"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (1979) TV series

Director:

John Irvin

Writers:

John le Carré (novel) and
Arthur Hopcraft (dramatisation)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

29 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

George Smiley has been retired for about a year when he finds a friend from the circus, his old outfit...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | British Intelligence | KGB | Mole | Espionage

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	George Smiley (7 episodes, 1979)
Michael Jayston	...	Peter Guillam (7 episodes, 1979)
Anthony Bate	...	Sir Oliver Lacon / ... (7 episodes, 1979)
George Sewell	...	Mendel (6 episodes, 1979)
Bernard Hepton	...	Toby Esterhase (5 episodes, 1979)
Ian Richardson	...	Bill Haydon (5 episodes, 1979)
Hywel Bennett	...	Ricki Tarr (5 episodes, 1979)
Terence Rigby	...	Roy Bland (4 episodes, 1979)
Ian Bannen	...	Jim Prideaux (4 episodes, 1979)
Michael Aldridge	...	Percy Alleline (4 episodes, 1979)
Alec Sabin	...	Fawn (4 episodes, 1979)
Alexander Knox	...	Control (3 episodes, 1979)
Duncan Jones	...	Roach (3 episodes, 1979)
Daniel Beecher	...	Spikely (3 episodes, 1979)

Also Known As:

Calderero, sastre, soldado, espía (Spain) [es]
König, Dame, As, Spion (West Germany) [de]
Mullvaden (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

290 min | UK:350 min (7 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bywater Street, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

John le Carré claims that Alec Guinness "stole my hairstyle" for George Smiley.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the outdoor daytime scene where Smiley converses with Prideaux, they are tracked by the camera as they walk across a field. At one point, when they are nearest the camera, the shadows of some crew members are just about visible on Prideaux's coat.

Quotes:

Control: And now there's a Witchcraft committee! The Minister's in the chair, Alleline's vice-chairman. Merlin's become an industry, it's THE industry and I'm not employed!
George Smiley: You won't even read Alleline's reports.
Control: I haven't time! Buying their way in with counterfeit money, tell them that. Tell them anything, I need time! There are three of them, and Alleline. Sweat them, George, bully them, any damn thing, give them whatever they eat, I need time!

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Smiley's People" (1982)

I can only add to the other comments:

I can only add to the other comments: this is a superb film. It is absolute proof that a TV mini-series can stand beside the best cinema films with honor. I have rarely paid $7.00 for just 87 minutes of anything this good. If I could vote on it, it would get a 9. The writing is rich; the acting, excellent; the theme, deep; the technical quality only slightly inhibited by a presumably small budget. When I consider the BBC's obsession with the mass market peddling of dull costume dramas, I cannot understand why this astringent tragedy is not available, at least in the US, on video or DVD. In about 20 years, this will have the sort of mythic reputation given to lost or damaged movies of the teens and twenties--more deservedly than most of them.