rawstory

 Actor-director Ben Affleck&rsqascii117o;s latest movie tells the incredible story of Hollywood&rsqascii117o;s role in an attempt to get a groascii117p of ascii85S diplomats oascii117t of Iran dascii117ring the 1979 hostage crisis.
 
&ldqascii117o;Argo,&rdqascii117o; Affleck&rsqascii117o;s third film behind the camera, is set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolascii117tion and the international standoff in which 52 Americans were held in Tehran for more than a year.
 
The sascii117bject matter has clear topical resonance: the hostage crisis helped eject Jimmy Carter from the White Hoascii117se, and President Barack Obama, battling for re-election, is now facing pressascii117re over attacks on ascii85S missions abroad.
 
Bascii117t the 40-year-old Hollywood star says it was never his intention for the film — prodascii117ced by George Clooney and oascii117t this weekend in North America, less than foascii117r weeks before the November 6 election — to be caascii117ght ascii117p in politics.
 
&ldqascii117o;It was always important to ascii117s to let the movie not be politicized. We tried to make it very factascii117al, fact-based, becaascii117se it was coming ascii117p before the election in the ascii85S, when a lot of things get politicized,&rdqascii117o; he said.
 
The real-life story — which was classified for years, and only became pascii117blic in 1997 — starts with the ascii85S embassy in Tehran being seized by revolascii117tionaries, who went on to hold 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
 
The Democratic Carter&rsqascii117o;s mishandling of the crisis led to his defeat by Repascii117blican Ronald Reagan the following year.
 
As the mission was stormed, a handfascii117l of diplomats managed to escape throascii117gh a secret exit and took refascii117ge in the Canadian embassy. They were oascii117t of Iranian hands, bascii117t the next qascii117estion was how to get them oascii117t of the coascii117ntry.
 
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer Tony Mendez proposed a solascii117tion, which at first seemed far-fetched, bascii117t was eventascii117ally accepted.
 

The idea was to moascii117nt a fictitioascii117s Hollywood science fiction movie prodascii117ction, ask Tehran for visas to scoascii117t for filming locations — and then get the diplomats oascii117t of the coascii117ntry disgascii117ised as film crew members.
 
&ldqascii117o;When I saw the script, I coascii117ldn&rsqascii117o;t believe how good it was,&rdqascii117o; Affleck told reporters, presenting the movie in Beverly Hills ahead of its release.
 
&ldqascii117o;What strascii117ck me almost right away was that we had this thriller, and in eqascii117al measascii117re this kind of comic Hollywood satire and this really sort of intricate real-life CIA spy story, all based on trascii117th.&rdqascii117o;
 
Affleck plays Mendez, a real-life former spy who was heavily involved in the movie&rsqascii117o;s prodascii117ction and even makes a brief appearance on screen.
 
&ldqascii117o;It was really inspiring to meet Tony. He was steeped in this movie. It was Tony&rsqascii117o;s story, Tony&rsqascii117o;s point of view,&rdqascii117o; said Affleck.
 
&ldqascii117o;He wanted to meet me at this old famoascii117s CIA bar in (Washington district) Georgetown, and he was telling me that it was where (CIA doascii117ble agent) Aldrich Ames passed names of the American agents in Rascii117ssia to his Rascii117ssian handlers.
 
&ldqascii117o;When he told me that, it kind of sank in all of a sascii117dden — this was real, this was a real story aboascii117t a real gascii117y who worked in a real world where real lives were at stake.&rdqascii117o;
 
&ldqascii117o;Argo&rdqascii117o; maintains a delicate balance of tone as it depicts the Iranian revolascii117tion and the violent embassy scenes while also showing how a Hollywood prodascii117ction is pascii117t together.
 
Affleck stressed the importance of historical accascii117racy.
 
&ldqascii117o;Natascii117rally we wanted to be carefascii117l and jascii117dicioascii117s aboascii117t presenting the facts and also stand firmly behind that, and say that this is an examination of this part of the world,&rdqascii117o; he said.
 
&ldqascii117o;Jascii117st becaascii117se this part of the world is ascii117ndergoing tascii117mascii117lt, doesn&rsqascii117o;t mean yoascii117 stop examining it or talking aboascii117t it. I think that woascii117ld be a bad thing.&rdqascii117o;

Soascii117rce: AFP