Escape stories have a special place in pop culture. Drama, thrill, grit and oodles of cinematic liberty are the bedrocks for such daring tales. If there's a real-life element to it, the story becomes even more believable. Because there were people, in flesh and blood, who did great things perhaps when it was needed the most: to save several lives.
Tony Mendez, a CIA exfiltration specialist, did just that when he decided to rescue six fellow Americans from crisis-struck Iran in the early 1980s.
The Iran Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, that is 46 years ago today, 66 Americans, including diplomats and civilians, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran after an angry mob of Iranians stormed and vandalised the building.
Terrorised Americans shredded classified government documents, ran helter skelter trying to save their lives. The streets of Iran were teeming with revolutionaries hunting for Americans, wasting no time in killing them at gunpoint.
Reasons, you may ask, were interrelated. There was an anti-American sentiment among Iranians due to its support to the autocratic Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown earlier that year during the Iranian Revolution.
What opened the Pandora's box was, however, was the decision of the US authorities to admit the exiled Shah to America for medical treatment in October 1979, causing a stir with people suspecting that the US might be plotting to reinstate the Shah.
Six of them were able to flee from the back exit of the building, following which one of the diplomats, Robert Anders called his Canadian counterpart John Sheardown seeking help. Four of the six in the group stayed at John Sheardown's home, while the remaining two were housed at Canadian Ambassador Kenneth Taylor's residence.
After the news reached the US, the CIA, its intelligence agency, wasn't very optimistic about getting the citizens out.
Until Tony Mendez entered the scene. The CIA official cooked up a story, one that used fantasy to plot a very real great escape from danger that is certain death just biding its time.
He developed a plan to pull these six diplomats out of the crisis-struck Iran by disguising them as members of a Canadian film crew who are in Iran to scout locations to shoot a science-fiction film, Star Wars style. The name of the fake movie that was used as a cover to get American hostages out of Iran was 'Argo'.
The plan was risky and it was an operation, codenamed Canadian Caper (meaning Canadian escapade), that was never tried out before. But it was worth a shot. It was perhaps their only shot to get their people out.
'Argo' under Canadian Caper
It's the perfect fact-meets-fiction analogy. And when Hollywood superstar and filmmaker Ben Affleck made his 2012 film Argo, the circle was complete.
Tony Mendez, the real-life character that Ben Affleck played in his award-winning directorial Argo, went all the way. He teamed up with Hollywood experts to create a cover story of a movie production, complete with false documents and publicity for the diplomats to add a layer of credibility to it.
Tony Mendez himself travelled to Iran under a fake identity and somehow convinced the diplomats to go along with his plan.
How would you react when you have a hostile officer or a revolutionary strapped with a gun, looking you in the eye, analysing your every tick and movement, so that they can gun you down the moment you blink or your cover is blown? Moments like these became a part and parcel for the diplomats who tried holding on to dear life for as long as possible.
Over two months after the Iran hostage crisis began, January 27, 1980 was the day. Despite several hurdles, including last-minute clearance at the airport in Tehran and a temporary cancellation of the plan by the American government, Tony Mendez and the six diplomats sneak out of Iran with the help of the Canadian government, displaying unparalleled courage, tact and a lot of luck by his side.
Meet Real And Reel-Life 'Argo' Crew
Tony Mendez, played by Ben Affleck, was the mastermind behind the Canadian Caper operation. A real CIA technical operations officer, Tony Mendez was skilled in creating disguises and undercover extractions.
The six American diplomats who escaped capture and went into hiding are based on real people. Tate Donovan played Bob Anders/Robert Anders, Clea DuVall and Christopher Denham essayed the roles of Cora Lijek and Mark Lijek, Scoot McNairy starred as Joe Anders/ Joseph Stafford, Kerry Bishe played Kathleen Stafford/Kathy Stafford, and Rory Cochrane played Lee Schatz.
Acclaimed Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers, who was a CIA contractor, helped create the fake movie production company and cover story with realistic disguises and props. John Goodman played this role in Argo.
Veteran actor Alan Arkin played Lester Siegel, a fictionalised character who was inspired by Hollywood stalwarts Robert Sidell and Jack Warner who helped with the cover story.
Victor Garber played Canadian Ambassador Kenneth Taylor, whose role was specifically lauded by US President Jimmy Carter for his role in sheltering the diplomats.
It's the textbook case of life imitating art and vice versa.
