Mr. brown is a big Le Carré fan, and recently purchased the television series of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”, starring Alec Guinness, on DVD.
I like spy stuff, too, and I’m loving this series. But wowie, it’s complex. So far it has been one long exposition of secretive goings-on which had taken place before the current storyline. It’s no action-packed adventure (at least up to this point), but it’s still fascinating and the actors are superb. Sir Alec is of course a joy, and last night’s episode featured a bearded Patrick Stewart as a Russian agent. He and Alec Guinness had an interrogation scene, and I expected it to be a “who has the better voice” contest, but PS didn’t open his mouth once. He acted whole scenes with his eyes, though.
I have no clue who the mole is, although Mr. brown knows as he has read the books. Who else loves this series?
I have this DVD too but I’ve only watched it once, which isn’t enough to appreciate it. It didn’t help that it took half the series before I had Toby, Percy, and Hayden straight in my head.
I’d say what my favorite bits are but I don’t want to spoil anything. Have you met the Russian woman yet?
I loved the book and Netflixed the DVDs to watch with my boyfriend, as I’d heard it’s one of the best book adaptations ever. He hated it. HATED it. I liked it, but then I’d read the book. He thought it was incredibly boring, impossible to follow, and had the only interesting stuff at the beginning (which is a shame - the book keeps the action back until nearly the end.)
Well, it’s not like my boyfriend can’t follow complicated movies. I honestly think the book is a prerequisite. He quit caring after the first disc, I think.
Sad to note that Terence Rigby, who played Roy Bland, died just last week.
Like all TV drama from that era, the series plays incrediably slow by more modern tastes, but the performances are just wonderful.
Don’t miss the sequel Smiley’s People, which manages to be even slower, less “eventful” and yet even better.
I liked the series very much, but I’d read the book beforehand so that added an extra dimension. If you like it but find it complicated, then definitely consider reading the book which should clear up any confusion.
“Tinker, Tailor…” is the first book of the so-called Karla Trilogy.
The second book, “The Honourable Schoolboy” is fascinating, but I’ve read that most people feel that it could never be filmed, so you’ll need the book if you’re interested. It adds a bit more on Karla, though.
And of course “Smiley’s People” (also with Alec Guinness in the series) ends the trilogy.
For some interesting background, Smiley was introduced in some early LeCarre novels.
Since starting this thread, I bethought me to go over to Wikipedia and see if there was a synopsis of the story. There is, and it’s immensely helpful to me. It reiterates that which I know already and fills in some gaps. I was having trouble keeping the code words of projects straight - “testify”, and “witchcraft”, etc. I’ll only read so far so as not to spoiler it. Now I think I’ve got a grasp on the essentials.
AuntiePam, yes, we’ve seen the episode where Ricki Tarr, the agent, went to Lisbon and met with the Russian woman. We’re up to the interrogation of Karla (Patrick Stewart) scene and we’re going on to the next episode tonight.