Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (3pc)

Starring:Alec Guinness, Michael Jayston, Anthony Bate, Bernard Hepton, Ian Richardson, Ian Bannen, Hywel Bennett, Michael Aldridge, Terence Rigby, Alexander Knox, George Sewell, Beryl Reid, Joss Ackland, SiÃ¢n Phillips, Nigel Stock, Patrick Stewart, John Standing, Thorley Walters, Hilary Minster, Betty Hardy
Director: John Irvin, Frances Alcock
Studio: Acorn Media
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy stars Alec Guinness as George Smiley, John le CarrÃ©'s familiar, aging British Intelligence agent, called out of retirement to discover the identity of the high-ranking Russian mole who has burrowed deep into "the Circus"--codename for the British secret service. This slow-burning, complicated, and ultimately rewarding BBC adaptation, dramatized by Arthur Hopcroft and directed by John Irvin, perfectly captures Le CarrÃ©'s own insight into the shady underworld of spies and the political climate during the cold war.

Le CarrÃ©'s style is the antithesis of his contemporary Ian Fleming's--far from the glamorous lifestyle of James Bond, with his fast cars and faster women, these agents ride around in Skodas, and Beryl Reid is the closest thing to a femme fatale, save for Smiley's elusive wife, Anne. An extraordinary cast (including Ian Bannen, Hywel Bennett, and Ian Richardson), gritty realism, and close attention to detail make Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy an outstanding piece of television drama. --Nicola Perry
Description
No doubt remains, a mole has infiltrated the Circus, code name for the British Secret Intelligence Service. It can be only one of four men operating at the very highest level. Sidelined agent George Smiley is covertly tapped to root out the mole, a task that requires a painstaking dig through the double-blind world of Cold War era espionage and his own past. Alec Guinness brilliantly captures the weary heart and steely soul of John lÃ© Carre's master spy in an intricate drama hailed as one of the finest ever made for television. Also starring Ian Richardson, Michael Aldridge, Joss Ackland, Ian Bannen, Bernard Hepton, Terence Rigby, Michael Jayston, Hywel Bennett and Anthony Bate.

Amazon.com

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy stars Alec Guinness as George Smiley, John le Carré's familiar, aging British Intelligence agent, called out of retirement to discover the identity of the high-ranking Russian mole who has burrowed deep into "the Circus"--codename for the British secret service. This slow-burning, complicated, and ultimately rewarding BBC adaptation, dramatized by Arthur Hopcroft and directed by John Irvin, perfectly captures Le Carré's own insight into the shady underworld of spies and the political climate during the cold war.

Le Carré's style is the antithesis of his contemporary Ian Fleming's--far from the glamorous lifestyle of James Bond, with his fast cars and faster women, these agents ride around in Skodas, and Beryl Reid is the closest thing to a femme fatale, save for Smiley's elusive wife, Anne. An extraordinary cast (including Ian Bannen, Hywel Bennett, and Ian Richardson), gritty realism, and close attention to detail make Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy an outstanding piece of television drama. --Nicola Perry

Description

No doubt remains, a mole has infiltrated the Circus, code name for the British Secret Intelligence Service. It can be only one of four men operating at the very highest level. Sidelined agent George Smiley is covertly tapped to root out the mole, a task that requires a painstaking dig through the double-blind world of Cold War era espionage and his own past. Alec Guinness brilliantly captures the weary heart and steely soul of John lé Carre's master spy in an intricate drama hailed as one of the finest ever made for television. Also starring Ian Richardson, Michael Aldridge, Joss Ackland, Ian Bannen, Bernard Hepton, Terence Rigby, Michael Jayston, Hywel Bennett and Anthony Bate.

DVD Special Features: digitally remastered presentation, exclusive interview with John lé Carre, production notes, cast filmographies and le Carre biography and booklist.

Customer Reviews:

A little flat.......2007-07-03

This version is a little flat, mostly due to poor casting. Somehow, all of the adverse characters, especially Haydon and Esterhase, seem to look alike. Who would cast an English actor for the role of a Czech patriot anyway? Obviously produced for BBC with a view of employment in mind. Look at the difference between this and Spy Who Came in From the Cold, where Richard Burton is the protagonist and a Smiley actually looks like Smiley. That said, it's hard to mess up this LeCarre masterpiece.

Six stars!.......2007-05-14

There are so many excellent reviews here that relate the story that I won't bother to repeat what has already been said. I am not a fan of spy stories and I usually get so lost in the plot that I lose interest. This one is so well done, though, that I managed to plow through until I finally figured out who was who and what was going on. I did rewind once to help myself. I mention this so that like minded folks, maybe female, will not shrink from the effort it takes in the beginning to make sense of this tale. It is well worth it!

As everyone else has written, the cast is superb, with special mention of the incomparable Alec Guiness. I'm sure that it was Guiness' presence that captured me and enabled me to labor through my initial confusion. Just watching his face--the subtle changes as he listens to the words of others is a great treat. Not only is he brilliant, though, he is dear! There's something terrilbly lovable about George Smiley as played by Guiness. One can only wonder what another actor would have made of the part.

As usual the BBC has done an amazing job. It's odd to think that this period in our history, which most readers here will well remember, is already so far in the past. I'll leave ruminations on that fact to others. I just want to add my voice here to those who have praised this superior production.

John LeCarre, BBC at Their Best.......2007-03-15

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,"the 1979 British Broadcasting Company's 6-part television serial is, of course, based on the masterful novel, of the same name, by British spymeister John LeCarre. The novel, itself, was the first of LeCarre's Smiley-Karla trilogy, that ends with "Smiley's People."And, as the beneficiary of a first-class production by the BBC, "Tinker" achieves masterpiece status itself. The series, adapted by the talented Arthur Hopcraft for the screen, follows LeCarre's complex novel rather closely, giving us the intriguing plot developments,the well-rounded characters, and the witty dialogue. Furthermore, the BBC hired some of the best available actors for the many principal roles, and surrounded them with all the extras, the cars, and the location shooting any viewer could wish.

The plot concerns George Smiley, forcibly retired, along with a number of his good-guy friends, from Britain's spy service, called "the circus" by Le Carre. It is realized that there may be, within the spy service, a mole: a term created by leCarre himself to describe a person recruited in the past, and worked into a sensitive position, before being awakened to start reporting on his surroundings. To, in this case, Smiley's opposite number, the feared Karla, chief of the ruthless Russian spy machine. As it is realized that there is such a person working, and he is responsible for an unthinkably large amount of damage, including the deaths of several spy networks, and the dismissals of Smiley and friends, Smiley is drafted to locate him. But Smiley must work in secret, with only limited help from the official circus.

Alec Guiness plays Smiley with an instinctive understanding of the character that has seldom been bettered. He is, as mentioned previously, surrounded by some of the best actors available: Bernard Hepton as Tobe Esterhase, chief of the go-to boys; Ian Richardson as the mysterious Bill Haydon, Ian Bannen as the victimized Jim Prideaux, Alexander Knox as Control. Also Michael Jayston as Peter Guillam, Smiley's protege; Anthony Bate as Oliver Lacon, seasoned bureaucratic infighter; George Sewell as Inspector Mendel; Terence Rigby, and Michael Aldredge. There's only one casting mis-step; Hywell Bennett as Ricky Tarr, the spy whose unthinking love affair, with a pretty Soviet agent, begins the unraveling of the circus's dark secret. Bennett, who was the pretty-boy flavor of the month back then, simply cannot hold the screen with all these heavyweights.

It requires some patience, and full attention, to follow this intelligent series, that sometimes moves too slowly for American tastes, but those efforts are surely rewarded. This series is John LeCarre, and the BBC, at their best. However, you might want to be sure you can watch it on successive nights, rather than as it was originally shown, on a weekly basis: it's a lot easier on the memory that way.

Saved By Sir Alec.......2007-01-15

Whether or not you enjoy "Tinker, Tailor" will depend largely on your opinion of Le Carre. Personally, every time I read a Le Carre novel I promise myself I will never read another.

For me, the problem with Le Carre is how oblique and indirect his narratives are. I think Le Carre assumes a level of familiarity with the intelligence game that is just not realistic. For example, in "Tinker, Tailor", he never names the agency. Instead, it is referred to merely as "the Circus". This would be permissible if he first identified the agency and then told the reader the insiders' name for it. But Le Carre never does. He presumes too much.

That being said, I found "Tinker, Tailor" to be fairly watchable - especially the second half - due to the strength of Sir Alec Guinness' performance. Perhaps I am biased since Sir Alec is one of my favorite actors (this due to the fact that he features prominently in my Holy Trinity of Film - "Lawrence of Arabia", "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Doctor Zhivago").

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.......2007-01-09

Purchased as a gift for someone that wanted it badly and was very happy to receive it.

Average customer rating:

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy [Region 2]
Starring: Alec Guinness , Bernard Hepton , Terence Rigby , Michael Aldridge , and Ian Richardson
Director: John Irvin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

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Smiley's People (3pc) (Coll)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
John Le Carre's A Murder of Quality

ASIN: B000092WCG

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