Binyamin Even talks to OUBC President Robin Bourne-Taylor in about life as a Blues rower in Oxford Robin Bourne-Taylor represents you. As President of Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC), far more people see him as an image of an Oxford student than any current member of the student body. Literally millions watched him lead Oxford to victory in the Boat Race; millions more saw him in national newspapers, on the radio, on billboards or in ITV adverts, and he therefore inadvertently symbolises the life of an Oxford student.
This appears fairly bizarre. Bourne-Taylor is a quadruple Blue and an Olympian. There is not an area of his life that isn’t affected by the sport and yet the majority of students have little to do with rowing. I decided to travel back to Oxford during the Easter vac to find out: does Robin Bourne- Taylor have anything in common with the students he so publicly represents?
[quoteimg]“We don’t train that much; maximum actual training is four hours a day. But if we have to travel there’s plenty of days of nine hours.”[/quoteimg] I start by asking Bourne-Taylor just how much of his life rowing really takes up. “Training starts on 1 September, but a lot of the guys will be training permanently. I came straight back from the Olympics, and a lot of people were rowing internationally in the summer. It’s a long commitment to the Boat Race, but it means we hit the ground running.” In terms of dayto- day workload, “We don’t train that much: maximum is four hours actual training a day, but we can waste a lot of time if we have to travel to London or something like that. There’s plenty of days where we spend seven, eight, nine hours.” So far, then, no luck – discovering ITV’s claim that rowers train six months for the Boat Race was actually an underestimate only made Bourne-Taylor seem even more irreconcilable with the “normal” students I’ve met.
As we move to the topic of motivation, however, he becomes more human. For Bourne-Taylor is the ultimate team player, playing for the jersey: “Obviously the Boat Race is an amazing event, with so much history – there’s nothing else like it in the rowing world. But for someone like me, who’s been here a long time, it becomes more than that. You want to do it for your club, and for the passion you have for your club.” It’s not as catchy as “Up the Nose!” or “For the Pelican!” but the message is the same. He speaks with passion about his team mates, saying, “This year at Oxford there was a really great bunch of guys. The personalities were fantastic, and that’s one of the most important things I’d take out of it.” And he leaves no doubt about the importance of those closest to him. “A big part of my success, and of the success of guys on the team, is that support from your friends. It’s those little things that help out – if it’s people getting lecture notes, or helping you catch up if you missed something, or girlfriends cooking you dinner.”
Picking up on Bourne-Taylor’s mention of lecture notes, I find it is no token academic reference. “People come to Oxford because it’s one of the finest academic institutions in the world. You can’t get in because of rowing – there’s no one here who’s in this university because of their talent at rowing. They’re here because they’re of a sufficiently high academic standard. If they set their ambitions on something like the Boat Race, I think that’s great. It’s good for the University, and it’s good for them.” He applauds his team mates for completing Blue Boat training on top of their academic workload, “It’s a real credit to the guys who do it, because it’s so much of a commitment of effort and time.” He mentions Jason Flickinger, 7 man in the Blue Boat. “He’s doing the MBA programme, one of the most intensive courses in Oxford, and he’s going on barely any sleep.” Despite this, the giant American “won the [BUSA] ergo champs, on about three hours sleep”.
So, Blues rowers do study. But doesn’t the combination of an Oxford academic workload and a Blue Boat training regime leave him socially detached from anyone outside the tiny rowing bubble? Bourne-Taylor recognises this as a downside. “It’s difficult, because you do get isolated from college life. You don’t know as many people, because you don’t have the time.” Nevertheless, “Even though we have to spend so much time training, we still feel part of the student body of the university.”
Rowing also presents its own social opportunities: “What you do gain is a really tight group of about twenty friends who are likeminded, all on the same goals, and you go through the same things together. You build some really strong friendships.”
When he can, Bourne-Taylor gets involved in college and university life. He’s a member of his College’s drinking society, The Cardinals, and as a student who will join Sandhurst after graduation, he has a long commitment to the Oxford University Officer Training Corps: “I go down there whenever I can,” he says. He speaks particularly warmly of the OTC Colonel who helped set up a team building day for the Blues at the local barracks.
Bourne-Taylor has also rowed for his College in Summer Eights on a number of occasions. He dismissed any doubts that such a successful oarsman would not commit himself to the less glamorous world of college rowing when he stroked Christ Church to First Division Blades in his first year. In fact, he has warm praise for college rowing. “College rowing is really good in Oxford. It’s a haven for really keen rowers, and there are not many places you get that enthusiasm so focused on one thing. College rowing’s brilliant for the sport, and events like Summer Eights and Torpids are really good spectacles and a good thing for people to get involved in.” This year, Summer Eights clashes with a Rowing World Cup event, but he’s sure “any members of the team who can will do it, because it’s a great way to take part in your college and show support for them”. He particularly encourages talented college rowers to think about joining the Blue Squad. “College rowers out there with aspirations should really put themselves forward and not be afraid to have a go. If you get in early, you may not be very experienced, but if you do a year’s worth of training you’ll improve phenomenally, and next year you might make the spot in Isis and if you keep going you might get a spot in the Blue Boat. It’s about how much you’re willing to give and how much you’re willing to learn.”
As my meeting with Bourne-Taylor drew to a close, it remained clear that he was a very unusual student. The sacrifices he makes for rowing, particularly with respect to his social life, demonstrate he prioritises his sport in a way very few others do. But I felt much more comfortable with the fact that, for millions of people, he portrayed a group of which I was part. Fundamentally, Bourne-Taylor is no different to many Oxford students who devote time and energy to an activity outside of their degree. In this respect he represents Oxford students who strive for excellence in all that they do and perhaps he is not as far removed from the reality of student life as some would believe.
ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

Tuesday 5 April 2005. A special moment in the history of European football as Liverpool fans atone for the horrors of the past with a heartfelt and emotional display of sorrow and friendship.
Tuesday 12 April 2005. Football’s new-found piety is shattered with some of the most shocking scenes of football violence in recent memory. Two events – exactly a week apart – reveal both the heavenly heights and the darkest depths that football can reach.
Leaving Anfield, following Liverpool’s Champions’ League quarter- final against Juventus, you had the sense that football had finally turned its back on its ugly history. The raw, bleeding honesty of the massed ranks of red and the desperate desire never to return to the nightmare of 1985 could be seen on the face of all. For a sport that too often is guilty of providing a voice for the most vile aspects of human nature these were special moments. As you filed out of the stadium that night the sense of ecstasy and optimism was almost overwhelming.
The potential of this great sport, you realised, to reach across barriers and to create ties of friendship, even from the darkest caverns of hatred, was unparalleled.
How naive. Barely a week on and a different quarter-final ends in chaos: a footballer is in hospital with first degree burns, and the pitch is ablaze with the orange flames of innumerable flares. Images more reminiscent of a war zone than a sporting event. Yet again the thugs were allowed to triumph and football’s dream was cut cruelly short. It seems every time football attempts to haul itself away from its terrible memories there are always a few ready to send the sport spinning back into the dark ages.
The only antidote to football’s disease is swift, strong action from the authorities and in this case UEFA have failed in their duty. A meagre fine and a four game ground closure will have no effect upon the actions of the Ultras, the real authorities of Italian football. UEFA have been quick to stress the fact the £133,000 fine which landed on Inter’s desk on Friday is the largest they have ever handed out but it is a paltry sum compared to the vast amounts of money the famous club makes on a single match day. Ground closure is a similarly ineffective punishment. The San Siro has been closed before – after Inter fans threw a rival fan’s scooter from the stand – but this has in no way deterred supporters from further violence. The Olympic Stadium was closed in December after referee Anders Frisk was badly injured by a coin thrown from the crowd, yet Italian football continues to struggle in a sea of violence, racism and anti-Semitism.
UEFA have clearly not learnt from the lessons of the past. Football hooliganism in England is now effectively controlled by the authorities, but this was only the result of tough action in the wake of the Heysel disaster.
UEFA had no choice but to act in the face of such evil events, but the ignorance of the authorities to English thuggery throughout the 80s was a contributory factor to the horrors of that European Cup Final. Earlier and tougher action against the hooligans could well have averted the deaths of 36 football fans and, while it is all too easy to moralise in hindsight, here UEFA have the opportunity to learn from the errors of the past.
No-one is saying that Italian clubs should face the same punishment that English clubs met in 1985 – hooliganism in Italy has not yet plumbed the depths witnessed in Heysel – but a slap on the wrist is no longer an acceptable response to football violence on the continent. Far be it for an English football fan to moralise over others – the efforts of recent years does not excuse or eradicate the memories of the past – but UEFA, along with the Italian authorities, need to wake up and take serious action against the parasites destroying the game. Football is the most passionate sport in the world and when channelled effectively, as at Anfield three weeks ago, can produce some of the most spectacular, and moving, sights in sport. Indeed, the fervour of the Italian fans is one the most impressive aspects of Serie A. It is the duty of the authorities, not to spend wasted hours conjuring up ridiculous new legislation, but to ensure this passion does not go too far.
Whether this be through points deductions, enforced bans or closer co-operation with police, it will certainly be more effective than the token gesture that was their latest attempt.

Pembroke 3Christ Church 1
Many might have considered the final of the men’s hockey cuppers competition as a foregone conclusion. Pembroke fielded four current or ex-Blues including this year’s Blues captain Thomas Bullock, Blues Vice Captain Robert Frampton and internationally capped Ed Bevan. Against this array of talent, Christ Church could only muster one Blue and one returning Blue. Pembroke were clearly full of confidence, reflected no less by the swarms of Pembroke supporters on the sidelines. Christ Church in contrast appeared quiet and composed as they focused on the challenge before them.
Christ Church were practically unchanged from the semi-final line up that had inched past Magdalen in sudden death penalty flicks and they came out playing controlled, skilful hockey. With unexpected composure they effectively denied Pembroke any sniff of the ball during the first 15 minutes while managing to press forward in numbers through Phillip Pond and Daniel Soloman. Pembroke’s back four, marshalled by two senior Blues (Brixley and Bevan), made numerous last second tackles to block Christ Church’s more promising chances.
The pressure led to a number of short corners which became nothing more than missed opportunities for Christ Church as the half progressed. After the initial pressure, Pembroke began to play themselves back into the game as their passing improved and just before halftime they won a short corner, which they were distinctly more effective in taking. A high and hard drag flick was saved by the Christ Church keeper, but a second corner led to a second flick which was driven low past the goalkeeper into the backboard. A second goal from Bullock left Christ Church trailing by two after a half in which they impressed, having dominated for the majority of it.
Pembroke came out quickly after the break, pressing the opposition into their own 25 and holding them there for the first few minutes before Christ Church could get possession. When they did regain the ball they retained it with all the composure they had shown in the first half, edged with a more urgent, attacking outlook on play. Philip Pond drew Christ Church within a single goal of Pembroke, but a third goal from Frampton sealed the game for the Pinks. A third dragflick, hard and high ,was fired past the Christ Church keeper and the game ended 3-1, a fair reflection of a game in which Christ Church failed to convert short corners into chances.
After the match the Oxford University Hockey Cuppers Trophy was awarded by Dr Jonathan Hunt (former Blue and Old Pembrokian) to the winning team, and the beer bottles were swept up until next year’s Varsity and Cupper’s hockey matches. • Worcester stormed to the College First Division title with 12 wins from their 13 league matchesARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

Cambridge 0Oxford 20
Oxford’s Women came into the Varsity Match with high hopes due to the fine form which had seen them win their two previous matches without conceding a single point. Their confidence was rewarded as they started the match the stronger, soon scoring through Laura Richards after a well-executed backs move. The try, however, came as an incentive to Cambridge, who found some attacking form, and the half came to a close with Oxford having to display their well-organised defensive skills to prevent Cambridge converting their possession into points.
The second half however saw Oxford dominate proceedings far more thoroughly. Oxford created a string of fast phases, stretching the Cambridge defence and allowing Sarah Taylor to outpace the Cambridge full back on the line. This was followed by a Stacey Beard try as Oxford continued to exploit the width of the pitch. Cambridge’s misery ensued as their forwards found themselves completely outdone in the scrum. This led to panic among the backs and a misplaced kick was intercepted by the captain, Rebecca Young, who scored the final try of the match. It was perhaps surprising that the score was not even higher in Oxford’s favour as Cambridge looked completely outclassed. The final whistle meant the end of 240 minutes of rugby in which the Dark Blues had not conceded a single point.
Oxford’s two previous victories against Durham and Marjohns meant they also had a place in the semi-final of the BUSA Championship in Coventry to compete for a place in the final at Twickenham. The Blues sadly went down to a strong UWIC side, the final score of 32-7 perhaps belying the competitveness of this match ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

Oxford triumph in dull Varsity clash after keeper Nick Baker keeps out a penalty before Luther Sullivan secures the spoils for the visitorsCambridge 0Oxford 1
In 1988, the 53 year old tradition of staging Varsity football at Wembley came to an end. As the annual contest between Dark and Light Blue continued to descend in a spiral of declining prestige it was felt the falling attendances were not large enough to justify a day trip to the home of English football. Just 7,000 people turned up that year to witness Cambridge take victory; a sorry figure when compared to the heady days of the 1950s when 100,000 fans would pack the Wembley terraces to see the two teams clash beneath those famous towers.
What then can be said of the 826 unhappy souls whose strained voices rippled round Cambridge United’s empty Abbey Stadium one cold night last Hilary Term? A pitiful figure for a fixture that has as much history as the FA Cup Final. A number that looks even more pathetic when compared to the 50,000 Varsity supporters who still make the yearly pilgrimage to Twickenham every December. Perhaps the Oxford student looks to find greater gratification at the end-of-term bop or in the classic ‘entertainment’ offered by a night of Comic Relief, rather than ninety minutes in the cold and a decidedly dodgy hotdog.
The Oxford players, at least, were willing to treat the contest with all the commitment and energy that history demands. Their victory, over a Cambridge side classed as favourites beforehand, was rarely pretty, but Oxford’s grit and determination meant it was never anything less than deserved. Those who feared the poor turnout may impact on the players could not have been more wrong.
For sixty minutes, however, those who decided to stay in Oxford would have been thankful as the erratic performances of both sides betrayed their nerves on the big stage. Oxford started tensely, too often looking for the killer pass and relinquishing possession too easily. Had it not been for the heroics of keeper Nick Baker, they would have found themselves out of the contest before the half hour mark.
His first contribution was a penalty stop from Cambridge’s Alex Mugan. From a short corner Mugan was felled clumsily in the area. He picked himself up only to see Baker at full-stretch to prevent a certain Cambridge goal and deny him a place in the history books. He continued to prove his worth to the Blues with another superb save moments later. With the ball crashing around the six-yard box Baker leapt at the feet of Chris Turnbull and halted the Light Blue defender in his tracks before it was finally scrambled clear.
Baker’s heroics did not exactly light the Dark Blue touch paper, but they did seem to rouse Oxford from their first half slumber and for the rest of the game they looked the more assured side. They kept the ball better in midfield and the two wingers started to get more joy down the flanks. The Cambridge right back, in particular, looked positively terrified of the trickery and pace of Ricky Tavares.
It was his counterpart on the right flank, however, who would have the most impact on the second half. Without the antics of Baker, Luther Sullivan would surely have taken the Man of the Match award and it was his goal on the hour mark that sent Oxford into raptures. A long ball from Jack Hazzard was brilliantly controlled by the winger and, with raw and frightening pace, he forced his way into the area before coming back onto his left foot and delicately curling the ball into the top corner.
It was a brilliantly simple goal that had been on the cards for a while. Indeed, the unusually subdued Jamie Forrest should have given Oxford the lead ten minutes earlier, but, in an almost identical position, his shot dribbled wide.
Oxford had further chances to settle the game through Nat Armstrong and, most notably, James Perkins, whose shot from the edge of the box was well saved by Duncan Heath in the Cambridge goal. As it was, though, Sullivan’s solitary goal was enough as Oxford, despite late anxiety, hung on for victory. It was far from a spectacular triumph but it is not as if the Dark Blues will care. Their name goes into the annals of history and, after all, no-one was there to see it.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

New 1Balliol 3
The age-old dilemma of many a top flight club – to enjoy a cup run or focus solely on staving off relegation – was epitomised in Balliol’s season of mixed fortunes. In the end they will probably settle for the glory of a Cuppers final victory over a New side who will replace them in the Premier Division next year. “On that pitch everyone gave 110%,” said Andy James, the victorious skipper. “I want to thank everyone for an excellent team performance and the fans who made it an awesome day.” James also singled out double goalscorer Ed Thompson for special praise for a “great performance in what was quite a frustrating position”. It was indeed Thompson’s day. Battling alone up front, he held the ball up well in search of support and then stole the glory with two second-half strikes that sealed Balliol’s first Cuppers trophy for 74 years, on a most blustery of days. With the wind funnelling directly down the length of the pitch and with a bouncy ball on a hard surface, this match always threatened a twist until Thompson’s late second, latching onto James Doree’s speculative ball over the top, put the result beyond doubt.
The weather certainly did not suit either side, both of whom looked as though they longed to pass the ball and grasp hold of the game but without much success. After an uneventful start, in which both sides failed to create any real chances, Balliol took the lead against the wind. A free kick on the left was played to Julian Rose – hat-trick hero of Balliol’s semi-final triumph – who skipped past his marker and laid the ball off to James Doree to shoot home from 25 yards. This was, however, an open game and with the wind continuing to make life difficult, New equalised just ten minutes after falling behind. A corner from the right was swung into the box by captain Kevin Doak and flicked on by Danny Bamford eluding Balliol’s defence – so often vulnerable from set pieces this season – and knocked in at the far post by Thomas Osborne. For a while the goal sparked a flurry of New attacks, including a Doak volley that managed to hit the underside of the crossbar and the post before bouncing out.
Yet although New might have felt reinvigorated they would also have been aware that they faced a battle into the wind in the second half if they were to retain their newfound parity. Indeed, as the game opened up in the second half, Balliol looked increasingly assured on the ball, while New were unlucky to have goalscorer Osborne forced off with injury. However, it took a long kick from Balliol keeper Nick Tufton and a great deal of strength from Ed Thompson to open up the New defence. Thompson latched onto the bouncing ball, muscled his way between the two New centre-backs and slotted home from fifteen yards to give his side a crucial advantage. The match was far from concluded: Tufton was forced to make an outstanding low save to his left to deny New a second equaliser. But when Thompson completed his brace, the door was effectively closed on New’s impressive cup campaign. It was, perhaps, the fairest result of all. A day to savour in Balliol’s largely miserable season, while a disappointing moment for New who might just dream of bigger and better things in the top flight next year.
• Queen’s eased to the Premier Division title, securing the top spot with a 2- 0 victory over defending champions Magdalen. St Catz took second place, trailing the leaders by four points.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

Oxford had a mixed day at the Henley Boat Races, which take place the day before the Men’s Boat Race. The Dark Blues won every race except for the eagerly anticipated Women’s Blue boat race. Oxford’s Women lost out to a powerful Cambridge crew by two and a third lengths, but there were victories for Men and Women’s Lightweight Blues as well as Osiris, the Women’s reserve crew, and Nepthys, the Lightweight Men’s reserves.
The Women Blues followed a risky strategy which reflected their status as underdogs. Having finished well below Cambridge at the Women’s Head race three weeks previously, Oxford clearly felt they had to rattle Cambridge in the early stages of the contest to win. They blasted off the start rating three strokes per minute higher than the Tabs through the first kilometre of the course to inch into a length lead.
The Cambridge crew, however, kept their composure. Rowing a much more efficient rhythm, they stayed in touch while Oxford charged and exhausted energy. As the race reached halfway, Cambridge pushed hard, cancelling out Oxford’s advantage, before powering into the lead. Oxford had already given too much to respond, and were left clinging on desperately as the Light Blue boat gradually extended their lead to the finish.
President Nicola Fawcett was proud of her team, saying, “the girls rowed everything well. They front-loaded the race to put Cambridge under pressure, but Cambridge’s faster cruising speed paid off”. Fawcett’s disappointment was partly tempered by Osiris’ victory, where Oxford battled to a small lead in the first 1000m before stretching out to a one length win.
The Lightweight races, however, belonged to Oxford. The Lightweight Blues crushed Cambridge by three lengths, while Nepthys was even more dominant, winning by four lengths. President James Gillies commented, “Our squad has been awesome, our coaching excellent and I think the results reflect this.” The Women Lightweights provided the race of the day, protecting a tiny lead against successive Cambridge pushes. Blades clashed all the way down the course as both coxes attempted to eek out a winning advantage and the race was still tight in the closing stages until the Dark Blues pushed on to win by a single length. President Claire Weldon was “delighted and relieved to win such a close race”.ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

Oxford were on the receiving end of a record Varsity boxing defeat at the Cambridge Guildhall, as Cambridge secured the first ever 9-0 whitewash in the history of the competition. Oxford’s Dan Lubrich was knocked out in the final bout of the night to complete the rout to the delight of the home crowd. However, Kathleen Love restored some pride for the Dark Blues with victory in the only female match, which did not count towards the official score. ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

Dark Blue power and rhythm prove too much for Cambridge as last year’s defeat is forgotten
“Our game plan was to go 100% all the way, and we executed it to perfection.” This was strokeman Andy Triggs Hodge’s summary of Oxford’s exceptional performance to win the 151st Boat Race. Up against an eight considered by the Cambridge camp to be their best ever crew, Oxford showed the value of performing on the day. They produced their most techincally efficient row of the season, allowing them to harness their huge power to defeat by two lengths a gutsy Cambridge crew that could not live with the Dark Blues’ devastating bursts of speed.
Oxford got off to an excellent start, setting up a powerful rhythm within the first five strokes. Cambridge, hindered by a messy first stroke in which Tom James’ oar missed the water, found themselves two-thirds of a length behind after 90 seconds. With their tidy rhythm established and the Middlesex Bend working to their advantage, they quickly recovered to make a long push to pull alongside Oxford by the Mile Post.
After two minutes of tense side by side rowing, Oxford made their move. With the long Surrey Bend looming, the Dark Blues put in a powerful burst through Hammersmith Bridge to gain a length lead. As the Surrey Bend began to work in Oxford’s favour, Cambridge were forced to sprint to avoid allowing Dark Blue cox, Acer Nethercott, to steer his eight directly in front of the Cambridge crew.
After allowing the Surrey Bend to drain the Light Blues’ energy for over four minutes, Oxford made the killer blow. At Chiswick Steps, they put in another massive burst; Cambridge, who had spent eight of the race’s ten minutes trying to claw back Dark Blue leads, found they had nothing left to give. 10:50 into the race, Nethercott had enough of a lead to cut across Cambridge – it was all over for the Light Blues. The Chiswick Bend they had hoped to use in the closing stages was rendered irrelevant: out in front, Oxford could take the same tight line the Light Blues would follow. Worse still, Cambridge were now rowing in Oxford’s wake, the balance and run of their boat upset by the dirty water stirred by the Dark Blue oars.
Though Cambridge maintained their technique admirably, Oxford could now see their opponents behind them as they stretched their lead to the finish. When an elated Oxford crew crossed the finish line, Cambridge were two lengths behind.
Robin Bourne-Taylor, Oxford’s President, said, “The key was the rhythm off the start. The boat felt really comfortable and this allowed us to turn on the pressure at decisive points.” Bernd Heidiger, Cambridge’s stroke, said that while his crew’s early rhythm was “nearly perfect. We were never comfortable, because we were always under pressure from Oxford”. Light Blue coach Robin Williams commended Oxford, saying, “Oxford rowed tactically extremely well. They kept pushing and pushing, and eventually we couldn’t hold them back any more. All credit to Oxford – we couldn’t have done any more.”
Just before the Blue Boat race, Cambridge’s reserve boat Goldie recorded a crushing five length victory over Isis, its Oxford counterpart. After an evenly matched start, Goldie settled into a cruising speed which was markedly quicker than Isis’. The Light Blues pulled away and, aside from a brief Isis fight back around the Surrey bend, never stopped extending their lead. Their time of 16:48 smashed ten seconds off the course record for the reserve race. Isis 6 man David Livingstone, a winner of the Blue Boat race in 2003, said, “We have to concede they were the better crew.”
ARCHIVE: 0th week TT 2005

The Interpreterdir Sydney Pollack128 mins
At one point in The Interpreter, the Secret Service agent at the centre of the investigations, Tobin Keller (Sean Penn), remarks that around the proceedings swirl “layers of language signifying nothing”. He, in one turn of phrase, summarises what is most absent from the core of this thriller: any semblance of significance in among the supposed weight it believes itself to bear. The plot focuses on United Nations interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) who, alone in her sound booth one night, overhears an assassination plot concerning Zuwanie, the president of the invented African state, Matobo. To divulge any more would be to disservice Sydney Pollack’s impressive sequencing; what can be said is that the scenes which follow are the stuff of terse, competently cut thrillers.
The difference here, though, is that in among the expected stock situations , are woven the threads of subtle device that elevate the film from standard popcorn fluff. Snatches of dialogue are mediated by a certain disquiet that is found only in translation; long takes of beautifully shot montage are imbued with a relentless sense of oppression by renowned cinematographer Darius Khondji, evocatively mirroring the crux of the interpreter’s dilemma. He conveys the claustrophobic atmosphere in his excellent use of the UN’s cavernous First Avenue headquarters, lighting each frame with a view to portraying the relentless pitching of the elements, and in doing so avoids the visual banalities normally associated with the genre.
From the cocooned glass box in which Silvia presides high over the UN assembly floor, to her first barbed exchange with Keller regarding the excesses of communication, there is present the looming influence of a constantly mediated world. Pollack allows for a suppressed threat to emerge here with Keller retorting, “Your profession is playing with words”. It works in harmony with the well-paced paranoid tension created by editor William Steinkamp; the motif culminates magnificently during a highly-charged, quasi-voyeuristic scenario, in which Keller and Silvia talk to each other on the phone while knowingly engaging in a two-way surveillance set-up (a fitting metaphor for sexual exchange, perhaps?).
It is, in fact, the on-screen rapport between Kidman and Penn, two of the finest actors working in film today, that lends The Interpreter its spirit. Cocooned within the generic confines of the film lies a superbly acted chamber piece courtesy of the recent Oscar winners. Pollack exploits the contrast in this most unusual of double-acts with real verve, throwing the characters ino relief with dual-like dischord.
Nicole Kidman is stunning as the interpreter in question. With a pitchperfect Afrikaans accent, her Silvia has a certain reserve that, importantly, allows one to buy into the suspicion; all the while she beautifully manages the tightrope walk between exotic character actor and dominating lead player. Her performance would sit comfortably alongside her best. And her costar, Sean Penn is more than affecting as the cop with a conscience, all tormented and wrinkled-browed. Their penultimate scene together on a park bench along the Hudson is a veritable acting masterclass, where contained emotions are purged in spectacular fashion. The chemistry they exude transcends even the precincts of such capable Hollywood fare; it is a double performance that really does belong to a greater film.
Yet for all the artistic brownie points attained by The Interpreter, there also exist incredible drawbacks. For a film so concerned with international diplomacy and relations (indeed at times playing like a loveletter to the UN), it has a problematically condescending view towards Africa, from the marginalisation of the ethnic characters, to the hackneyed pan-African soundtrack. For the film’s opening, sub-Saharan cliches are also relayed through a dusty, mirage-obscured, sun-scorched lens; it is unfortunate that this is the only glimpse of the strikingly fictional Matobo throughout the entire running time. Yes, the prologue is successful in establishing enigmas that later propel the plot, but these are subsequently dissipated by the clumsy, saccharine postscript which helps to make the whole exercise feel rather implausible come the rolling of the credits. A piece of many contradictions both inherent to the production and inherited by its on-screen translation, The Interpreter allows for the audience, be it for better or for worse, to provide the final transcript.ARCHIVE: 0th TT 2005