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Smiley's People [1982] [DVD]
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Directed by Simon Langton and coscripted by John Hopkins and Le Carré 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, Alan Rickman (a tiny, early role as a hotel clerk), 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. It was originally broadcast in six hour-long episodes, and its intelligent approach works better if you watch episode-length chunks, letting one sink in before going on. --Kim Newman
RRP: £15.99
Our Price: £5.00 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
The second of the BBC's well-regarded serialisations of John Le Carré's espionage bestsellers, Smiley's People is slightly less compulsively watchable 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).
Quite simply, sublime
Review date: 2010-08-25 Rating: 10 out of 10
I have reviewed other BBC dramas on this site and all of them have been very positive (Tinker, Tailor...., Edge of Darkness, House of Cards) and this is right up there with them. First class drama. A masterclass in character acting although the plot plods along sometimes. It takes a while to gather some pace but when it gets going it draws you in and you lose all track of time as you try to keep pace with the twists and turns. Although not as convoluted, and some would say interesting as a result, as TTSS it still has surprises and builds to a fitting climax. Although many reviews have (rightly to my mind) praised the very fine acting mention should be given to Simon Langton, the director, who got the best out of the cast. At 350 minutes running time, I wouldn't recommend watching this in one session. Watch it in episoidal sittings otherwise you will literally lose the plot.
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Reviews
smiling not laughing!
Review date: 2010-07-30 Rating: 6 out of 10
This is really dated and it shows, the best way to describe, a BBC production of Shakespeare from the same period against a more recent outing. Guinness is one of the more positive aspects, however as he plays the grey man so well, even the viewer tends to ignore him. It requires a lot of concentration, keeping up with names, code names, pet names and differing personas/identities of various individuals, but this should have been expected, it's about spies and 007 it is NOT!
Smiley's People. DVD
Review date: 2010-07-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
A masterpiece of television drama, a tremendous cast headed by the unapproachable Sir Alec Guinness. A riveting script embellished by the undoubted talents of the like of Bernard Hepton, Beryl Reid, Patrick Stewart. A tour-de-force of what drama the UK and the BBC in particular can produce. Magnetic viewing.
The Definitive Smiley?
Review date: 2010-06-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
I am old enough to remember this series on TV and enjoyed it then. As a sequel to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy, Alec Guinness is even more convincing as the weary spymaster.
Haulled out of retirement again, Smiley pieces the evidence together against his old adversary Karla to a gripping conclusion.
This is a wonderful antithesis of the all-action blockbuster, but it's a wonderful plot to lose yourself in.
There is a very charming interview at the end with David Cornwell (John Le Carre), on how he persuaded Alec to play the role. Having done Tinker,Tailor; Smiley's People was re-drafted to better fit Guinness's character.
If it was good enough for John Le Carre, it's certainly good enough for me!
Enjoy.
Engrossing story splendidly told
Review date: 2010-06-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
The radio adaptation of John Le Carre's splendid novel, recently broadcast on the BBC, with Simon Russell Beale as the eponymous George Smiley, was truly gripping. But for those who had not read the original book it was sometimes difficult to make sense of the complex plot, full of twists and turns, and peopled by a wide range of characters with long foreign names. This television version, made by the BBC in 1982, with magnificent Alec Guinness returning to the role of the taciturn spymaster which he had so vividly created in the 1979 production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy, makes the tale easier to absorb. Characters with faces (some quite famous) and visual locations and settings help to give the plot depth and comprehension.
The story is set at the fag-end of the cold war. George Smiley has long retired from The Circus, the British Secret Service's London headquarters. But the murder of one of his old agents, an eccentric Russian army general, sets him off on an investigation which, he slowly realises, gives him an opportunity to entrap and defeat his arch-enemy Kala, the head of Soviet intelligence who, over many decades, has proved to be a deep thorn in the side of Britain's worldwide spy network.
The six-part series, now captured on two DVDs, is beyond reproach. It highlights those glorious days when the BBC could take a serious book, create a serious adaptation and present it in a serious manner without any sense of dumbing down or jazzing up. This is not to say that Smiley's People is not entertaining. It is literary drama at its highest level.
Product Details/Specifications
Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503118327
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2004-06-28
Number of discs: 2
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 349 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1982-10-25
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Dutch (Original Language)