Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)

Quite possibly the greatest television drama of them all. There are no pyrotechnics or snappy dialogue. If you are watching for either, you will be disappointed. This is a very slow burning, gripping game of chess that enthrals from the start. Subtle and nuanced, with a plot that grabs you by the brain and never lets go. ALL of the performances are top notch, with Alec Guinness giving a superb performance as Smiley (the most unlikely hero of them all) and Beryl Reid, Ian Richardson, Hywel Bennett, Michael Jayston, and Alexander Knox also magnificent. Special mention must go to Ian Bannen as the haunted, patriotic Jim Prideaux who acts his socks off while his character loses so much as the plot unfolds. Nothing short of a masterpiece.

A second viewing of 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', and it was so easy to watch all episodes in a row in one night once again. I'm not sure who else could play Smiley so perfectly as Alec Guiness did, as I am also not sure if I really want to try the remake with Gary Oldman, even if he is a great actor, too...The story, the acting and the settings in 'Tinker...' are often very much understated and subtle (although there are plenty of emotional eruptions as there are picturesque sceneries), as is Smiley's investigation, which is the wrapped around the many stories that are at play here. Smiley is the ultimate analyst of this complicated world of cloaks and daggers, who brings as much heart as intelligence into the process. After the death of 'Control' (what an appropriate name), he is the one who should put things right, having quite a few bones to pick, but on the other hand, not so much else do either, really. And his wife...? Their conversation at the end, their only one throughout the whole series, tells so much.A very big 9 out of 10 for now.

I re-watched this after two decades. I have never read the novel so I am not in a position to appraise the adaptation from book to screen.This was a prestige BBC adaptation and a lot of money was spent on getting Alec Guinness star as Smiley and some location set pieces. However once you get over such trappings the production values are still very much interior settings. Briefings in rooms and what not.Guinness is all stillness, lettings others to do the talking and revealing themselves a little too much. Just as Karla did the same to him some years ago. Only Nigel Stock manages to ruffle his feathers.This gives other actors such as Hywel Bennett, Ian Richardson, Joss Ackland, Beryl Reid a chance to shine whilst Guinness looks on.The drama demands concentration from the viewer, it is dense, a lot of chatter regarding the world of spooks. The Circus does look a lot like the old public school network. Whereas even in those days the secret service had enough of the shifters and drifters as shown in other spy novels.Hywel Bennett as Ricki Tarr, Michael Jayston as Peter Guillam and Ian Bannen as Jim Prideaux shows how dangerous, mean and ruthless such spies can be. Tarr has told so many lies that the truth is so hard to tell without adding some shade.At the Circus Ian Richardson punctures the pompous atmosphere as he displays undercurrents of rebellion. Patrick Stewart makes a silent cameo and right at the end Mrs Smiley makes an appearance, a person we hear so much about throughout the series.

As in the case of other reviewers, I had seen the original on PBC over thirty years ago and had despaired of seeing the series issued in DVD format in the US. After seeing the film version which was nice but one that pales in light of the original BBC series, I learned the series was available now and my copy arrived last week (along with Smiley's People) and I immediately watched them again to even, if possible, greater delight. As a rare bookseller, I have let valuable books remain uncataloged but this was nourishment that I needed and though I still read several books a week in my old age, this along with the Russian version of War and Peace remind me that one does not have to have lobotomy while viewing nonbook media.Richard Murian