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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy(TV series)

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For the 2011 film adaptation, seeTinker Tailor Soldier Spy(film).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Opening title
Based onTinker Tailor Soldier Spy
byJohn le Carré
Written byArthur Hopcraft
Directed byJohn Irvin
Starring
Theme music composerGeoffrey Burgon
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No.of episodes7
Production
ProducerJonathan Powell
CinematographyTony Pierce-Roberts
Editors
Running time
  • UK: 315 min
  • US: 290 min
Original release
NetworkBBC2
Release10 September(1979-09-10)–
22 October 1979(1979-10-22)
Related
Smiley's People

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spyis a 1979 British seven-partspydrama by theBBC.John Irvindirected andJonathan Powellproduced this adaptation ofJohn le Carré's novelTinker Tailor Soldier Spy(1974). The serial, which starsAlec Guinness,Alexander Knox,Ian Richardson,Michael Jayston,Bernard Hepton,Anthony Bate,Ian Bannen,George SewellandMichael Aldridge,was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. The US version wasre-editedfrom the original seven episodes to fit into six episodes.

The series, which received widespread acclaim, was followed bySmiley's Peoplein 1982.

Plot[edit]

George Smiley,deputy to the head of theBritish Secret Intelligence Service,has been forced into retirement in the wake of Operation Testify, a failed spy mission inCzechoslovakia.The Chief of the Circus, known only asControl,had sent veteran agentJim Prideauxto meet a Czech general who supposedly had information identifying a deep-cover Soviet spy planted in the highest echelons of the British Secret Intelligence Service—known as the Circus, because of its headquarters atCambridge Circusin London.

The mission proved to be a trap, and Prideaux was shot in the back, captured and tortured by the Soviets. Control was disgraced by Testify and replaced by his rival Percy Alleline. Control's obsession with the possibility of a Soviet mole at the Circus was not shared by others in the organisation, who insist that any leaks and failures at the Circus were due to Control's incompetence. On the contrary, Alleline and the rest of the new leadership team at the Circus believe thattheyhave a mole, code-named Merlin, working for them in Moscow Centre, the KGB headquarters, passing them secrets in an operation code-named Witchcraft. Others in the British and American intelligence communities have been impressed with the information produced by Witchcraft, and Alleline and his team are regarded as a refreshing change from Control.

More than a year after Testify and the shake-up at the Circus,Ricki Tarr,a British agent gone missing inLisbon,turns up in England with new evidence backing up Control's theory of a mole at the Circus. While on a routine mission Tarr had been approached by Irina, a low-level Soviet agent who claimed to know the identity of the mole and wanted to trade it for permission to defect. As soon as Tarr informed the Circus of Irina's offer, she was abducted by the KGB and spirited back to Russia. Tarr, convinced he had been betrayed by the mole Irina was going to identify, believed that he would also be targeted and murdered. Returning to London secretly, Tarr contacts Oliver Lacon, a senior civil servant who is the liaison between the Circus and the British Cabinet.

Before his ousting, Control had narrowed his list of suspects to five men – Roy Bland, Toby Esterhase, Bill Haydon, Percy Alleline, and George Smiley – all of whom occupied high positions in the Circus. Knowing the Soviet spy is highly placed in the Circus, Lacon cannot trust the Circus to uncover the mole or even allow its personnel to know of the investigation. Smiley, who had been fired along with Control while Control's other four suspects were promoted, is recalled by Lacon and given instructions to expose the mole. With the help of hisprotégé,Peter Guillam,who is still in the Circus, Smiley begins a secret investigation into the events surrounding Operation Testify, believing it will lead him to the identity of the mole, whom Moscow Centre has given the cover nameGerald.

Smiley learns that Operation Witchcraft uses asafehouseto meet with Aleksey Aleksandrovich Polyakov, a Soviet agent. Polyakov appears to hand over valuable intelligence material but this is actually "chickenfeed", and the operation is a cover by which Gerald passes valuable material to Polyakov. Smiley forces Toby Esterhase to reveal the location of the safe house. Tarr is sent toParis,where he sends a coded message to Alleline about "information crucial to the wellbeing of the Service". This triggers an emergency meeting between Gerald and Polyakov at the safehouse, where Smiley and Guillam lie in wait.

The mole is revealed to be Bill Haydon. Haydon is debriefed by Smiley but is killed by Jim Prideaux before he can beexchangedwith the Russians.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Shortly before filming began, Alec Guinness asked author John le Carré to introduce him to a real spy to aid him in preparing for his role. Le Carré invited Guinness to lunch with SirMaurice Oldfield,who served as Chief of the British Intelligence Service from 1973 to 1978. During their meal, Guinness intently studied Oldfield for any mannerisms or quirks that he could use in his performance. When he saw Oldfield run his finger around the rim of his wine glass, he asked whether Oldfield was checking for poison—much to Oldfield's astonishment, as he was only checking how clean the glass was.[1]

The series was shot on location in London, including some of the intelligence agency scenes which were shot in theBBCoffices; inGlasgowfor scenes inCzechoslovakia,atOxford University,atBredon SchoolinGloucestershirewhere the character Jim Prideaux was a master, and elsewhere.[2]

Music[edit]

The end credits music, an arrangement of "Nunc dimittis"(" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace ") from theBook of Common Prayer(1662), was composed byGeoffrey Burgonfor organ, strings, trumpet, andtreble;the score earned Burgon theIvor Novello Awardfor 1979[3]and reached 56 on theUK Singles Chart.The treble on the original recording,Paul Phoenix,was a tenor in theKing's Singerslater in his career.[4]

Broadcast[edit]

The series was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. In the US. it was broadcast onPBSas part of itsGreat Performancesseries, and included commentary fromRobert MacNeiland LeCarre.[5]

In the US, the syndicated broadcasts werere-editedfrom the seven original episodes broadcast in the UK to fit into six episodes.[6]The overall running time is about the same.[7][8]

Reception[edit]

At the time of its release in the United States in 1980,Washington Post,television criticTom Shalescalled the series "intricate and fascinating," and described its episodes as "six scintillating and delectable hours."[9]

New York Timestelevision criticJohn J. O'Connorcalled Guinness's performance "uncommonly brilliant." Guinness, he said, could "say more with a slight parting of his lips than most actors can say while shouting from the rafters. He pointed out that Guinness was superb in the role even though he was older and not as heavy as Smiley was described in the novel. O'Connor praised the supporting cast and said that Hopcrofts's script was" tenaciously faithful to the spirit of the novel. "[5]

Awards and honors[edit]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1980
 British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series or Serial Jonathan PowellandJohn Irvin Nominated [10]
Best Actor Alec Guinness Won
Best Actress Beryl Reid Nominated
Best Design Austen Spriggs Nominated
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Costume Design Joyce Mortlock Nominated [11]
Best Film Cameramen Tony Pierce-Roberts Won
Best Film Editor Chris Wimble andClare Douglas Nominated
Best Film Sound Malcolm Webberley Nominated
Best Graphics Doug Burd Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Drama Series Won [12]
Best Actor Alec Guinness Won
1981
 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Limited Series Jac Venza,Jonathan Powell, and Samuel Paul Nominated [13]

Legacy[edit]

Writing in 2011,Guardiancritic Toby Manning wrote that the series "is still unmatched in its evocation of the chilly, cynical cold war era".[14]

In a retrospective review inThe New York Times,Mike Hale lauded Guinness's performance, ( "It's conventional wisdom that Guinness's performance is a landmark in TV history, and you won't get an argument here, though if you're watching it for the first time, you may wonder at the start what all the fuss is about." ) and cited the production's pacing versus current techniques, stating, "Audiences used to the pace of the modern TV crime or espionage drama will need to reorientate themselves."[15]Retrospective reviewers favourably compared the series with the2011 film version,also citing le Carré's praise of the original and referring to Guinness's performance.[16][15][17][18]

Le Carré cited the series as his favourite filmed adaptation of his work, attributing this to his experience collaborating with Guinness.[19]

Home video[edit]

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spywas released on VHS in 1991 (BBCV 4605) and 1999 (BBCV 6788). It was released on Region 2 DVD in 2003 (BBCDVD 1180), and in 2011 bundled withSmiley's People(BBCDVD 3535). A remastered Blu-ray edition was released in 2019 (BBCBD0465).

References[edit]

  1. ^le Carré, John (11 October 2002)."Over lunch, he turned himself into a spy".The Guardian.London.ISSN0261-3077.OCLC60623878.Retrieved5 January2013.
  2. ^Powell, Jonathan (25 October 2011).Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Production Notes(DVD). Disc 1:Acorn DVD.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^"Geoffrey Burgon, British composer".The Boston Globe.Associated Press.24 September 2010.Retrieved12 September2012.
  4. ^"Voices of angels: child stars".The Daily Telegraph.17 November 2010.
  5. ^abO'Connor, John J. (29 September 1980)."TV: Guinness in 'Tinker, Tailor, Spy'".The New York Times.Retrieved17 December2023.
  6. ^Kung, Michelle (2 December 2011)."'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Miniseries Director John Irvin on the New Film ".The Wall Street Journal.Retrieved26 December2014.the seven-episode series – which was condensed to six episodes for U.S. audiences
  7. ^"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Episode guide".BBC.Retrieved19 May2022.
  8. ^Zabel, Christopher (27 May 2013)."Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) Review".DoBlu.com.Retrieved19 May2022.
  9. ^Shales, Tom (29 September 1980)."The Spies Have It".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved17 December2023.
  10. ^"BAFTA Awards: Television in 1980".British Academy Television Awards.Retrieved16 October2023.
  11. ^"BAFTA Awards: Television Craft in 1980".British Academy Television Craft Awards.Retrieved16 October2023.
  12. ^"1980 Awards".Broadcasting Press Guild.Retrieved16 October2023.
  13. ^"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Great Performances)".Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.Retrieved16 October2023.
  14. ^Manning, Toby (14 January 2011)."Your next box set: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved17 December2023.
  15. ^abHale, Mike (21 October 2011)."Spycraft Dispensed With Appropriate, Deliberate Speed".The New York Times.Retrieved30 April2018.
  16. ^"A Second Look: 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' miniseries".Los Angeles Times.27 November 2011.Retrieved12 July2021.
  17. ^Thomas, June (8 December 2011)."Gary Oldman's Good, but Alec Guinness Was Great".Slate.Retrieved30 April2018.
  18. ^Lane, Anthony (12 December 2011)."I Spy".The New Yorker.Retrieved30 April2018.
  19. ^le Carré, John (8 March 2002).Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A Conversation with John le Carré(DVD). Disc 1.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: location (link)

External links[edit]

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