Customer Reviews

Smiley's People [Region 2]

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

`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 co-produced by the BBC and Paramount Pictures, 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 the earlier BBC production of LeCarre's companion Smiley novel, `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 is disappointingly grainy, though the sound is adequate. But buyer beware: for some reason 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 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 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 the Brits 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!

SMILEY'S PEOPLE is a slight come down after the glories of TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, but this needs some explanation. The latter is in my opinion one of the three or four finest things ever produced for television, while the former is merely one of the fifty or so finest things. He is easily one of the best things ever to appear on TV; it simply fails to be as glorious as the preceding series.

Both series contain virtues that are rare in television: enormous patience in developing a complex and challenging narrative, a refusal to insult the intelligence of the viewer (instead of making every point achingly obvious, they assume we'll figure it out eventually), a willingness to be content with small moments of drama instead of epic action sequences, and acting that can compete with that of the most outstanding Shakespearean production. In every way, this is the anti-Jame Bond spy drama. Though George Smiley's nemesis Karla (played in both series by Patrick Stewart, a nonspeaking role he undertook several years before becoming famous in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION) emerges as a more than adequate villain, he would be by far the least charismatic bad guy in all of the Bond corpus. Narratively, almost nothing happens in contrast to a Bond film. The series contains the results of violence, but almost all of the actual violence takes place off screen, or even prior to the narrative timeline. Like a Bond film, the series features several international locations, but there is none of the cosmopolitanism of the Bond films, and absolutely none of the glamour. Indeed, much of the series features sets that are a bit dowdy, worn, or frayed. But the greatest contrast with the Bond films comes with George Smiley himself. Unlike Bond, Smiley is old, completely lacking in physical prowess, decidedly unsexy, fat, a complete failure in his relations with women, never seen with a gun in his hand, and in contrast to Bond's sizzling verbal repartee is laconic and sphinx-like. Yet, by the end of the series, one senses that Smiley's accomplishments in unraveling the mystery confronting him and the ends to which he puts the information he discovers are utterly beyond the abilities of the comparatively clumsy Bond. On top of all else, one gets the sense that real spying bears vastly more resemblence to Smiley's undertakings than Bond's.

A number of things make this a successful series, including superb direction, an excellent yet subtle score, a superb cast of mainly stage actors (including a very young Alan Rickman as a hotel desk clerk), and a fabulous script that manages to digest into filmmable form a very complex novel. But if one has to point to one thing, it has to be Alec Guinness. Although Guinness enjoyed a long and remarkably productive career, his portrayal of George Smiley represents one of the highlights of his career. It was also probably his last truly great role. To be honest, Guinness was in many ways inappropriate for the role. In the books Smiley is often described as looking froglike, a description that hardly applies to Guinness. He is also fat, and never quite fits into his expensive if traditional clothing. But Guinness enjoys in spades the one absolutely crucial quality that Smiley is also said to possess: a melifluous, melodidic, beautiful voice. I loved listening to Guinness throughout this series, almost never for what he said so much as for how he said it.

I've never been one for whom discs turned on the special features, but I should add for those for whom such things are important that this set has relatively little in that line. On the other hand, the images are quite vivid. In fact, SMILEY'S PEOPLE looks markedly better than did the earlier presentation of TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY. But all this aside, these two sets together represent absolutely essential viewing. Only only a very, very few occasions has anything better than this appeared on television, and just as rarely has television been graced with a performance as outstanding as Alec Guinness's depiction of George Smiley.

I'm torn as to how to review this set. The acting and story itself are superb, a glorious tour de force by Guinness and those around him, and Le Carre at top form -- though if I had to rate it I'd put it slightly behind "Tinker Tailor" in terms of gripping storytelling, this set is close behind. Rather than be duplicative, I'll let the other reviews speak for themselves on this element of the set.

But the transfer, the transfer is simply terrible. Someone cheaped out on the restoration of the sound in particular, and there are more than a few moments when the dialogue is essentially inaudible, a problem in a production as complex and deft as a BBC workup of a Le Carre drama. This is why I give this set three stars instead of the five the story and acting so richly deserve. Expect to have the sound cranked up uncomfortably loud while viewing, and still miss some dialogue.

You may be thinking that this is a thick American who doesn't understand English accents, but I followed every word of Tinker Tailor, which is a greatly superior transfer, though not itself great by any means.

Perhaps two of the most intelligent television miniseries ever made are the BBC adaptations of John le Carre's spy novels TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY and SMILEY'S PEOPLE, the latter being the sequel to the former. The late Sir Alec Guinness, who brilliantly starred as George Smiley in both, became identified with that character for all time.

As you may recall, TTSS and SP were the first and last books, respectively, of the Karla series. (The second, THE HONORABLE SCHOOLBOY, was never adapted to the small screen. The plot was considered too complex.) In TTSS, Smiley, formerly right-hand man to the Director of the British Secret Intelligence Service (the "Circus" or MI-6), is brought out of retirement to dig out a highly placed Soviet mole embedded in the Circus. In SP, it's several years later, and Smiley is brought out of retirement a second time by the politicians to "tidy up" after a Russian emigre, a former general, is brutally murdered on Hampstead Heath. Because the old soldier was an occasional source of information for the Service, the "Minister" wants George to make sure there's no embarrassment to the government in the affair. Smiley soon discovers that the killing has a link to Karla, his old nemesis in the KGB's Moscow Center. Karla has been a thorn in the side of MI-6 for years, and was the one who controlled the mole that was Smiley's quarry in TTSS. In SP, George finally brings Karla down.

Several of the characters appearing in TTSS appear also in SMILEY'S PEOPLE, providing a nice touch of continuity: Smiley, Oliver Lacon (the Minister's lackey), Anne (Smiley's wife), Connie (MI-6's Head of Research, retired), Toby Esterhasy (one of the high Circus executives under suspicion in TTSS), Karla, and Peter Guillam (Smiley's right hand in TTSS). And, except for the Guillam character, where Michael Byrne takes over the role from Michael Jayston, all actors from TTSS return in SP.

Some will think that the miniseries version of SP and the original book are boring: no special FX, no shoot-outs, no wild chases, and no babes. If that's what you want, then le Carre's stories are not for you. It's all about plot and character development, and the slow, methodical process of putting together the intricate espionage puzzle at hand. If the viewer hasn't read the original book, then he/she is advised to take notes as the storyline unfolds.

Had SMILEY'S PEOPLE been made for the Big Screen, then Guinness should surely have won an Oscar. George is the essence of inscrutable as he peers at his world through owlish, heavy-rimmed spectacles. Despite his name, he smiles only once - perhaps twice - during the entire six hour run time. Mild irritation is his only occasional manifestation of anger. Outside of his work, as Anne puts it rhetorically in TTSS, "Life's a great puzzle to you, isn't it George?" One senses a great deal of hurt in Smiley, much of it heaped on him by the same Anne, a serial adulteress. When someone says to Smiley, "My love to Anne", he may mean it, literally. Even Karla's mole in the Circus shared Anne's bed. But in his element, George has no equal in puzzle-solving, and Karla's days are numbered.

My other favorite performance in SMILEY'S PEOPLE is that of Bernard Hepton as Toby Esterhasy. As he stage manages in episode six the sting that will result in Karla's downfall, his enthusiasm is positively infectious. It brought a grin to my face, if not Smiley's.

The DVD also has an interview with le Carre. At one point, he describes the evolution of Smiley, his greatest fictional character. Interestingly, the author said he'd wanted to develop his hero's persona in future books -perhaps to show George's darker side - but was prevented from doing so by the public's merger of Alec Guinness and Smiley via the TTSS and SP screen productions. After all, Guinness is a British icon, and no liberties could be taken. Ironically, this resulted in Smiley's early demise and subsequent absence from later novels.

I cannot recommend SMILEY'S PEOPLE, or TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, too highly. Obtain them both, and settle down for twelve hours of magnificent Cold War drama.

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!!

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.

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!

I loved this story after reading the book and when I first saw it on PBS. So I went and bought the BBC cassette version tapes from amazon UK years ago. I worked at an ad agency and was able to get the PAL tapes transferred to US VHS. I watched it many time and was very disappointed to see how this DVD version has been butchered. As I learned from an IMDB review at least 40 minutes have been cut and many scenes simply make little sense without the background material that was cut. Many of the music accents have been cut also (case: when George find the cigarette package in the tree). I have no idea if the original cut is still available, perhaps the BBC DVD version for sale has the original but I'd buy a multi-region player and get that version before buying this one.

"Smiley's People," a six-hour, six episode television series by the British Broadcasting Company, was directed by Simon Langton; and adapted for the screen by John Hopkins, and the author of the book of the same title on which it is based, British spymeister John LeCarre. Upon the television series' 1982 release, it was nominated for an Emmy, and many other awards, several of which, including the Emmy, it won. The LeCarre book on which it is based is the last of the highly-lauded British cold war trilogy, dealing with the struggle of English spy George Smiley, and his Russian nemesis, Karla.

The plot opens as Smiley, once again out of power in the British secret service, called the circus by LeCarre, gets wind of Karla's acting in a possibly irregular manner. Smiley, with his lifetime of experience in the spy trade, immediately realizes that further investigation and maneuvering by the British may just result in great strategic victory. The LeCarre book on which this serial is based is another of the author's greatest hits. It boasts a complex, yet crystal clear plot, a wide variety of deeply drawn characters, witty writing and dialogue, and a solid footing in its author's spycraft experience. Mind you, both book and tv series are slower, more interior, and more intellectual than American treatments of the subject matter might be. But if you can get past the absence of car chases, you should agree that the BBC, in this effort, preserved the book's outstanding plot and dialogue, and gave it its then typical no-expense spared mounting. It boasts location shots, cars, and extras galore; great star acting in the many principal roles.

Alec Guinness, reprising his role as Smiley from "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," the BBC's previous all-star serialization of the author's engrossing novel of the same name, first of the Smiley-Karla trilogy, must be considered first among equals. He gives Smiley a matchless solidity, and a transparent inner life. But for a change, the women here have fully-realized parts as well, and do more than honorably by them. Beryl Reid reprises her role as Connie Sachs from the first series. We finally meet Smiley's everlastingly unfaithful, treacherous and beautiful wife, as played by Sian Philips. Eileen Atkins is memorable as Mme. Ostrakova, with whom the action begins in Paris. Finally, Rosalie Crutchley acquits herself well as a nun, Mother Felicity.

The male actors are also a mixture of reprises, and new to the parts. In addition to Guinness, Patrick Stewart revisits his role as the powerfully silent Karla. Bernard Hepton is Toby Esterhase; Anthony Bate, Oliver Lacon. They're joined by Barry Foster, fresh from success as the cheerful cockney killer in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy,"playing the unctuous Saul Enderby;and, as assorted Russians, Curd Jurgens, Michel Lonsdale,and Michael Gough.

There may, marginally, be fewer interesting characters, and a less compelling plot--after all, everyone loves a whodunit-- in "Smiley's People" than in "Tinker Tailor." But there's so much great stuff here, it would be churlish to complain.

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.