The"Jim Kills Bill" theme remains endlessly fascinating, though. My own "preferred version" - by no means definitive or something I would like to impose on others - is love but not so much "love as mercy", rather "love betrayed", or something almost in the vein of "each man kills the thing he loves".
There is a thin line between love and hate, they say. But there is still a difference, and it is disturbing to see acts of rage and hate and despair and injured pride such as murder-suicides, romanticized and glorified as "acts of love".
Certainly this is NOT what Oldman and Alfredson mean when they refer to Jim's act as an "act of love". From the arguments they make (Bill lets Jim do it, and it's not going to be nice for Bill in Russia), it is clear they mean "mercy killing". It is ridiculous and makes no sense, but it is still not quite as offensive as the romantic glorification of the murder-suicide.
In the book, Jim's killing of Bill is act of vengeance and (only partially) one of love betrayed. It is not a "mercy killing" as portrayed in the film; but it is hardly a "murder-suicide" either. Jim in the book is far more sympathetic than your typical murder-suicide. He is not suicidal, and he has alot more to avenge than merely love betrayed and injured pride. As much as Jim has suffered, it is not merely about himself. He is not merely committing murder because his feelings are hurt. He is avenging his colleagues who Bill murdered. If vengeance is your preferred interpretation, then why did you not agree with me in the first place that the book was better?
For the film is very different from the book. We don't have to take Alfredson's and Oldman's word for it either. Let's list the differences:
[1] HOW PATRIOTIC IS JIM? In the BOOK, very patriotic. In the FILM, there is no mention of this.
[2] IS JIM ANTI-SOCIALIST? In the BOOK, Jim has anti-socialist attitudes (the Alvis, best car in England, is "Out of production, thanks to socialism"). In the FILM, he makes no such remarks, and the Alvis is merely "the best car in England".
[3] WHO SETS JIM UP? In the BOOK, Bill did; "Testify" was a setup from the start and Bill anticipated that Control would pick Jim for the mission. In the FILM there is no indication that "Testify" is a setup, so it's just Control who sends Jim into danger.
[4] WHY DOES JIM WARN BILL ABOUT "TESTIFY"? In the BOOK, Jim warned Bill because he loved Bill and trusted Bill and thought that Control had gone crazy; and this is significant because it contrasts Jim's loyalty with Bill's perfidy (making Bill briefly feel a bit guilty) and not because it gives Bill any new info. In the FILM, Jim warns Bill because he knows Bill is a traitor (which makes Jim a traitor too); and this is presumably how Bill learns about "Testify".
[5] WHY DOES JIM GET SHOT? In the BOOK, Jim gets shot because he is a brave and loyal soldier of Britain who puts up determined and desperate fight, and does everything in his power to complete the mission and avoid capture. In the FILM he betrays the mission himself; and gets shot by a crazy madman for absolutely no reason, contrary to Russian orders, after calmly walking into Karla's hands, and calmly surrendering.
[6] HOW BADLY IS JIM INJURED? In the BOOK, Jim suffers 2 machine-gun bullets in the back, a botched spinal operation by Russian medics, and left a permanently hunchback in constant agony; which he manages by regular doses of Vodka and heroic levels of stubborn stoicism. In the FILM, Jim takes 1 bullet in the shoulder from a low-caliber pistol; and as a result his shoulder seems a bit stiff when he first arrives at the school, but he seems perfectly fine thereafter and never seems to be in any pain.
[7] WHO ELSE GETS SHOT DURING JIM'S CAPTURE? In the BOOK, it's just Jim. In the FILM, the focus is on the even worse tragedy of a beautiful young mother shot dead by the same crazy madman; which has the effect of completely overshadowing Jim's tragedy, as well as proving that it is so random and senseless that Bill cannot possibly have anticipated it and cannot possibly be blamed.
[8] HOW DOES JIM FEEL ABOUT BEING LURED INTO A TRAP? In the BOOK, he feels vindictive; and wishes he had broken the neck of the Magyar who led him into the trap. This foreshadows Bill's death. In the FILM, Jim displays no vindictive attitudes.
[9] WHO BLEW THE NETWORKS? In the BOOK, Bill did, long ago, but the capture of the networks is timed with Jim's capture as part of the frame-up of Jim and Control. In the FILM, Jim blows the networks himself; by failing to hold out long enough under Russian interrogation.
[10] WHO BLAMES JIM FOR BLOWING THE NETWORKS? In the BOOK, Bill did, that was part of the setup; but Smiley assures Jim he does not believe it. In the FILM, Smiley blames Jim, because he's a big meany.
[11] WHAT IS THE FATE OF THE NETWORKS? In the BOOK, they are extensively tortured and then shot by the Russians. In the FILM, we are merely told that the networks failed to "get out"; it is not even clear that it is human beings we are talking about.
[12] HOW DOES JIM REACT TO THEIR FATE? In the BOOK, Jim is clearly shaken and horrified when he learns the fate of the networks, and keeps asking questions and referring to them by name. In the FILM, there is no reaction, but Jim is presumably a bit hurt that Smiley is being so mean by blaming him.
[13] WHY IS PETER SO ANGRY? In the BOOK, Peter is traumatized by the loss of his field agents, and suspicious that his friend Bill and his lover Camilla are leading double lives, making him nervous and paranoid and wanting to hit people, especially the mole. (By extension, this helps us understand how Jim feels). In the FILM, Peter is gay and forced to lead a double life, and upset because evil heteros like Smiley and Ricki are making him spy on his own people, making him sad and angry and wanting to hit people, especially mole-hunters like Ricki. (This helps us understand how Bill feels?)
[14] WHY DOES TOBY ASSIST THE MOLE HUNT? In the book, Smiley convinces Toby that there is indeed a mole; and Toby (being loyal) is taken aback but offers to help. In the film, Smiley obtains Toby's cooperation by threatening to repatriate Toby to the iron curtain; causing Toby blubber for mercy; establishing that Smiley is mean; that deportation to Soviet territory is a horrible fate; and that it takes severe threats to force a British intelligence officer to join a sadistic campaign to persecute small burrowing mammals.
[15] HOW DOES BILL FEEL ABOUT BEING TRADED TO RUSSIA? In the book, he is eager for them to get on with it, and worries about his wardrobe so he can make a good impression when he gets to Moscow. In the film, he does not mention this and seems completely miserable.
[16] WILL BILL MISS HIS GAL? In the book, Bill refers to Jan, his mistress, as a "bloody millstone" who he would not want to take to Russia even if he could (the baby may have something to do with it), and tells Smiley it does not matter what he tells her as long as he makes it final. In the film, Bill tearfully begs Smiley to tell Jan he loves her.
[17] HOW DOES JIM KILL BILL? In the book, Jim wrings Bill's neck with his hands (per clues - the event occurs offscreen). In the film, Jim shoots Bill with a rifle after seeing how miserable he looks; and while a tear runs down Jim's cheek; and (as Alfredson points out in the commentary track) Bill seems to let Jim do it.
[18] WHO BETRAYED IRINA TO THE RUSSIANS? In the BOOK, Bill did, after Ricki's telegram to London Station; resulting in Irina (& Lapin, & Boris) being tortured and shot. In the FILM, he evidently does not, as plot elements that originally related to this are systematically altered in order to make it impossible for the viewer do draw any such conclusion. Examples follow:
---[A] HOW DOES LONDON 'STALL' RICKI'S TELEGRAM? In the BOOK, London Station (ie. Bill) "stalls" Ricki after his telegram by first saying "We read you" then after a delay, giving him further instructions intended to keep him busy until the Russians can close in on him and Irina. In the FILM, London Station "stalls" merely by responding with "We read you" implying only that Ricki's information is being ignored, perhaps out of laziness.
-- [B] WHY DOES LACON THINK THERE'S A MOLE? In the BOOK, Irina's fate, and the conclusion that her betrayer must have been a highly-placed English mole, is what sets Smiley's mole hunt in motion. In the FILM, Smiley merely takes Lacon's word for it, Lacon takes Ricki's word for it; and Ricki is evidently just taking Irina's word for it, and its not clear whose word Irina is taking.
-- [C] WHEN IS IRINA'S STORY TOLD? In the BOOK, Ricki's story of Irina's capture is told very early on, starting the mole hunt. In the FILM, this story is moved to the middle, apparently to prevent the reader from drawing any logical connection between the reasons for her capture and the reasons for the mole hunt.
-- [D] WHO DOES RICKI BLAME FOR IRINA'S CAPTURE? In the BOOK, Ricki blames the unknown mole [ie. Bill], and that is indeed the whole point of his story (that there is in fact a mole). In the FILM, Ricki blames himself, and that seems to be the whole point of his story when he tells it to Smiley.
-- [E] COULD TUFTY HAVE BETRAYED IRINA? In the BOOK, there is no hint of this; Tufty knows nothing, and Ricki makes clear Tufty could not have deciphered his telegram to London Station. In the FILM, this is not made clear, and the Russians torture and murder Tufty before they grab Irina, hinting at some kind of connection (Nothing bad happened to Tufty in the book).
-- [F] COULD BORIS HAVE BETRAYED IRINA? In the BOOK, Ricki (and Smiley) initially consider this possibility; but the reading of Irina's "diary" tends to rule it out; and Boris and Irina end up being executed together. In the FILM, there is no diary, and Boris is tortured and murdered by the Russians *before* Irina's capture, suggesting that Boris was nabbed first and this is what led to Irina.
-- [G] WHO DOES IRINA THINK BETRAYED HER? In the BOOK, Irina makes clear in her "diary" that she thinks Ricki has not been careful enough, & the mole has betrayed her through Ricki. In the FILM, she leaves no diary.
-- [H] WHY DOES RICKI GO AWOL AFTER IRINA'S CAPTURE? In the BOOK, Ricki goes AWOL because he panics after realizing the traitor at London Station, who betrayed Irina, will want silence him as well. In the FILM, he goes AWOL because someone kills Tufty with a knife, and he is afraid he will be blamed because he carries a knife.
-- [I] RICKI'S WORDS TO BEN? In the BOOK, when London Station tries a similar stalling near the end of the story, Ricki cries: "... Know why he's stalling, Ben, darling? He's sizing me up to shoot me in the bloody back! That's how he got my Russki girl. He's playing the same tune, the bastard. I warn you, Ben: there's some damn lousy people in this outfit...." In the FILM, Ricki instead cries: "... You keep stalling. I better warn you Ben, there’s some lousy people in this outfit...." Deliberately removed is the critical point that such stalling was and is part of the mole's plot to capture and murder Irina and/or Ricki.
That's a partial list. In short, the film methodically eliminates or downplays every reason and motive Jim might have to take revenge on Bill; and goes out of its way to create the case for a mercy killing of a man who no longer wants to live.
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