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| Insufficiently posh |
This being The Guardian, the article is all about class - are we still obsessed by 'posh' spies, given that one of the main characters in this new movie wears Savile Row seats, speaks RP and is part of an elite?
Spy fiction on film has been the preserve of the heroic posh Brit (Harry Palmer aside), writes Stuart Jeffries, but in reality many of the UK's poshest spies have proved their worst, such as Donald McLean and of course Kim Philly.
You can read too much into one movie, of course. The main lesson from the trailer seems to be that the film (like the graphic novel) should be a lot of fun. And that's the point.
“This being The Guardian, the article is all about class - are we still obsessed by 'posh' spies, given that one of the main characters in this new movie wears Savile Row seats, speaks RP and is part of an elite?”
ReplyDeleteWe as a nation are not obsessed with class in 2015, but the Guardian and Guardianistas are. It is amusing that many of the latter are very well to do, are educated in top public schools, and to me they are “posh”, which they often deny!!. Some even have secret grievances that their “new money” is not well recognised, they think by the “posh” mob!! Hence for them the "posh" belongs to the upper class, and the Tories. Tam Dalyell, the Labour MP from Linlithgow spoke with posh English accent, having educated in Eton College!
In American context, there used to be for a time in 1960s I remember, a “new money” ( rich through enterprise means)“old money” (rich through generations for example)-the American version of the “posh” mob . It fast disappeared with the emergence of the IT entrepreneurs like Bill Gates. But here,Guardian perpetuates the “ posh” image even today for arrow political reasons. The late Robin Cook, who was the foreign secretary in Blair’s government also wore Seville Row suits, whilst accusing that the class /”posh” among Tory ranks!
By the way, these days, the Bond, Daniel Craig, wears the Tom Ford ( American fashion designer) suits (http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2012/09/25/tom-ford-on-daniel-craig-james-bond-skyfall-wardrobe).
Typo . " Narrow". "new money" versus " old money"
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ. I think the British generally are preoccupied with class.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most cutting insults that can be turned against someone of the Left is the epithet, 'Champagne Socialist'. (Being someone born into wealth who professes liberal convictions.) This seems to be intended to be a very cutting jibe, presumably because a Champagne Socialist must have committed that most heinous of crimes - betraying his class...