy, given Morris’ practice of shooting with four cameras. “The mirrors are tricky because you either see the lights or the cameras, and it takes a moment to position them,” Martinović said, adding that he and Morris would shoot with four cameras for about an hour and a half, then reposition them for another 90 minutes, and so on so that they would capture 20 distinct angles over the course of the day. This gives “The Pigeon Tunnel” a visual energy and variety that, when paired with Cornwell’s mesmerizing stories, makes it one of Morris’ most compelling and entertaining films, not only for the audience but for Morris himself. “I really loved talking to [Cornwell],” Morris said. “It’s hard for me to hear him talk and not see the novels coming to life. It’s a kind of magical experience.”
