The second of the BBC's well-regarded serialisations of John Le Carré's espionage bestsellers, Smiley's People is slightly less compulsively watchable than Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy if only because Tinker, Tailor had a much stronger plot premise (who is the mole in British Intelligence?) than Smiley's People, which takes a very long time to come into focus. Retired spymaster George Smiley (Alec Guinness) wanders around Europe and visits a succession of desperate or eccentric characters as he plays a game which finally leads to another confrontation with and a possible... victory over his Moriarty-like Soviet arch-nemesis Karla (an expressive but silent Patrick Stewart). Directed by Simon Langton and coscripted by John Hopkins and Le Carré this is a leisurely mystery. It offers a cannily generous central performance from Guinness, who never takes off his scarf and does his best to fade into the background while a succession of striking character players hold centre screen; but slowly and by sheer presence he begins to dominate the panoramic view of European treachery, deception, and disappointment. Among the terrific supporting cast are Michel Lonsdale, Mario Adorf, Vladek Sheybal, Michael Gough, Alan Rickman (a tiny, early role as a hotel clerk), Beryl Reid, Ingrid Pitt, Bernard Hepton, Michael Elphick, Rosalie Crutchley, Michael Byrne, Bill Paterson, and Maureen Lipman. Smiley's People is more interested in character than thrills, with each cameo contributing another view of the human cost of the cold war: most of the old friends Smiley seeks out react to his reappearance by saying they never wanted to see him again, and victory is only possible because Smiley discovers that his opposite number has a weakness that makes him almost sympathetic. It was originally broadcast in six hour-long episodes, and its intelligent approach works better if you watch episode-length chunks, letting one sink in before going on. --Kim Newman [show more]
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Once again called out of innocent retirement, the shy and retiring master of espionage George Smiley (Alec Guinness) traces an enemy infiltrator in the department where he was once the prize employee and finds himself going back over some very old ground... Actors Alec Guinness, Mario Adorf, Eileen Atkins, Michael Byrne, Beryl Reid, Michael Elphick, Barry Foster, Michael Gough, Curt Jurgens, Eugene Lipinski, Maureen Lipman, Michael Lonsdale, Bill Paterson, Ingrid Pitt & Alan Rickman Director Simon Langton Certificate 15 years and over Year 1982 Screen Fullscreen 4:3 Languages English - Dolby Digital (2.0) Stereo Subtitles English for the hearing impaired Duration 5 hours and 37 minutes (approx)
British masterspy George Smiley (Alec Guinness) returns to his old department following the murder of his friend, General Vladimir, a Russian who once worked for British Intelligence. When it transpires that Vladimir was in fact a double agent, Smiley becomes engaged in a battle of wills with his old nemesis, Karla of Moscow Centre.
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