"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (1979) TV series

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Director:

John Irvin

Writers:

John le Carré (novel) and
Arthur Hopcraft (dramatisation)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

29 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

George Smiley has been retired for about a year when he finds a friend from the circus, his old outfit...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | British Intelligence | Paris France | Investigation | KGB

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	George Smiley (7 episodes, 1979)
Michael Jayston	...	Peter Guillam (7 episodes, 1979)
Anthony Bate	...	Sir Oliver Lacon / ... (7 episodes, 1979)
George Sewell	...	Mendel (6 episodes, 1979)
Bernard Hepton	...	Toby Esterhase (5 episodes, 1979)
Ian Richardson	...	Bill Haydon (5 episodes, 1979)
Hywel Bennett	...	Ricki Tarr (5 episodes, 1979)
Terence Rigby	...	Roy Bland (4 episodes, 1979)
Ian Bannen	...	Jim Prideaux (4 episodes, 1979)
Michael Aldridge	...	Percy Alleline (4 episodes, 1979)
Alec Sabin	...	Fawn (4 episodes, 1979)
Alexander Knox	...	Control (3 episodes, 1979)
Duncan Jones	...	Roach (3 episodes, 1979)
Daniel Beecher	...	Spikely (3 episodes, 1979)

Runtime:

290 min | UK:350 min (7 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bywater Street, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Alec Guinness was very concerned that he wasn't the right type to portray the "frog-like" George Smiley. At one point during filming, he suggested that the production team ask Arthur Lowe to replace him.

Goofs:

Continuity: In episode 6, when Peter Guillam is testing the taping system at the safe house, he says the recorder is voice-activated, but it doesn't stop turning on his first silent pause, which is much longer than his second and third pauses, when it stops instantly.

Quotes:

Mendel: [about Guillam] He does sound jumpy. He might have overdone it a bit there. He was very loud. I've seen it all before, tough ones who crack at 40. They lock it away, pretend it isn't happening, all of a sudden you find 'em sat in front of their desks, the tears pouring on the blotter.
[Smiley looks at him critically]
Mendel: I thought I ought to say what's on my mind.
George Smiley: I think Peter will manage... You heard something about his murderous assignment in French North Africa, I suppose?
Mendel: Something. Whispers.
George Smiley: Peter was overmatched, and lost. His agents were hanged. No one recovers entirely from that sort of thing. That is, I wouldn't trust a man... who did.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2012)

Just about as good as it gets

Sir Alec Guinness is so good at being George Smiley that John LeCarre claims he can no longer write the character about without seeing Guinness' face. The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, and the script captures the novel almost flawlessly. It takes six hours because the story is complex and ranges over many years and many characters, but it is so well-written and acted that the any viewer with an attention span longer than that of a gnat can easily keep track of who did what and when, so that the ultimate unmasking of the traitor may be a surprise, but it is not a shock.