Smiley's People

Rating:
Summary: Finally to DVD!!!
Review: Alec Guinness is genious in his role. A great show with a little to satisfy everyone's palate. I used to watch this great show on PBS so long ago. This show offers espionage, sabotage, government corruption, spy games, deceit, sex, lies, and videotape. Hitchcockish? Yes, but its' twists and turns will keep you guessing to the end. I was able to get an advanced copy of this yesterday and I sat through all 3 disks. Fantastic transfer considering the age of the source print. Colors are vibrant, blacks are nice and deep with very, very little rimming and no edge enhancement was apparant. Sound is Dolby 2.0 at best but dialogue is clear and sound effects are very convincing. Great set to pick up!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome sequel to Tinker, Tailor...
Review: All the virtues of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy are present in the Smiley's People miniseries. I'm in awe of Alec Guinness. As a leading actor, this production was probably his swan song, but what a way to go out!

Smiley seeks to unravel the mystery of one of his old commrades who turns up face down in the park, dead. He does this through a series of extensive interviews with friends and likely suspects, like a combination of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. The end of this knowledge may enable Smiley to set a trap for his old nemesis, Karla.

Guinness has perfected the art of naturalism in acting through minimalism. There is no distracting gesticulation and exaggerated emotion. Guinness brings Smiley into three dimensions simply by intelligence and quietness.

This is a complicated story that unfolds over nearly six hours of programming. Patience and attention will be required to enable the viewer to enjoy and understand the plot progression. Movie fans who favor large explosions, kung fu fighting, and car chases down the wrong lane of a freeway ought to look elsewhere for entertainment. They will probably find the "talking heads" nature of this miniseries boring.

Personally, I'd rate this in the top ten miniseries ever done for TV. It beats most academy award winning films of the past two decades.

Technically, the image quality is superior to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It is slightly sharper and slightly less grainy. There is a problem with the audio. On my set, the soundtrack to episodes 1 and 4 were somewhat muffled, leading to a bit more difficulty in deciphering the dialogue (especially given that many of the characters have accents -- Russian, French, etc.). I cannot explain why the other episodes sounded perfectly adequate, but 1 and 4 were muffled. Shoddy work in the mastering! Turn up the treble on your amplifier when listening to part 1 and 4.

Apart from that glitch, this is a five star program. I rate it slightly higher than Tinker, Tailor, because I found the plot slightly easier to follow, probably due to better editing.

Rating:
Summary: A splendid adaptation of George Smiley's swan song.
Review: For those who loved the BBC production of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", "Smiley's People" is required viewing. Most of the cast is back for this sequel, which wraps up Tinker Tailor's story arc. In Smiley's People, we find Smiley called back from retirement (again) to clean up after the murder of an old anti-Bolshevist activist in the middle of London's Hampstead Heath. The story that unfolds is a classic le Carré meditation on the twilight of the Cold War, solitude and the secret places in the human heart.

On the whole, I felt that this adaptation was not quite as fleshed-out as Tinker Tailor. It seemed at times like the script was hitting only the high plot points in the novel and missing some useful backstory. Also, I thought that Sir Alec was not quite as comfortable in George Smiley's skin as he was in the earlier series. There are a couple of scenes that feel awkward, such as his outburst during his visit with Connie Sachs. However, these are minor quibbles. Smiley's People remains one of the all-time great TV dramas.

The production values are higher here than in Tinker Tailor. They used better film stock and there's noticeably less grain. The cinematography and sound design linger more on small details-things such as a plate of half-eaten sausage, a box of yellow chalk and a thumbtack stuck into a post add a palpable richness to Smiley's People and provide a poignant backdrop to the story.

Finally, Disc 1 of this 3-disc set features a fascinating interview with Le Carré taped in 2002. It is not to be missed. All-in-all a highly recommended addition to the DVD collection of any le Carré fan.

Rating:
Summary: Superb BBC Production Of LeCarre's Masterpiece!
Review: Like the other famous best-seller turned BBC series coming from the unchallenged master of the intelligent spy thriller John LeCarre, this original teleplay is an absorbing treatise on the hidden and conflicted corners of the human heart, the many ways in which our own natures feed into and extend the darker impulse of a society bent on pursuing the secrets and treachery that ever lurks for the unsuspecting victim. Here, in the finale of LeCarre's three best-selling novels tracing the pilgrim's progress of George Smiley, the intrepid and unlikely hero of the post-industrial Western world, Alec Guiness wonderfully reprises his role as George Smiley, concluding LeCarre's marvelously convoluted narrative. Thus do we trace the continuing history of human perfidy, moral compromises, and treachery native to the world of British intelligence.

In "Smiley's People", the object of Smiley's ministrations is once again thrust toward achieving final revenge against the legendary Karla, the Chief of the Soviet Covert Espionage Bureau, played masterfully in an understated fashion by Patrick Stewart. Having stuck a devastating blow against Karla previously through the ingenious employment of Jerry Westerby in the Far East, Smiley now turns to using an assassination in London of an obscure Eastern European émigré and would-be counter-revolutionary into an entry-point into Karla's domain, and as the Circus (British Intelligence) begins to unravel the many points of light this careful sifting of signs through tradecraft, they discover the one irresistible lure they need to tempt Karla out of the darkness and into their waiting clutches. Given all the murder and mayhem that Karla has visited both on the Circus in general and on George Smiley in particular, there is a number of levels of revenge operating here, and these the production faithfully mines in exploring the impulses, rational and otherwise, that propel such human urges.

The cast of characters and the supporting cast are marvelous in revealing the onion skin as it continually peels away in this intelligent, taut tale. The plot, as usual, is ingenious, intricate, and horrific in its human toll, played out against a landscape of the far-flung persons and places across the European landscape, from London to Berne to Deep inside the former Soviet Union. Once again we are whisked away on a cautious yet beautifully choreographed adventure into the heart of darkness of ourselves, and we shouldn't be surprised to find some scar tissue and broken bones as we descend deeper into the tortuous caverns we keep hidden in our subconscious realms.

LeCarre is nothing if not a superb chronicler of the ways in which our own natures become a battle ground for the struggle between good and evil, the good we can be for others, and the evil we do to them and ourselves by subscribing to ideologies, almost any ideology, that finally forces us to choose between our values and our duty. This is a marvelous video production, eminently faithful to the text from which it springs, a stunning example of the sophistication, complexity, and sheer intelligence of sensitive film-making and astonishing in its depiction of the subterranean world of international espionage. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Superb BBC Production Of LeCarre's Masterpiece!
Review: Like the other famous best-seller turned BBC series coming from the unchallenged master of the intelligent spy thriller John LeCarre, this original teleplay is an absorbing treatise on the hidden and conflicted corners of the human heart, the many ways in which our own natures feed into and extend the darker impulse of a society bent on pursuing the secrets and treachery that ever lurks for the unsuspecting victim. Here, in the finale of LeCarre's three best-selling novels tracing the pilgrim's progress of George Smiley, the intrepid and unlikely hero of the post-industrial Western world, Alec Guiness wonderfully reprises his role as George Smiley, concluding LeCarre's marvelously convoluted narrative. Thus do we trace the continuing history of human perfidy, moral compromises, and treachery native to the world of British intelligence.

In "Smiley's People", the object of Smiley's ministrations is once again thrust toward achieving final revenge against the legendary Karla, the Chief of the Soviet Covert Espionage Bureau, played masterfully in an understated fashion by Patrick Stewart. Having stuck a devastating blow against Karla previously through the ingenious employment of Jerry Westerby in the Far East, Smiley now turns to using an assassination in London of an obscure Eastern European émigré and would-be counter-revolutionary into an entry-point into Karla's domain, and as the Circus (British Intelligence) begins to unravel the many points of light this careful sifting of signs through tradecraft, they discover the one irresistible lure they need to tempt Karla out of the darkness and into their waiting clutches. Given all the murder and mayhem that Karla has visited both on the Circus in general and on George Smiley in particular, there is a number of levels of revenge operating here, and these the production faithfully mines in exploring the impulses, rational and otherwise, that propel such human urges.

The cast of characters and the supporting cast are marvelous in revealing the onion skin as it continually peels away in this intelligent, taut tale. The plot, as usual, is ingenious, intricate, and horrific in its human toll, played out against a landscape of the far-flung persons and places across the European landscape, from London to Berne to Deep inside the former Soviet Union. Once again we are whisked away on a cautious yet beautifully choreographed adventure into the heart of darkness of ourselves, and we shouldn't be surprised to find some scar tissue and broken bones as we descend deeper into the tortuous caverns we keep hidden in our subconscious realms.

LeCarre is nothing if not a superb chronicler of the ways in which our own natures become a battle ground for the struggle between good and evil, the good we can be for others, and the evil we do to them and ourselves by subscribing to ideologies, almost any ideology, that finally forces us to choose between our values and our duty. This is a marvelous video production, eminently faithful to the text from which it springs, a stunning example of the sophistication, complexity, and sheer intelligence of sensitive film-making and astonishing in its depiction of the subterranean world of international espionage. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Once upon a time in Switzerland......
Review: SMILEY'S PEOPLE continues the series begun in SOLDIER, SAILOR, TINKER, SPY, so do your self a favor and buy them both. It's hard to describe the plot of this series without giving away clues from the prior series, but suffice it to say, in SP George Smiley continues his "cleanup" of operations at the Circus.

Several of the actors appearing in the previous series appear again in this series. Those missing are dead or incarcerated. New actors are introduced as spies and superspies from both sides of the wall. The cover features a nighttime shot of a defection not unlike the scene in THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD. Will he make the crossing or be shot be his own side as they realize what is happening?

When I first watched the series (both SPY and SP) I found one scene in the latter - when Smiley visits his old pal Molly forcibly retired from the Circus, and living out from Oxford on a dark road in the "country" - particularly frightening. Molly functioned as a research librarian at the Circus before her dismissal, and she has incredible amounts of knowledge tucked away in her brain. Smiley and the other Secret Serivice analysts charged with synthesizing information collected in the field by British operatives, and coming up with the "Big Picture" depended on Molly. The viewer gets the distinct impression that Molly knew something that some insider did not want shared around. Does Smiley's visit put her in danger? Will she be shot to keep her quiet? Dead bodies do pop up in this series, which in some ways is more frightening than the first set.

Watching both series is a great way to spend a weekend, and I recommend them both.


Rating:
Summary: Even better in DVD ... better than the VHS, better than TTSS
Review: SMILEY'S PEOPLE seems to suffer in reviews when compared to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but having watched both this weekend in their DVD format, I think Smiley's People delivers more satisfaction overall, particularly for someone familiar with Cornwall (Le Carre).

TTSS was first and foremost a mystery (Is there a mole? If so, who is the mole? How do we trap the mole?). This one is something different. The mystery (why was Vladimir shot?) is pretty well resolved by the middle of the affair.

Smiley's People is a dramatic explication of the catalog of techniques known as to readers as the "tradecraft" ... from "Moscow Rules," to "Honey Pots", to "The Burn," to "The Interrogation," to the use of "Lamplighters" and "Scalphunters," just to watch Alec Guiness go through these processes is a master class in cold war humint.

And the performances are also better: Le Carre (in DVD interview) admits that Guiness so "owned" the character of Smiley at this point, that he intended "Smiley's People" as the last time to use the character (althought he previously had plans had been for an entire series of Smiley mysteries) because he had lost control over it. It is obvious in Guiness's performance that he owns the role, moreso than in TTSS. Similarly, Tobe Esterhazy, Connie Sachs (not Molly as noted below), and Peter Guillame are more comfortable in their portrayals than previously.

No question: this is one of the great mini-series... now we need to see The Perfect Spy and Noble House on DVD too!!

Rating:
Summary: Top rate LeCarre from the BBC . . . but beware
Review: `Smiley's People' wrapped up the three John LeCarre Cold War novels concerning George Smiley, the lumpy, unprepossessing but brilliant British spymaster who plays a deadly game with his Russian nemesis, Karla, in the dark world of East/West espionage. As played marvelously by Alec Guinness in this filmed version from the BBC, no matter how bland his character attempts to be he is always the center of attraction, though surrounded by great, mostly British character actors, among others Bernard Hepton as the shady, pseudo-sophisticated Toby Esterhase; Anthony Bates offering a somewhat more vulnerable version of his trademark supercilious performance as Smiley's former superior; Eileen Atkins as the doughty émigré mother of a long lost daughter who Karla has picked for his own daughter's new persona; Michael Lonsdale as one of Karla's bumbling Russian agents-in-place; and Barry Foster, in a delightful comic turn as the new head of the British `Circus' which has brought back the retired Smiley for one more foray out into `the cold.' Michael Byrne competently takes over the role of Smiley's protégé Peter Guillam from Michael Jayston (marginally better) in `Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.' Although based on a dubious premise - Karla is looking for a covering `legend' for his daughter, a schizophrenic, whom he desires to be treated in the West rather than in Russia - once accepted the film slowly but powerfully builds to the final confrontation between the two long time adversaries.
Though Karla himself is played by the accomplished actor Patrick Stewart, make no mistake about it: if he hadn't gone on to stardom on American TV as Star Trek's Captain Picard, his effective but non-speaking mini-role would hardly have been noted. The DVD, typical of many BBC releases from film rather than video is disappointingly grainy, though the sound is adequate. But buyer beware: for some reason the BBC for their American market has released the cut, PBS version, which is minus several excellent scenes. At the end of the Foster turn, for example, when he suggests to Smiley that they now retire to the rooftop garden for further discussion (during which he avows, in a display of typical Le Carre cynicism, that if the Karla operation is blown the Circus will disavow both it and Smiley), the next scene instead opens the following day with the operation already begun. Also missing is a delicious later scene when Hepton in his inimitable fashion `persuades' the overbearing Lonsdale that the latter's sudden attempt to hold the operation ransom is misguided at best. Why the BBC chose to do this is a mystery, since I was able some years ago to obtain a tape copy of `People' from an original BBC master, and there should have been no reason why they didn't use such a master for this release.
Nevertheless the movie is still highly recommended; now if only the BBC would finally release that other masterpiece of English spycraft, Len Deighton's `Game, Set and Match' starring the splendid Ian Holm, our libraries of these more intelligent forays into the underworld of Cold War espionage would be just about complete!