Carlos Introduction


Ilich Ramírez Sánchez lives today in prison.

The brand of revolutionary terrorism adhering to Marxist doctrine has disappeared with the collapse of the Communist bloc. Yet no one has forgotten Carlos, whose image captured through a telephoto lens on the tarmac of Algiers airport, traveled round the world.

1975. The hostage taking of the OPEC oil ministers in Vienna had just ended. It lasted several days and left three dead. In the notorious photo, Carlos and a group of Algerian officials stroll across the runway. A bloodbath has been avoided, the tension has dropped and negotiations are underway. Carlos is sporting a short beard and a beret, which gives him an air of Che Guevara. At this point, he knows that the operation is a semi-failure. He knows that those behind it will reproach him for not having executed the Saudi oil minister, as planned. Yet, he seems extraordinarily relaxed and smiles
the smile of the victor.

The “Carlos” myth is born, and he is only too aware of it. The international press and secret services all have their eyes firmly fixed on him. He’s not yet 30 years old but is now one of the most wanted men on the planet. Third-world ideology and revolution will soon give way to more trivial interests. On this day, Carlos glimpses his future career as a terrorist mercenary. That, no doubt, is the reason for his smile. Imagining a film about Carlos, originates with wanting to tell the story of this smile.

Accurately reconstructing the historical context was the guiding principle behind the writing of the screenplays. Olivier Assayas, Dan Franck and Stephen Smith spent
months cross-referencing information gathered from numerous books and press cuttings about Carlos and terrorism in the 1970s-80s. Through this, they succeeded
in piecing together the main elements of his “career”, whilst accepting a degree of interpretation for the areas, which remain shrouded in uncertainty.

The screenplays reconstruct with extraordinary accuracy the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East, the rivalry between the Arab countries, and the political climate at the end of the Cold War. Carlos found just the right square on the political chessboard of the day.

The historical reconstruction removes the mythical element from the character. Beneath the veneer of the fable, a complex figure emerges: his violence, his thirst
for recognition and his lust for money and women quickly replaced his commitment to the Palestinian cause. Carlos ended up selling his services on the international terror market, where revolutionary discourse was just a fig leaf. It’s a long way from
the romantic and idealized image of armed struggle during the “Years of Lead”.

The writing and research took Olivier Assayas and Dan Franck around two years. And the result is a screenplay of almost 300 pages, in which the action plays out over some two decades across ten countries, with several dozen characters speaking many different languages. It is a political film, a period film, an action film, an international coproduction and a film for television and cinema – the least that one can say is that this project is exceptional in its scope.

Putting into production a screenplay such as this required the tenacity and endurance of a producer, Daniel Leconte, and the determination, immense talent and the sure touch of a director like Olivier Assayas. Financing a project of this scale is impossible in the
restrictive framework of traditional television drama. That’s why the finance package put together by Daniel Leconte leans more on cinema than on television, with the advantages and risks that this entails. The production was thus something of a balancing act, juggling the participation of many partners.

As one would expect, Olivier Assayas conducted the preparation of the three films with the same attention to detail that he applied to the writing. The actors, the locations, the costumes – everything had to work towards a faithful reconstruction of the period.

The choice of Edgar Ramírez to play Carlos illustrates the director’s approach. Like Carlos, Ramírez is Venezuelan, speaks Spanish, English and French, and his toughness and physique are reminiscent of the real Carlos.

Here, we are delivering a version of Carlos that fully measures up as a motion picture with television providing a cinematic vision, even to the point of using CinemaScope.
Olivier Assayas infuses life into the story. There are no fake documentary shots. The characters move as if in a ballet. The energy of the directing, the intensity of the
acting, the beauty of the lighting are all spellbinding. Esthetics play a big role in Olivier Assayas’s filmmaking. In CARLOS, it gives the illusion of reality. You are immersed in a period that has been minutely pieced together, peopled by terrifyingly “authentic” characters. That is the beauty of a work which transcends the division between film and television: to approach the truth through fiction.

CARLOS is the most cinematographic of our dramas. I’d like to pay tribute to the exceptional work of Olivier Assayas, who gives us a series which, I have no doubt,
is one of his best films. I also congratulate the actors and the entire crew for their commitment. I’d like to thank Stephen Smith for his help in the research, and Dan Franck for his contribution to the screenplay alongside Olivier. I also thank Daniel Leconte for his audacity and Raphaël Cohen for his patience and commitment. I also want to mention of course the whole team at FILM EN STOCK, and our Lebanese partners, Orjouane Productions, who strived to make the impossible possible. Several partners came on board with ¢ and FILM EN STOCK to make this adventure become reality, notably Egoli & Tossell Film and Arte.

I’d like to underline the stunning performance by the young Edgar Ramírez, who succeeded in instilling his character with the many facets that the real life figure
is said to possess. Edgar Ramírez was the “find” this film needed. He is above all a great actor, about whom, I am sure, we will be hearing a great deal in future. Finally, a word of acknowledgement goes to STUDIOCANAL and their decisive entry into the project which demonstrates the commitment of the Groupe ¢ and its faith in the success of this
exceptional film.

Fabrice de la Patelliere – Director of French Drama, CANAL+