Argo (2012 film)

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Argo

Theatrical release poster
Directed byBen Affleck
Produced byGrant Heslov
Ben Affleck
George Clooney
Screenplay byChris Terrio
Based onThe Master of Disguise by
Antonio J. Mendez
The Great Escape by
Joshuah Bearman
StarringBen Affleck
Bryan Cranston
Alan Arkin
John Goodman
Music byAlexandre Desplat
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
Editing byWilliam Goldenberg
StudioGK Films
Smokehouse Pictures
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date(s)
  • August 31, 2012 (2012-08-31) (Telluride Film Festival)
  • October 12, 2012 (2012-10-12) (United States)
Running time120 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Persian
Budget$44.5 million[2]
Box office$184,488,587[2]

Argo is a 2012 American thriller film[3] directed by Ben Affleck; it is a dramatization of the "Canadian Caper" based on an article published in 2007,[4] in which Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

The film stars Affleck as Mendez with Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman, and was released in North America to critical and commercial success on October 12, 2012. The film was co-produced by Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov. The story of this rescue was also told in the 1981 television movie Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper, directed by Lamont Johnson.[5][6]

Argo received seven nominations at the 85th Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Terrio) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Alan Arkin). Argo also earned five Golden Globe nominations, and won the Best Picture – Drama, and Best Director, while being nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Arkin.

Contents

  • 1 Plot
  • 2 Cast
  • 3 Production
    • 3.1 Filming
  • 4 Historical accuracy
    • 4.1 The Shah and the coup
    • 4.2 Canadian vs. CIA roles
    • 4.3 British and New Zealand roles
    • 4.4 Imminent danger to the group
    • 4.5 Others
  • 5 Release and reception
    • 5.1 Critical response
    • 5.2 Home media
    • 5.3 Accolades
  • 6 References
  • 7 External links

Plot

Militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, in retaliation for that nation's sheltering the recently deposed Shah. More than 50 of the embassy staff are taken as hostages, but six escape and hide in the home of the Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). With the escapees' situation kept secret, the US State Department begins to explore options for "exfiltrating" them from Iran. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA specialist brought in for consultation, criticizes the proposals. He too is at a loss for an alternative until, inspired at home by watching Battle for the Planet of the Apes on TV with his son, he plans to create a cover story that the escapees are Canadian filmmakers, scouting "exotic" locations in Iran for a similar sci-fi film.

Mendez and his supervisor Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston) contact John Chambers (John Goodman), a Hollywood make-up artist who has previously crafted disguises for the CIA. Chambers puts them in touch with film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin). Together they set up a phony film studio, publicize their plans, and successfully establish the pretense of developing Argo, a "science fantasy" in the style of Star Wars, to lend credibility to the cover story. Meanwhile, the escapees grow frantic inside the ambassador's residence. The revolutionaries reassemble embassy papers shredded before the takeover and learn that some personnel have escaped.

Posing as a producer for Argo, Mendez enters Iran and links up with the six escapees. He provides them with Canadian passports and fake identities to prepare them to get through security at the airport. Although afraid to trust Mendez's scheme, they reluctantly go along with it, knowing that he is risking his own life too. A "scouting" visit to the bazaar to maintain their cover story takes a bad turn, but their Iranian culture contact gets them away from the hostile crowd.

Mendez is told that the operation has been cancelled to avoid conflicting with a planned military rescue of the hostages. He pushes ahead, forcing O'Donnell to hastily re-obtain authorization for the mission to get tickets on a Swissair flight. Tension rises at the airport, where the escapees' flight reservations are confirmed at the last minute, and a guard's call to the supposed studio in Hollywood is answered at the last second. The group boards the plane just as the Iranian guards uncover the ruse and try to stop their plane from getting off the runway.

To protect the hostages remaining in Tehran from retaliation, all US involvement in the rescue is suppressed, giving full credit to the Canadian government and its ambassador (who left Iran with his wife under their own credentials as the operation was underway; their Iranian housekeeper, who had known about the Americans and lied to the revolutionaries to protect them, escaped to Iraq). Mendez is awarded the Intelligence Star, but due to the classified nature of the mission, he would not be able to keep the medal until the details were made public in 1997. All the hostages were freed on January 20, 1981. The film ends with President Jimmy Carter's speech about the Crisis and the Canadian Caper.

Cast

Actor, producer and director Ben Affleck.
  • Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez
  • Bryan Cranston as Jack O'Donnell
  • Alan Arkin as Lester Siegel
  • John Goodman as John Chambers
  • Tate Donovan as Bob Anders
  • Clea DuVall as Cora Lijek
  • Christopher Denham as Mark Lijek
  • Scoot McNairy as Joe Stafford
  • Kerry Bishé as Kathy Stafford
  • Rory Cochrane as Lee Schatz
  • Victor Garber as Ken Taylor
  • Kyle Chandler as Hamilton Jordan
  • Chris Messina as Malinov
  • Željko Ivanek as Robert Pender
  • Titus Welliver as Jon Bates
  • Bob Gunton as Cyrus Vance (United States Secretary of State)
  • Philip Baker Hall as Warren Christopher (United States Deputy Secretary of State) (Uncredited)
  • Richard Kind as Max Klein
  • Michael Parks as Jack Kirby
  • Tom Lenk as Rodd
  • Christopher Stanley as Tom Ahern
  • Taylor Schilling as Christine Mendez
  • Ashley Wood as Beauty
  • Sheila Vand as Sahar
  • Devansh Mehta as Matt Sanders
  • Omid Abtahi as Reza
  • Karina Logue as Elizabeth Ann Swift
  • Adrienne Barbeau as Nina
  • Fouad Hajji as Komiteh

Affleck cast Goodman, Parks and Bishé after seeing them in Red State.

Production

Filming

Mendez meets a CIA agent at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia before going to Iran.

Argo is based on the Canadian Caper that took place during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and 1980. Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay based on Joshuah Bearman's 2007 article in Wired: "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran."[4] The article was written after the records were declassified.

In 2007, the producers George Clooney, Grant Heslov and David Klawans set up a project based on the article. Affleck's participation was announced in February 2011.[7] The following June, Alan Arkin was the first person cast in the film.[8] After the rest of the roles were cast, filming began in Los Angeles,[9] in August 2011. Additional filming took place in McLean, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Istanbul.[10]

Archival TV news footage from the era was used throughout the film as in-story exposition. Reflecting the time period of the film, the opening credits use the "triple slash" W Warner Bros. logo (originally used by Warner Communications), which was used by the company from 1972 to 1984, instead of the contemporary "WB" shield logo.

Historical accuracy

The Shah and the coup

During the opening prologue, the narrator claims that the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was installed by the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. This is a half-truth - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had been Shah since 1941, but the coup d'état gave Pahlavi ultimate authority, whereas previously Iran had been a constitutional monarchy headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. The narrator says Mohammed Mossadegh was "overwhelmingly elected as “Prime Minister" by the Iranian people; technically, he was elected Prime Minister by the Iranian Parliament, after his predecessor was assassinated. Iranian prime ministers are chosen by Parliament members, who are elected by popular vote, as in many parliamentary governments.[11] The Shah's full name was "Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi";[12] the film's narrator refers to the Shah as "Reza Pahlavi".

Canadian vs. CIA roles

After the film was previewed at the Toronto International Film Festival[13] in September 2012, some critics said that it unfairly glorified the role of the CIA and minimized the role of the Canadian government, particularly that of Ambassador Taylor, in the extraction operation. Macleans asserted that "the movie rewrites history at Canada's expense, making Hollywood and the CIA the saga's heroic saviours while Taylor is demoted to a kindly concierge."[14] The postscript text said that the CIA let Taylor take the credit for political purposes, which some critics thought implied that he did not deserve the accolades he received.[15] Affleck changed the postscript text to read, "The involvement of the CIA complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy to free the six held in Tehran. To this day the story stands as an enduring model of international co-operation between governments."[16] The Toronto Star complained, "Even that hardly does Canada justice."[17] When interviewed, Taylor noted that, "In reality, Canada was responsible for the six and the CIA was a junior partner. But I realize this is a movie and you have to keep the audience on the edge of their seats."[16] Taylor is also shown threatening to close the Canadian embassy in the movie; in reality, this never happened.[16]

Affleck noted,

"Because we say it's based on a true story, rather than this is a true story, we're allowed to take some dramatic license. There's a spirit of truth", and that, "the kinds of things that are really important to be true are—for example, the relationship between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. stood up collectively as a nation and said, ‘We like you, we appreciate you, we respect you, and we’re in your debt.’...There were folks who didn’t want to stick their necks out and the Canadians did. They said, ‘We’ll risk our diplomatic standing, our lives, by harbouring six Americans because it’s the right thing to do.’ Because of that, their lives were saved."[14]

British and New Zealand roles

Upon its wide release in October 2012, the film was criticized for its claim that the New Zealand and British diplomats had turned away the six American refugees in Tehran. Diplomats from New Zealand had proved quite helpful; one drove the Americans to the airport.[18] The British hosted the Americans initially, but the location wasn't safe and all considered the Canadian ambassador's residence to be the better location. British diplomats also assisted other Americans beyond the six.[19] Bob Anders, the U.S. consular agent played in the film by Tate Donovan, said, "They put their lives on the line for us. We were all at risk. I hope no one in Britain will be offended by what's said in the film. The British were good to us and we're forever grateful."[20]

Sir John Graham, the then-British ambassador to Iran, said, "My immediate reaction on hearing about this was one of outrage. I have since simmered down, but am still very distressed that the film-makers should have got it so wrong. My concern is that the inaccurate account should not enter the mythology of the events in Tehran in November 1979." The then-British chargé d'affaires in Tehran said that, had the Americans been discovered in the British embassy, "I can assure you we'd all have been for the high jump [i.e. in trouble]."

Affleck is quoted as saying to the Sunday Telegraph: "I struggled with this long and hard, because it casts Britain and New Zealand in a way that is not totally fair. But I was setting up a situation where you needed to get a sense that these six people had nowhere else to go. It does not mean to diminish anyone."

Imminent danger to the group

In the film, the diplomats face suspicious glances from Iranians whenever they go out in public, and appear close to being caught at many steps along the way to their freedom: while pretending to scout for filming locations at a bazaar; while purchasing plane tickets to Zurich; while trying to board the plane; and finally before the plane takes off, when Iranian guards try to stop the plane in a dramatic chase sequence. In reality, the diplomats never appeared to be in imminent danger: the six never went to a bazaar, Taylor's wife bought three sets of plane tickets from three different airlines ahead of time,[14][16] there was no confrontation with security officials at the departure gate,[21][22] and there was no runway chase at the airport.[23]

Others

The film contains other historical inaccuracies:

  • The major role of producer Lester Siegel, played by Alan Arkin, is fictional.[24]
  • The film depicts a dramatic last-minute cancellation of the mission by the Carter administration and a bureaucratic crisis in which Mendez declares he will proceed with the mission. Carter delayed authorization by only 30 minutes, and that was before Mendez had left Europe for Iran.[22]
  • In real life, CIA agent Antonio Mendez is part-Mexican, leading some critics to argue that Ben Affleck should have cast a Hispanic actor, and not himself, in the role.[25]
  • The Hollywood sign is shown damaged as it had been in the past, but it had actually been repaired in 1978, prior to the events described in the film.[26]

Release and reception

Critical response

Argo was widely acclaimed by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 96% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 246 reviews, with an average score of 8.4 out of 10. Its consensus reads: "Tense, exciting and often darkly comic, Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters."[27] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 86, considered to be "universal acclaim", based on 45 reviews.[28] Naming Argo one of the best 11 films of 2012, critic Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote: "Ben Affleck's seamless direction catapults him to the forefront of Hollywood filmmakers turning out thoughtful entertainment."[29] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 4/4 stars, calling it "spellbinding" and "surprisingly funny". Ebert chose it as his best film of the year.[30]

The Washington Times said it felt "like a movie from an earlier era — less frenetic, less showy, more focused on narrative than sensation" but that the script included "too many characters that he doesn’t quite develop."[31]

The craft in this film is rare. It is so easy to manufacture a thriller from chases and gunfire, and so very hard to fine-tune it out of exquisite timing and a plot that's so clear to us we wonder why it isn't obvious to the Iranians. After all, who in their right mind would believe a space opera was being filmed in Iran during the hostage crisis?

—Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times[30]

Literary critic Stanley Fish says that the film is a standard caper film in which "some improbable task has to be pulled off by a combination of ingenuity, training, deception and luck." He goes on to describe the film's structure: "(1) the presentation of the scheme to reluctant and unimaginative superiors, (2) the transformation of a ragtag bunch of ne’er-do-wells and wackos into a coherent, coordinated unit and (3) the carrying out of the task." Although he thinks the film is good at building and sustaining suspense, he concludes,

This is one of those movies that depend on your not thinking much about it; for as soon as you reflect on what’s happening rather than being swept up in the narrative flow, there doesn’t seem much to it aside from the skill with which suspense is maintained despite the fact that you know in advance how it’s going to turn out. ... Once the deed is successfully done, there’s really nothing much to say, and anything that is said seems contrived. That is the virtue of an entertainment like this; it doesn’t linger in the memory and provoke afterthoughts.[32]

Jian Ghomeshi, a Canadian writer and radio figure of Iranian descent, thought the film had a "deeply troubling portrayal of the Iranian people". Ghomeshi asserted "among all the rave reviews, virtually no one in the mainstream media has called out [the] unbalanced depiction of an entire ethnic national group, and the broader implications of the portrait." He also suggested that the timing of the film was poor, as American and Iranian political relations were at a low point.[33] A November 3, 2012 article in the Los Angeles Times claimed that the film had received very little attention in Tehran. The article referred to a review by Masoumeh Ebtekar, whose memoirs are the only Iranian narrative of the events.[34]

In an interview with People magazine, President Barack Obama said "Argo I thought was terrific. Ben Affleck did a nice job."[35] The film is nominated for seven Academy Awards except in the Director category. Following the announcement of the nominations, Bradley Cooper, whose film was nominated in several categories, said: "Ben Affleck got robbed".[36] This opinion is shared by the ceremony's host Seth MacFarlane.[37]

Entertainment Weekly wrote about this controversy:

Standing in the Golden Globe pressroom with his directing trophy, Affleck acknowledged that it was frustrating not to get an Oscar nod when many felt he deserved one. But he's keeping a sense of humor. "I mean, I also didn't get the acting nomination," he pointed out. "And no one's saying I got snubbed there!"[38]

Home media

The film will be released in North America on February 19, 2013 on DVD, Blu-ray and with an UltraViolet digital copy.[39]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
AwardCategoryNomineeResult
85th Academy Awards[40]Best PictureGrant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George ClooneyPending
Best Supporting ActorAlan ArkinPending
Best Adapted ScreenplayChris TerrioPending
Film EditingWilliam GoldenbergPending
Best Sound EditingErik Aadahl and Ethan Van der RynPending
Best Sound MixingJohn Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio GarciaPending
Best Original ScoreAlexandre DesplatPending
AFI AwardsMovies of the YearBen Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant HeslovWon
2nd AACTA International Awards[41]Best Film – InternationalGrant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George ClooneyPending
Best Direction – InternationalBen AffleckPending
Best Screenplay – InternationalChris TerrioPending
British Academy Film Awards[42]Best FilmGrant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George ClooneyPending
Best DirectorBen AffleckPending
Best Adapted ScreenplayChris TerrioPending
Best Actor in a Leading RoleBen AffleckPending
Best Actor in a Supporting RoleAlan ArkinPending
Best Original MusicAlexandre DesplatPending
Best EditingWilliam GoldenbergPending
Critics Choice AwardsBest PictureWon
Best Supporting ActorAlan ArkinNominated
Best Acting EnsembleNominated
Best DirectorBen AffleckWon
Best Adapted ScreenplayChris TerrioNominated
Best EditingWilliam GoldenbergNominated
Best ScoreAlexandre DesplatNominated
Detroit Film Critics SocietyBest PictureNominated
Best DirectorBen AffleckNominated
Best EnsembleNominated
70th Golden Globe AwardsBest Motion Picture - DramaWon
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleAlan ArkinNominated
Best Director - Motion PictureBen AffleckWon
Best Screenplay - Motion PictureChris TerrioNominated
Best Original Score - Motion PictureAlexandre DesplatNominated
Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationBest ScreenplayChris TerrioWon
National Board of Review Awards 2012Special Achievement in FilmmakingBen AffleckWon
Nevada Film Critics SocietyBest PictureWon
Best DirectorBen Affleck - Tied with Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark ThirtyWon
New York Film Critics OnlineBest Ensemble CastWon
Phoenix Film Critics SocietyTop Ten FilmsWon
Best DirectorBen AffleckNominated
Best Ensemble ActingNominated
Best Screenplay AdaptationWon
Best Film EditingWon
Roger EbertBest Picture of the YearWon
Directors Guild of AmericaBest DirectorBen AffleckPending
Producers Guild of AmericaBest PictureBen Affleck, George Clooney and Grant HeslovPending
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting RoleAlan ArkinPending
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureCastPending
San Diego Film Critics SocietyBest FilmWon
Best DirectorBen AffleckWon
Best Supporting ActorAlan ArkinNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayChris TerrioWon
Best EditingWilliam GoldenbergWon
Best Production DesignSharon SeymourNominated
Best ScoreAlexandre DesplatNominated
Best Ensemble PerformanceNominated
Satellite AwardsMotion PictureNominated
Best DirectorBen AffleckNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayChris TerrioNominated
Best Original ScoreAlexandre DesplatWon
St. Louis Film CriticsBest FilmWon
Best DirectorBen AffleckWon
Best Supporting ActorAlan ArkinNominated
John GoodmanNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayNominated
Washington D. C. Area Film Critics AssociationBest FilmNominated
Best DirectorBen AffleckNominated
Best Supporting ActorAlan ArkinNominated
Best Acting EnsembleNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayNominated
Writers Guild of AmericaBest Adapted ScreenplayChris TerrioPending

References

Footnotes
  1. ^ "Argo". British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Argo (2012)". Box Office Mojo. 2012-01-09. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  3. ^ "Argo". Filmographics.com. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  4. ^ a b Bearman, Joshuah (April 24, 2007). "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran". Wired. id="cite_note-5">^ id="cite_note-6">^ "escape-from-iran-the-canadian-caper-1981-true-story-dvd-94c7%255B2%255D.jpg (image)". Lh4.ggpht.com. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  5. ^ McNary, Dave (February 3, 2011). "Affleck in talks to direct 'Argo'". Variety. id="cite_note-First-8">^ Sneider, Jeff (June 10, 2011). "Alan Arkin first to board 'Argo'". Variety. id="cite_note-9">^ "Scenes from 'Argo' shot in 'Los Angeles'". filmapia.com. id="cite_note-upi-10">^ Staff (September 12, 2011). "Affleck starts shooting 'Argo' film". United Press International. id="cite_note-11">^ "The C.I.A. in Iran: Britain Fights Oil Nationalism". The NY Times. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  6. ^ "The Shah". Persepolis. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  7. ^ Evans, Ian (2012), "Argo TIFF premiere gallery", DigitalHit.com, class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved 2013-01-19
  8. ^ a b c Johnson, Brian D. (September 12, 2012). "Ben Affleck rewrites history". Macleans. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  9. ^ Knelman, Martin (September 13, 2012). "TIFF 2012: How Canadian hero Ken Taylor was snubbed by Argo". The Toronto Star (Toronto). Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  10. ^ a b c d Knelman, Martin (September 19, 2012). "Ken Taylor's Hollywood ending: Affleck alters postscript to 'Argo'". The Toronto Star. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  11. ^ Coyle, Jim (October 7, 2012). "'Argo': Former ambassador Ken Taylor sets the record straight". The Toronto Star. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  12. ^ "NZ's role in Iran crisis tainted in Affleck's film 'Argo' - Story - Entertainment". 3 News. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  13. ^ Film. "Ben Affleck's new film 'Argo' upsets British diplomats who helped Americans in Iran". Telegraph. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  14. ^ Barrett and Jacqui Goddard, David (October 20, 2012). "Ben Affleck's new film 'Argo' upsets British diplomats who helped Americans in Iran". The Telegraph U.K.. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  15. ^ Yukon Damov (2012-11-16). "Diplomats in Iranian hostage crisis discuss Argo: Spoiler alert: Hollywood fudged the facts". The Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2012-11-17. "Wednesday night’s conversation between former diplomats Robert Anders and Michael Shenstone, hosted by the U.S. Consulate and the University of Toronto International Relations Society, was an exercise in displaying Hollywood’s manipulation of historical reality."
  16. ^ a b Mendez, Antonio J. (Winter 1999-2000). "CIA Goes Hollywood: A Classic Case of Deception". Studies in Intelligence (Central Intelligence Agency). https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/winter99-00/art1.html. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  17. ^ 19 Photos (2012-10-10). "Tony Mendez, clandestine CIA hero of Ben Affleck’s 'Argo,' reveals the real story behind film smash". Washington Times. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  18. ^ "How accurate is Argo". www.slate.com. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  19. ^ Navarrette, Ruben (2013-01-10). "Latino should have played lead in 'Argo'". CNN. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  20. ^ "The History of the Sign: 1978: A Sign is Reborn". class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  21. ^ "Argo". Rotten Tomatoes. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  22. ^ "Argo Reviews". Metacritic. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  23. ^ Holden, Stephen (December 14, 2012). "The Year of the Body Vulnerable". The New York Times. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Ebert, Roger (10 October 2012). Argo. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  25. ^ Peter Suderman, Movie Review: 'Argo', The Washington Times, October 11, 2012
  26. ^ Fish, Stanley (October 29, 2012). "The 'Argo' Caper". The New York Times. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  27. ^ Ghomeshi, Jian (November 2, 2012). "Argo is crowd-pleasing, entertaining – and unfair to Iranians". Globe and Mail. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  28. ^ Mostaghim, Ramin; Alexandra Sandels (November 3, 2012). "U.S. film 'Argo' not getting any buzz in Iran". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles: Tribune Company). class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  29. ^ "2012 - The White House Interview". People Magazine. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=323993407700436&set=a.177117985721313.28244.154369681329477&type=1&theater. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  30. ^ Carneiro, Bianca (January 10, 2013). "'Ben Affleck was robbed': Best actor nominee Bradley Cooper on Argo star's Oscars snub". Daily Mail. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  31. ^ Macatee, Rebecca (January 10, 2013). "Ben Affleck's Oscars Snub: Bradley Cooper, Seth MacFarlane Think Argo Director Was Robbed". E! Online. NBCUniversal. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  32. ^ "The Oscars / 2013: Eyes on the Prize". Entertainment Weekly (New York: Time Inc.): 22. January 25/February 1, 2013.
  33. ^ "Argo Blu-Ray". Blu-Ray.com. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  34. ^ "The Nominees". OSCAR. January 10, 2013. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  35. ^ Garry, Maddox (9 January 2013). "Jackman, Kidman up for AACTA awards". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  36. ^ "EE British Academy Film Awards Nominations in 2013". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 9 January 2013. class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
Further reading
  • "Why Argo is hard for Iranians to watch." The Guardian. November 13, 2012.

External links

United States portal
Canada portal
Iran portal
International relations portal
Film portal
2010s portal
  • Official website
  • Argo at the Internet Movie Database
  • Argo at AllRovi
  • Argo at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Argo at Metacritic
  • Argo at Box Office Mojo