 "masterful
serialisation of John Le Carré's espionage bestseller" "Refreshingly
intelligent entertainment" "An
absolute masterpiece which shows the BBC at the height of its powers" |
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Smiley's People with Sir Alec Guinness by
John Le Carré
Smiley, a retired spymaster is once again called in to help the
'Circus' when a Soviet General, who was also a double agent, is
killed.
The second of the BBC's well-remembered serialisations of John
Le Carré's espionage bestsellers, Smiley's People is marginally
less compulsive than Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
if only because Tinker, Tailor had a much stronger plot premise
(who is the mole in British Intelligence?) than Smiley's People,
which takes a very long time to come into focus. Retired spymaster
George Smiley (Alec Guinness) wanders around Europe and visits a
succession of desperate or eccentric characters as he plays a game
which finally leads to another confrontation with and a possible
victory over his Moriarty-like Soviet arch-nemesis Karla (an
expressive but silent Patrick Stewart cameo).
Directed by Simon Langton and co-scripted by John Hopkins and
Le Carré himself, this is a leisurely mystery. It offers a
cannily generous central performance from Guinness, who never
takes off his scarf and does his best to fade into the background
while a succession of striking character players hold centre
screen; but slowly and by sheer presence he begins to dominate the
panoramic view of European treachery, deception and
disappointment. Among the terrific supporting cast are Michel
Lonsdale, Mario Adorf, Vladek Sheybal, Michael Gough, Beryl Reid,
Ingrid Pitt, Bernard Hepton, Michael Elphick, Rosalie Crutchley,
Michael Byrne, Bill Paterson and Maureen Lipman. Smiley's People
is more interested in character than thrills, with each cameo
contributing another view of the human cost of the Cold War: most
of the old friends Smiley seeks out react to his reappearance by
saying they never wanted to see him again, and victory is only
possible because Smiley discovers that his opposite number has a
weakness that makes him almost sympathetic. Originally broadcast
in six hour-long episodes, its intelligent approach works better
if you watch episode-length chunks, letting one sink in before
going on.
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