Smiley's People : Complete BBC Series [1982]

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).

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

Customer Reviews:

Superlative Television........2007-12-11

Not quit as good as Tinker Taylor, the productions values are up there with the former; but you just knew the script was bad news for Karla! Still a great series, and superlative television, lots of well known faces acting their thespian socks off. And the great Alec Gunnies, absolutely believable as George Smiley; dawn to the smallest twitch of an eyebrow. This is very good television, where as Tinker Taylor is very very good television. If you have the first, you must have `Smiley's People' also.

Brilliant portrayals of British and Soviet spies.......2007-12-09

This is a quite wonderful performance from one of the best British character actors - Alec Guinness. His portrayal of George Smiley, an ex spy master, brought out of retirement because his nemesis in Soviet intelligence, Karla, (portrayed excellently in silence by Patrick Stewart)reveals a weakness that leads ultimately to his downfall at the hands of Smiley. Buy this if you like real life espionage stories rather than the James Bond type fantasies.

Simply unmissable.......2007-09-15

Six episodes on 2 dvd's plus interviews with le Carré himself and John Irvin.
This adaptation of Smiley's People is as faultless as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. No cut corners and absolutely true to the book. Brilliant acting throughout - I was surprised to see one reviewer below saying Barry Foster was "appalling" as Saul Enderby. Enderby is supposed to be appalling. Foster plays him superbly in my opinion.
The interview with John Irvin reveals that Alec Guinness thought Arthur Lowe more suitable for the part of Smiley. No disrespect to Arthur Lowe, but Guinness' portrayal of Smiley is perhaps one of the greatest performances in televisual drama.
They shot TTSS and SP on film, and the quality of the picture is excellent. The directing is first class, as is the cinematography.
What a shame they never made The Honourable Schoolboy - though making that would have been the entire BBC budget for a year I imagine.
I would recommend anyone to buy these two BBC gems as soon as possible, especially at the prices they're now going for on Amazon.

the impassive vicar.......2007-07-07

"George, you are too young to die!". Tracing back the steps of Vladimir and Otto, the moves of Kirov and Gregoriev, Smiley not only unravels the 'Karla conundrum" but also accomplishes what it seemed an impossible task.

A Masterclass.......2006-11-24

This is an object lesson in how to present a complicated story on TV. It is wonderful from start to finish. Every actor seems to be right for their character and the portrayal of George Smiley in all his moods and feelings is superb. The storyline follows the book closely. This is the kind of thing BBC did to perfection without unnecessary gimmicks. Every time I watch this I'm absorbed by the story, even though, of course, I know the ending.

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