elisedfr
When General Vladimir, a former MI6 agent, is murdered, no one thinks of warning an old Russian lady settled in Paris. No one knows he was Mme Ostrakova's only hope to understand the weird and perhaps dangerous situation she is into, after Russian authorities approached her to permit her estranged daughter to join her in France, and that she has still never seen the sight of her. On the other hand, George Smiley, the middle aged spy master, is once again put out of retirement to investigate about this mysterious case. Or rather, from Whitehall's imperious order, to bury it. And the more he looks into it, the more he's convinced this would be a very bad idea...Smiley's People happens a few years later TTSS: actually the third part of a novel trilogy by John Le Carré, whose second part, was never filmed. George Smiley is not the Circus chief anymore and has come back to semi-retirement and complicated marriage with Ann. His successor, Saul Enderby, is "an Atlantic man", a bureaucrat just as scrupulous than Percy Allelline, but a bit more clever. And Smiley is quite reluctant with working for the Circus again, until he learns it could lead to the fall of his old nemesis Karla : the elusive, cause-committed, high officer of Moscow Center. In some aspects, this miniseries is very similar to the previous : from the almost identical casting to the same idea of Smiley investigating through reminiscences of the past and crucial encounters. And yet, the rhythm as well as the mood, leave the impression of a change. While a part of TTSS's charm and almost flawless tempo was in a highly structured a plot, SP drifts, slows down then gets quicker, taking Smiley from London to Hamburg, Paris, Berne and finally Berlin. Because of this, the spy's quest looks more hazardous , almost blurring. The tone is also different, both cruddier and sadder. A feeling of danger wraps all the episodes and sheer violence explodes once in a while, often in the most powerful moments : in the screams of panic of Tatiana, a young schizophrenic girl, in the brutally erotic dance of a Hamburg brothel, and most of all in the discovery of a butchered body on a boat while ashore, some guys are trying to break Smiley's car. And the general atmosphere is one of nostalgia and failure (though humor is still present): this is the post- Haydon era, after the mole has been found out to be the most charismatic person of the Circus. The shadow of his treachery is still very alive for the characters, who have lost those last hopes they possessed in TTSS. George Smiley, among all, has felt the blow. Turning from a compassionate spy to a wandering, self-doubted soul, who will go for every method to get Karla, and still asks himself if it's worth it. Alec Guiness did a magnificent job in pursuing his portray of Smiley, suggesting disgust and disillusion behind his calm facade. Supporting characters have grown weary as well: Connie Sachs, (Beryl Reid), is almost dying and she works harder than ever to give her precious memories to Smiley, Peter Guillam (Michael Byrne, the only important cast change who's fine but not as much as Jayston in TTSS) still likes fast cars but seems to have said his youth goodbye, Karla ( Patrick Stewart) appears as a frail little old man, who makes dangerous choices out of concern for his daughter; Ann Smiley (Sîan Phillips) must face definite separation. Even Cabinet Secretary Oliver Lacon (Anthony Bate) is going through a depression after his wife has left him. Only Toby Esterhase (refreshingly funny Bernard Hepton) who has gone back to his Hungarian origins and his profession of selling forgeries, seems to enjoy himself now- yet, it's Esterhase who says to Smiley: " We're over. They don't want us anymore".New characters fit well this feeling of discouragement. The young ones are outshone by their heroic oldsters:they try to escape from them and fail like Villem; or to reach their level and fail, like Mostyn. Old timers such as Vladimir (Cürd Jurgens) and Otto Leipzig (Vladek Sheybal) who want to go back on the battlefield are not trusted and treated as mild eccentrics by the Circus. Enderby appears as an ambiguous new chief of MI6 : his smarmy attitude and cynical jokes indicate a mocking despise for both his colleagues and adversaries; and yet he seems almost fascinated by the obstinate fight Smiley wages, so different from his own. He's played well, if a bit over the top by Barry Foster. There is also a little Russian bureaucrat (Michael Lonsdale), an ordinary man with human faults, who gets stuck in a secret plan he understands better than he's thought of. As for Tatiana " the daughter of a man too important to exist" (Tusse Silberg) , she's probably the most moving figure of the story-An innocent girl who sees too clearly the shadows of her traumatizing past.Pehaps a shade less limpid than its prequel, this mini -serie still gets a fine direction by Simon Langton, a compelling script, a lot of fascinating scenes which makes it truly unforgettable. The reunion between George Smiley and Toby, his oldest protegé, with friendship coming over mistrust; Grigoriev's interrogation, from light humor to drama; Smiley meeting Tatiana at the Swiss clinic: "Are you God?" asks the girl, "No, I'm just an ordinary person" answers Smiley; and the final, empty exchange of looks of the spy and Karla near the Berlin frontier. Oddly enough, my favorite moment is when Smiley is unable to enter in a boat which is far away from the pier and shouts for help. James Bond would have taken a submarine out of his pocket. That's the kind of things that makes Smiley close to us. Imperfect, sure he was, like all his people- spies, clerks, crooks, politicians, victims, double-agents... But he really was human.
dcurrie623
Judging by the other comments on this site, this episode of the 2 Smiley-BBC productions seems to disappoint some of it's fans. In my opinion, this is only slightly less praiseworthy than Tinker, Tailor and that is due to the previous high standard of its predecessor.SP has excellent character parts, particularly Bernard Hepton as Tobe Esterhazy, Beryl Reid, and even the maligned Barry Foster as Saul Enderby. (His outstanding scene with Guinness on the roof after the consideration of Smiley's evidence about Karla is outrageously deleted in the Acorn DVD version. It's one one of my favorite moments.) Everyone in this production is outstanding and equal to their forbears in TTSS - almost all of whom are them! The fact that virtually every key person is back reprising their roles says a lot about the quality of this production. Mario Adorf plays another vivid character, Claus Kretschmar. Dammit, every actor is interesting, alive and vivid in this story.I guess the discrepancy is due to the fact that this is an entirely different sort of thing than TTSS. This also is a detective story but with a different dynamic. Nonetheless the same qualities make this must viewing for every Smiley fan. SP has excellent character parts all of whom add texture to the slow unfolding of this tale. And that is what is good about it - the story unfolds with pieces coming to light after each of Smiley's interviews. (To anyone who has never seen the Smiley stories this might sound like a recipe for boredom, but in fact it is just the opposite. So yeah, you have to pay attention.) Now for the bad news.The Acorn DVD is a travesty.With about forty minutes cut and scenes shortened and juxtaposed, this is NOT the Smiley's People that appeared on PBS and the BBC videotape. While the story can be followed and enjoyed to a point, there are moments when the cutting is abrupt and the story jumps with the viewer wondering why some things are happening and 'did I miss something?'. The answer is yes. For example, Villem's part is cut and his reason for going to Hamburg are not explained. The previously mentioned Enderby-Smiley scene is nowhere to be found.I don't know where or why this particular 'version' of Smiley's People was found or used but it as an extreme disappointment to me and to viewers who are coming new to this film. No wonder it gets such mixed reviews.With the story stretched to 3 DVDs surely someone should have noticed.A great film, a very disappointing DVD.
delaine-3
I have read the books and seen the films countless times, and I am always held captive by the tales themselves. Guiness is incredibly subtle, showing pain, disgust, sadness, and finally determination with a mere eyebrow raised, a pinch of his lips, and a furrowed brow.All the actors play their roles extremely well. I am particularly impressed by Eileen Atkins and Bernard Hepton. Even though, I assume due to time constraints, certain scenes from the book have been abbreviated, the general feel of the book - the increasing pressure and passion as we creep to the conclusion - is heart stopping.I believe this is one of the great classic films of the 20th century.
