Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

[Marky B]

A few years,there was a one off awards ceremony about thew greatest television actor in the history of the media.

Two of the most obvious candidates was Alec Guinness in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Derek Jacobi in I Claudius. However,guess who was voted bythe people as the greatest actor in the history of British television - Colin Firth as Mr D'Arcy in Pride and Prejudice.

Now,I am not deriding Colin Firth's acting talents,but Alec Guinness' performance in Tinker... was a yardstick for acting and in the late great man,you are talking about one of the greatest actors...ever!

When actors and actresses win an award voted by the viewers,they always say "this was given to me by the people who really matter". It is often won by people who are the flavour of the month,or the best looking ones on television,or the ones who are forever in the media for various antics.

I think Colin Firth only won because he was flavour of the month and it took the shine of the title "greatest actor" in television history.

Has anyone else got any favourites?

Ta Ta

Marky B

(PS:Actually I preferred Smiley's People - I understood it a bit better!)

thumbs_u

[Gibbie]

Well stated Marky B. I think Tinker was one of the most historically important movies made on British culture. It really captured a subtly important time for Britain (that is what LeCarre was on about - and it was more than Thatcher's period or anything about pop music or Lady Diana's wedding, etc). The press and academia still don't get it. George Smiley was the champion, but Jim Prideaux was the hero. I think the Mole was a take off of Guy Burgess. Tinker was historical. Smiley's People was back to Cold War show down and was quite a twister tale.



Jacobi was excellent, but I think Guiness was above that. BTW, on the DVD, LeCarre is interviewed and is one of the best interviews on an author that I've seen.



I have a friend in Surrey who just loved Pride and Prejudice. The 90s was definately the Chick Flick era. All the same, Firth is a good actor and it was a well done period piece.



Over the years, we have gotten a lot of the top in British TV. Other favorites of mine are McGoohan in Danger Man and The Prisoner, who showed character development and struggling continuity; Diana Rigg in The Avengers, who was a fine actress in the comic drama; Jeremy Brett as Holmes, who was the finest Holmes and closer to the text than previous Holmes; and John Thaw as Morse, who was better than the books (he exemplified the tension in his era). More recently, I have enjoyed Ioan Gruffudd's Hormblower. Although, I think the strong hand in that series was Robert Lindsay as Captain Pellew.



It should be noted that over the years, Michael Gough has been a tremendous supporting actor. He seemed to mostly play a complex character, whether good or bad and that always gives depth to a program.



There have been many other good acting moments, but I think Guinness takes top honors as the tragic champion in Tinker.



Gibbie

[dar111]

I'm a great fan of Guinness but having just seen Tinker Tailor, I feel its overrated. I haven't read the novel but he seemed too old to play the cuckold husband stung by remarks about his wife. Also the endless close ups of Guinness barely registering did not strike me as some brilliant acting lesson any more than Peter Sellers as Chauncey Gardner did (another overrated flick). Ian Bannen was wonderful, though, and made the series watchable.

[Gibbie]

The story was a fin d'siecle/end of era story, telling much through nuance of conversation and actions and has more to say to the British zeitgeist than ours in America. It was also a tremendous story about perception and knowledge, which even went beyond LeCarre's perceptions - that is a great part of its art. You are right Dar, Bannen was the dramatic lynchpin.

[Hackett]

There is no doubt that Guinness's recognition for his portrayal of Smiley benefitted from the great casting (except Sian Phillips as his wife) in "TINKER,TAYLOR" specially the two Ian's Richardson and Bannan. Bannan was a top actor, impressive even in a bad film. I watched him the other night in Robert Aldrich's "TOO LATE THE HERO" 1969. Not a great film but as usual Bannan was up to anything the script could throw at him. Another actor turning in his cusomary class A performance was Denholm Elliott. Now I'm a great Elliott fan and if any other actor could have or even should have played George Smiley you need look no further than Denholm Elliott.

[dylan]

HACKETT:

Another actor turning in his cusomary class A performance was Denholm Elliott. Now I'm a great Elliott fan and if any other actor could have or even should have played George Smiley you need look no further than Denholm Elliott.

Other Smiley actors are Rupert Davies in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and James Mason in The Deadly Affair. Smiley was renamed *Charles Dobbs* in the latter - an adaptation of the first Smiley novel, Call For The Dead.

[Lord Brett]

I recall that one of Denholm Elliot's last appearences before his death actually was as George Smiley, in an ITV adaptation of le Carre's A Murder of Quality.



I havn't watched it since the original broadcast, but remember it being something of a disappointment.

[Gibbie]

Missed that one, but I recall promotion for it. Smiley is one of those characters that Guinness owns. Although, unlike a lot of actors - it doesn't own him.



Gibbie

[Gibbie]

Marky B:

A few years,there was a one off awards ceremony about thew greatest television actor in the history of the media.

Two of the most obvious candidates was Alec Guinness in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Derek Jacobi in I Claudius. However,guess who was voted bythe people as the greatest actor in the history of British television - Colin Firth as Mr D'Arcy in Pride and Prejudice.

Now,I am not deriding Colin Firth's acting talents,but Alec Guinness' performance in Tinker... was a yardstick for acting and in the late great man,you are talking about one of the greatest actors...ever!

When actors and actresses win an award voted by the viewers,they always say "this was given to me by the people who really matter". It is often won by people who are the flavour of the month,or the best looking ones on television,or the ones who are forever in the media for various antics.

I think Colin Firth only won because he was flavour of the month and it took the shine of the title "greatest actor" in television history.

Has anyone else got any favourites?

Ta Ta

Marky B

(PS:Actually I preferred Smiley's People - I understood it a bit better!)

Going back to an old thread...This last week, I just saw the whole series of Smiley's People for the first time since college when it came out in the early 80s. It was very well done and Guinness took Smiley's character up one more rung. Tinker and Smiley's People are are Part I and II show. Earlier I had written that I thought The Whistle Blower was the cap of the Cold War films (coming out later in the 80s). Actually, I now have to say it was Smiley's People. It also has a very good zeitgeist feel of the early 80s. Have to agree with Marky B about Guinness's Smiley as being the mark!



Gibbie

[Marky B]

I think if there is to be another poll by the viewers for the greatest television actor/actress/series etc ever,it would be good idea for a two tier vote. The first one should be to vote for nominees,rather than the nominees being selected by a panel. Then out of the nominees,the viewers could vote for the greatest whatever.

Perhaps come next year's National Television Awards :mad: ,David Jason might not get even nominated.

Don't get me wrong,I loved David Jason when he was Del-Boy,Granville etc,but it now makes me cringe that he gets the award for Best Actor,for playing the same character year in year out (a character not dissimiliar from Del Boy) because I'm afraid the viewers' scope doesn't go beyond him.

Back to the original point,Alec Guinness would win (in my opinion),Derek Jacobi a close second.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[samkydd]

For all fans of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy check out the BBC radio version which I've had on cassette for many years and never tire of listening to it. It was recorded in the mid-1980s and Smiley is played by Bernard Hepton (who was Toby Esterhase in the TV version) plus a host of excellent supporting characters including John Savident (Fred Elliot in Coro), Norman Bird, James Grout and many other "proper" British actors. Even Stephen Tomkinson gets a small part.



I enjoyed it more than the TV Series (which I saw for the first time this year) and is a must have travel item when away far from home.



I've been on the BBC Shop site recently and its no longer listed so E-Bay is probably the best bet!

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by samkydd@Apr 18 2005, 01:05 PM

For all fans of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy check out the BBC radio version which I've had on cassette for many years and never tire of listening to it. It was recorded in the mid-1980s and Smiley is played by Bernard Hepton (who was Toby Esterhase in the TV version) plus a host of excellent supporting characters including John Savident (Fred Elliot in Coro), Norman Bird, James Grout and many other "proper" British actors. Even Stephen Tomkinson gets a small part.



I enjoyed it more than the TV Series (which I saw for the first time this year) and is a must have travel item when away far from home.



I've been on the BBC Shop site recently and its no longer listed so E-Bay is probably the best bet!

Thanks for the info Samkydd.



Bernard Hepton was great in that series. He increased in importance in the follow up Smiley's People. If you are a fan of Hepton's, you might want to catch that series also.

[Jim S.]

Having watched Tinker Tailor for the 3rd time, I have become more impressed with the supporting cast. They really propel the show to greatness. Was it Ian Richardson as Bloody Bill? Excellent! Also loved the actors the played Peter Guilam (someone different in Smiley's People as I recall) and Toby Esterhase. To tell the truth, Sir Alec looks a bit lost sometimes. A fine portrayal none the less, very much how I pictured the character while reading the book.

Along with Smiley's People, my favorite espionage series.

Second place goes to Sandbaggers.

Then Connery's Bond followed by the Michael Caine Harry Palmer films.



Danger Man too!

[Gibbie]

Peter Guillam was played by Michael Jayston, who played Henry Ireton in Cromwell and Lewis Carroll in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He was considered for the Bond role once and has appeared in TV in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, the Eastenders and Dr. Who.



And, Michael Byrne played Peter Guillam in Smiley's people. He played the memorable part of Capt. Keene in Horatio Hornblower and, more recently, played in Beyond the Sea and Gangs of New York.



Both are good actors, I prefered Jayston as Guillam, yet with no slight to Byrne. I like continuity.



Per Guiness' part as Smiley, he actually was very perceptive and played out a trait that was/is very much apart of many men in the English speaking world after the war - a leader at work, but passive and weak in the home and in personal life. Guiness played that contrast very well. In this way, his fuzzyness makes sense.



Gibbie

[Marky B]

Originally posted by Gibbie@Apr 29 2005, 12:53 PM

Per Guiness' part as Smiley, he actually was very perceptive and played out a trait that was/is very much apart of many men in the English speaking world after the war - a leader at work, but passive and weak in the home and in personal life. Guiness played that contrast very well. In this way, his fuzzyness makes sense.



Gibbie

I remember a scene from TTSS,George Smiley was interrogating Ricki Tarr (Hywell Bennett). Guinness as Smiley,was doing his usual wiping of his glasses with his tie and when he donned them again,his cold hard gaze at Tarr displayed the spymaster's brain ticking away like a well tuned Swiss clock. No fisticuffs,no histrionics - just good acting.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[solar]

What a great series!

So far I have seen upto episode 3 of the first series. I think the dialogue is cleaverly written, and the story and characters are imaginative, and interesting.



Managed to get both disks from my DVD rental company, and they are really cool.

[Jim]

Originally posted by solar@Jul 6 2005, 08:00 AM

What a great series!

So far I have seen upto episode 3 of the first series. I think the dialogue is cleaverly written, and the story and characters are imaginative, and interesting.



Managed to get both disks from my DVD rental company, and they are really cool.

Looks like another good'un on BBC2 tonight - a 3-parter by William Golding. Get your sea-sick pills ready!



THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, BBC2, 9 - 10.30.

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by solar@Jul 6 2005, 08:00 AM

What a great series!

So far I have seen upto episode 3 of the first series. I think the dialogue is cleaverly written, and the story and characters are imaginative, and interesting.



Managed to get both disks from my DVD rental company, and they are really cool.

We have a long thread on this one, Solar. Smiley's People should be seen following Tinker Tailor.

[theuofc]

Last night when nothing else seemed to fit the bill, I put on the fine old John Le Carré thriller "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," (1979) which I have watched, oh...probably 15 times or more at intervals over the years. I bought it first in video and after many years of waiting, when it came out on DVD, I knew that at last I had one of my favorite books turned into the best format possible. Alec Guinness as my hero the inscrutable, compassionate George Smiley; a younger handsome Ian Bannen as Jim Prideaux; Michael Jayston as Smiley's loyal disciple Peter Guillam; Ian Richardson as the admired Boy Wonder, rotten to the core; and Sian Philips as Smiley's beautiful, adulterous wife you want to give a swift kick to...well, all of it, never fail to engage me in their world of twists and turns and masterful characterization. And let us not forget the excellent Beryl Reid as Connie, the Circus Memory. A perfect ensemble cast for this perfectly woven tale of intrigue. Michael Jayston as Peter is sorely missed in Smiley's People.



Happy watching, and if you want a fine read, pick up the book and enjoy each word written by the master wordsmith and creator of characters...John Le Carré.



Barbara

[Marky B]

Agreed,Barbara. Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy was a benchmark of British television,a supreme example of good television and a reminder that the BBC - as I often say - are the best television makers in the world WHEN they put their mind to it. And Alec Guinness' performance is peerless, a template for all actors to follow.

Ta Ta

Marky B