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Farewell Affair - Writer, director Christian Carion

By Anne Brodie Jul 19, 2010, 14:54 GMT

Engaging, emotional and riveting, FAREWELL is an intricate and highly intelligent thriller pulled from the pages of history— about an ordinary man thrust into the biggest theft of Soviet information of the Cold War.  Ronald Reagan called this piece of history -- largely unknown until now, “one of the most important espionage cases of the 20th century.” Directed by Christian Carion, the Academy Award® nominated filmmaker of JOYEUX NÖEL (Merry Christmas), ...more

Christian Carion’s chilling, fact-based political thriller The Farewell Affair looks at a little known episode in the Cold War that had the potential to change the world. 

A disenchanted Soviet informant passed government secrets on to France’s President Mitterand who passed them along to US President Ronald Reagan in his attempts to bring down the Soviet Union.

It was a bold and dangerous thing to do, but Sergei Gregoriev had deeply held reasons for his actions.  Carion’s film looks at the event and its lethal consequences. Monsters and Critics spoke to Carion from Belgium.

Christian Carion on set of Farewell (c) 2010 Neoclassics Films Ltd. Under License Farewell

Monsters and Critics - Your story is based on or set against real facts that involve espionage, criminal acts, and treason.  How authentic is your depiction, from what you’ve learned?

Christian Carion - I tried to make my own research by reading books, listening to interviews, and meeting people involved in farewell affair.  I always tried to have the 3 points of view: Russian, French and American.  And quickly I discovered it would be impossible to know the absolute truth. 

All I can say is that we know a lot of things about the relationship between Mitterrand and Reagan.  But the elements about Farewell himself in Moscow are only based on testimonies.  No videos, no recordings, just “somebody told me…” 

When I started to write the draft, a few people called me at home.  One of them said, “Are you working on Farewell affair?”  I said yes.  The person said, “It’s an amazing story, isnt’it?  I know personally two or three things you should know about Farewell.  Would you accept to have a coffee tomorrow?” and I said yes!  I met a guy, probably from the French secret service.  He asked me “So, Farewell is dead?”  “Yes, I said.  “Did you see the corpse?” he asked.

I realized no one saw the corpse after the execution.  I said, “If you are telling me he’s not dead, living somewhere in South America, managing a start up, everything is possible!”

“Mr Carion”, he replied, “in the case of the Farewell affair, everything is possible.”  And then, he left me, alone with that thought.  I decided, then, to change all the names, excepted Mitterrand and Reagan.  My movie is not a documentary, it’s a fiction based on true facts; it’s the legend of Farewell.  Remember: at the end of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, the journalist says, “In the west, we don’t publish the truth, we publish the legend!”

M&C - KGB defector Vladimir Vetrov gave a list of Soviet spies to the French President François Mitterrand ultimately starting the fall of the Soviet Empire.  Was he incredibly foolish or naive given the Soviet controls of the time?

CC- He really wanted to destroy the Soviet system, hoping for a kind of new revolution.  He believed in the communism, during the 50’s, 60’s.  But after, they lost the faith, the energy.  Farewell was disappointed by the corruption, and the lies.  He knew all the information he gave could have a deep impact and he said, “I can change the world.”

M&C - Vetrov had deeply personal reasons for his actions – and he didn’t ask for money.  Is he a hero?

CC - He is not!  He was selfish, crazy and a dreamer, and a very good character!  By the way, it’s funny to see that a hero must not get money in his actions.  It means money is a kind of corruption, not a good reason to do something.  It pollutes the good people, the heroes.  Interesting, isn’t it?

Emir Kusturica and Guillaume Canet in Farewell (c) 2010 Neoclassics Films Ltd. Under License (9)

M&C -Traditional espionage methods were thrown aside for Vetrov’s small scale handling of the documents … and yet he got to Ronald Reagan.  It’s an incredible story.  Do many people know about it?

CC - Not at all! The story is rather unknown in France, forbidden in Russia and I think no one knows even the code name Farewell in the US.

M&C – You’ve picked interesting actors including Willem Dafoe, Fred Ward and David Soul.  It helps sell the film but also adds veracity.  As North Americans were they aware of the story?  In the west, we seldom see stories on the Cold War from the “other side”.

CC - No one!  I said to my producer I would not shoot Farewell without respecting the languages and the nationalities of the true characters.  That’s why we started to think about American actors.  Fred Ward was not enthusiastic to play Reagan but, at the end, he did it and I’m very proud of his work! 

Willem called me after reading the script and said he’d do it.  I asked if he liked the character and he said “yes, but the main reason is I love the scene when Reagan and Mitterrand talked together in Toronto’s night!”

I said, “But Willem, you are not in this scene!”  “I know! But I will be in the movie. If my “name” can help this movie to release in the US, I want my people to know that our President tried to change the composition of a foreign government!”

M&C - Your films seem to take place in the world of politics quite often. Why?

CC - I love politics! The right to vote is not a gift. It costs a lot of blood in the history.  We have to be involved in politic, by voting, because it rules our lives. I admire the American cinema because you dare to make movies about politics! I imposed to my crew to watch “All the President’s Men”, before shooting “Farewell”.

M&C - Would you have been a politician if not a filmmaker?

CC - It’s the first time some one asks me this question! And I must confess, yes, I thought about a political “career” in France. But I don’t want anymore! Making movies was my childhood dream. 

I dream about a cinema able to bring nations together but I can see selfish, nationalistic times are coming. Bad times.

Willem Dafoe and Guillaume Canet in Farwell (c) 2010 Neoclassics Films Ltd. Under License

The film comes out on July 23rd in New York City and Los Angeles and expends nationwide on the 30th. Visit the movie database for more information.