The film, starring gary oldman as george smiley, along with colin firth, tom hardy. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy stars alec guinness as george smiley, john le carres familiar, aging british intelligence agent, called out of retirement to discover the identity of the highranking russian mole who has burrowed deep into the circuscodename for the british secret service. Alec guinness in tinker tailor soldier spy 1979 like it or not, the 1979 bbc version of tinker tailor solider spy with alec guinness will forever be compared to the 2011 feature film with gary. The reallife spies of tinker tailor soldier spy film. The tv series of tinker tailor, with alec guinness as smiley, allowed itself all the space and time required to let bureaucratic logic. Dec 19, 2011 everything you need to know about tinker tailor soldier spy. John irvin directed and jonathan powell produced this adaptation of john le carres novel tinker tailor soldier spy 1974. Guinness received a british academy television award for best actor for his performance.
Bbc tinker tailors director, john irvin, now 79, is one of the few people still alive who was involved in the production. Since the time of its publication, the novel has received critical acclaim for its complex social commentary and lack of. Jan 03, 2017 tinker tailor soldier spy episode 1 duration. For one thing, as good as gary oldman is in the lead role, many consider guinness who reprised the part in 1982s smileys people to be the definitive smiley. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy is a movie version of master spy novelist john le carres 1974 cold war novel.
The six episodes of tinker tailor soldier spy are approximately 5052 minutes long, and none of them is particularly fastpaced. Whereas the recent movie staring gary oldman was le carre with all the le. The story begins with a british spy, named jim, meeting control, the aging head of the british secret service, codenamed the circus. Yes, the book contains more detail, but may details are covered by innuendo, scene or background detail in the movie. Tinker tailor soldier spy is a thoughtful take on complex spy narrative. Dec 09, 2011 tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, with gary oldman as george smiley, skillfully mined from john le carres book, is a mystery about spies spying on spies.
Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, the alec guinness version is available on dvd from acorn media, the new excuse me the new movie version starring gary oldman is out on screens, i. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1979 alec guinness tobys. Rent tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1980 on dvd and blu. The miniseries, which stars alec guinness, alexander knox, ian richardson, michael jayston, anthony bate, ian bannen, george sewell and michael aldridge, was shown in the united kingdom from 10 september to 22 october 1979 and in the united states beginning on 29 september 1980. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1979 alec guinness tobys questioning. Dec 16, 2016 tinker tailor soldier spy is a sixpart 1979 british television miniseries adaptation of john le carres classic spy novel of the same name. A still of alec guinness in tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1979. The truth is, if old major dover hadnt dropped dead at taunton races, jim would.
And what about the shadow cast by alec guinness, who played george smiley in a. It follows the endeavors of taciturn, aging spymaster george smiley to uncover a soviet mole in the british secret intelligence service. Tinker tailor soldier spy tv miniseries 1979 tinker. The bbcs tinker, tailor, soldier, spy may not be as flashy as more recent espionage dramas, but it would be difficult to find a role or performance more substantive than alec guinness george smiley. Rent tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1980 on dvd and bluray. George smiley, the aging master spy of the cold war and once heir apparent to control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the circus.
He plays superannuated spymaster george smiley in the new movie version of john le carre s tinker, tailor, soldier, spy. The opening sentence of tinker tailor soldier spy, a 1974 novel by john le carre, runs as follows. No thrilling car chases and no big action scenes, but rather a series of weary men, smoking and drinking tea or whiskey, in a series of conversations that circle an enigma. Sep 05, 2019 terence rigby and alec guinness in tinker tailor soldier spy. In the bleak days of the cold war, espionage veteran george smiley is forced out of semiretirement to uncover a soviet agent within mi6s echelons. Tinker tailor soldier spy full episode watch online.
The sites summary called the film a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director tomas alfredson pieces together with utmost skill. Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggarman, thief. Yet the author himself once said that sir alec guinness made smiley his own. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy smileys people double pack. In tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1979, smiley has been in retirement for some time, some say owing to his mishandling of the czech scandal. Tinker tailor soldier spy released on 29 sep 1980 in theater with 290 minutes in length, tinker tailor soldier spy get 8.
Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, the alec guinness version is available on dvd from acorn media, the new excuse me the new movie version starring gary oldman is out on screens, i guess. Jan 11, 2012 tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, an adaptation of john le carres 1974 novel of cold war espionage games, is a puzzle of a highly rarefied order. In the bleak days of the cold war, espionage veteran george smiley gary oldman is forced from semiretirement to uncover a soviet agent within mi6. Filled with political intrigue if you are willing to follow along. The music from composer alberto iglesias wrote the most beautiful and understated score for tinker tailor soldier spy. George smiley, the aging master spy of the cold war and once heir apparent to control, is brought back. Tinker tailor soldier spy is about the search for a highlevel soviet spy within mi6, the british intelligence service. Since the time of its publication, the novel has received critical acclaim for its complex social commentary and lack of sensationalism, and remains a staple of the spy fiction genre. Tinker tailor soldier spy is a 1979 sevenpart drama spy miniseries made by bbc tv. There is an unavoidable temptation to compare the 2011 tinker tailor soldier spy with the 1979 alec guinness miniseries of the same name. The screenplay was written by bridget oconnor and peter straughan, based on john le carre s 1974 novel of the same name. The miniseries, which stars alec guinness, alexander knox, ian richardson, michael jayston, anthony bate, ian bannen, george sewell and. And what about the shadow cast by alec guinness, who played george smiley in a sevenhour 1979 bbc miniseries. Tinker tailor soldier spy was broadcast as three onehour episodes, from sunday 29 november to sunday december 2009 in bbc radio 4s classic serial slot.
John irvin directed and jonathan powell produced this adaptation of john le carre s novel tinker tailor soldier spy 1974. Tinker tailor soldier spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director tomas alfredson pieces together with utmost skill. When the bbc television adaptation with alec guinness was on the air in 1979, this was contemporary drama. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy stars alec guinness as george smiley, john le carr. Produced for british television in 1979, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy ranks high on the shortlist of adaptations that rise fully to the source materials challenges, thanks in no small part to guinness.
He is known for his six collaborations with david lean. Herbert pocket in great expectations 1946, fagin in oliver twist 1948, col. Nicholson in the bridge on the river kwai 1957, for which he won the academy award for best actor, prince faisal in lawrence of arabia 1962, general yevgraf zhivago in. Tinker tailor soldier spy tv miniseries 1979 full cast. Tinker tailor soldier spy looks, sounds and feels exactly right. First shown on american television in 1980, and released on bluray in 2012, this tense, taught espionage thriller does an excellent job of preserving the essence of le carres superb book. But the screenplay, by bridget oconnor and peter straughan, is not a model of clarity. With a feature film of john le carres tinker, tailor, soldier, spy to open in december, theres still time to discover or revisit the 1979 tv. Tinker tailor soldier spy stars alec guinness, ian richardson, ian bannen, hywel bennett, michael jayston, and a host of other superb british character actors, all of whom perform brilliantly in this tv miniseries. The joy of tinker, tailor, soldier, spy in novel form and in the tv series is that all interpretations are possible. Tinker tailor soldier spy is a 2011 cold war spy thriller film directed by tomas alfredson. He has done something rarely attempted by stars of yearend oscarbait movies. First shown on american television in 1980, and released on bluray in 2012, this tense, taught espionage thriller does an excellent job.
Oct 23, 2011 with a feature film of john le carres tinker, tailor, soldier, spy to open in december, theres still time to discover or revisit the 1979 tv version, which starred alec guinness as. But id be surprised if anyone were led to the same ruminations by the film. Tv series first broadcast in 1979 that starred alec guinness as smiley. Corbridge crescent, cambridge heath, london e2 one by one, british agents meet up with the russian contact polyakov at safe house 3 corbridge crescent, e2, on the regents canal in cambridge heath, which aficionados of london film will recognise this as the. Guinness reprised the role in smileys people 1982, and twice won the british academy television award for best actor for his portrayal of the character. Tinker tailor soldier spy full movieenglish youtube. Yes, we imagine, international espionage is probably pretty much like this. Alec guinness, milos kirek, eugene lipinski, brian hawksley, thorley walters, susan kodicek, hilary minster, pauline. Tinker tailor soldier spy 1979 is an awesome and breathtaking tv show directed by na with contains a lot of great actors and actresses in his best performance too. Rent tinker, tailor, soldier, spy 1980 starring alec guinness and ian richardson on dvd and bluray.
Everything you need to know about tinker tailor soldier spy. Tinker tailor soldier spy tv miniseries 1979 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. With alec guinness, michael jayston, anthony bate, george sewell. Guinness was reluctant to appear on television, but accepted the part of george smiley in the serialisation of john le carres tinker tailor soldier spy 1979 after meeting the author. The miniseries, which stars alec guinness, ian richardson, michael jayston, anthony bate, ian bannen, george sewell, and michael aldridge. The miniseries, which stars alec guinness, alexander knox, ian richardson. Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy smileys people double pack dvd. Guinness, jayston, and bennett are especially noteworthy as george smiley, peter guillam, and ricki tarr respectively. This slowburning, complicated, and ultimately rewarding bbc adaptation, dramatized by arthur hopcroft and directed by john irvin, perfectly captures le carres own insight into the shady underworld of.
Terence rigby and alec guinness in tinker tailor soldier spy. Tinker tailor soldier spy visit movie tt40800 synopsis. With gary oldman, colin firth, tom hardy, mark strong. I confess i was confused some of the time and lost at other times. There is sweet jazz and lots of delicate piano melodies to listen to while you watch. Tinker tailor soldier spy is a 1974 spy novel by british author john le carre. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis karla the sandman of the kgb and reveal. Sep 27, 2012 the joy of tinker, tailor, soldier, spy in novel form and in the tv series is that all interpretations are possible.
Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy by john irvin alec guinness. The farmiloe building, 2836 st john street, clerkenwell, london ec1 tasked with ferreting out the traitor in their midst, smiley and his two trusted aides set up their headquarters in the glumlooking hotel islay, supposedly near liverpool street station. Alfredsons film is faithful to the tone set by the novel. Barring that, even postcold war mystery fans will relate well to tinker,tailor, soldier, spy. Previously, the book was made into an excellent 1979 tv miniseries starring alec guinness. In the new movie tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, master spy george. In the 1979 bbc miniseries tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, alec guinness starred as john le carres george smiley, a retired spymaster who is called upon to help finger a soviet mole in the highest.
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