Smiley's People

( 3 )

Overview

A sequel to 1980's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this BBC miniseries once again focuses on British spy George Smiley (Sir Alec Guinness), once again called out of retirement, this time by the fussy Oliver Lacon Anthony Bate, to deal with a scandal in the British spy establishment. An ex-Russian general and British spy (Curt Jurgens) is found brutally murdered in a London park after frantically contacting the British Secret Service. His cryptic message: "Tell Max it concerns the Sandman." It seems that the general...
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More About This Product

Overview

A sequel to 1980's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this BBC miniseries once again focuses on British spy George Smiley (Sir Alec Guinness), once again called out of retirement, this time by the fussy Oliver Lacon Anthony Bate, to deal with a scandal in the British spy establishment. An ex-Russian general and British spy (Curt Jurgens) is found brutally murdered in a London park after frantically contacting the British Secret Service. His cryptic message: "Tell Max it concerns the Sandman." It seems that the general and his crony Otto Leipzig (Vladek Sheybal) were cooking up a scheme to blackmail the head of the Russian secret service, Karla (Patrick Stewart), when they were murdered. Smiley gathers his old associates (almost all the actors reprising roles from the first miniseries) and picks up the general's harrowing trail. He finds that Karla has been secretly supporting a daughter in the West through almost comically inept intermediaries such as Grigoriov (Michael Lonsdale). This information allows him to face off against his old adversary and avenge the humiliation he and his agency suffered with the double agent Karla had in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Made in 1982, the sequel has one major casting substitution: Michael Byrne instead of Michael Jayston as Peter Guillam, Smiley's faithful lieutenant. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr.
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Special Features

Closed Caption; Exclusive interview with John le Carré (20 min.); Production notes; Glossary of main characters and terms; Cast filmographies; Le Carré biography and booklist
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide
Smiley's People almost pulls off the rarest of tricks: It is almost, but not quite, as good as its predecessor, 1980's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Its failure to be as good probably rests in its not quite having the crackling suspense of the original and a storyline not quite as good as Tinker Tailor's. Although director John Irvin adds some "action" sequences, this miniseries seems more stage-bound than its predecessor. Still, the miniseries offers rich compensations, including uniformly fine performances. First is the late Sir Alec Guinness reprising his role as George Smiley. Guinness and screenwriter John LeCarre, who wrote the screenplay based on his best-selling novel, infuse Smiley with a real disgust at the ineptitude and timidity of his supervisors (primarily Barry Foster, having a great time as the foppish, eccentric spy boss Saul Enderby). Smiley's People also has more humor than its predecessor, particularly with Michael Lonsdale. Playing a sad sack but thoughtful Russian blackmailed into betraying his boss, Lonsdale falls apart with hysterical self-centeredness. It's a funny, crafty performance that adds life to what could have been a dragging homestretch.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/4/2011
  • UPC: 054961869299
  • Original Release: 1982
  • Source: Acorn Media
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Repackaged
  • Language: English
  • Time: 5:24:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 9,918

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Alec Guinness George Smiley
Vass Anderson Carson
Eileen Atkins Madame Ostrakova
Anthony Bate Oliver Lacon
Andrew Bradford Ferguson
Jonathan Burn Edmonds
Patrick Stewart Karla
Michael Byrne Peter Guillam
Jan Carey Hospital Sister
Jean Champion Monsieur La Pierre
Francois Clavier Man in warehouse
Peter Guinness Hare Krishna Monk
Technical Credits
Simon Langton Director
John Le Carre Screenwriter
Patrick Gowers Score Composer
John Hopkins Screenwriter
Kenneth MacMillan Cinematographer
Jonathan Powell Producer
John le Carre Original Story
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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Smiley's People
1. News From Moscow [9:20]
2. The General [12:55]
3. Calling Max [9:53]
4. Authorized Version [10:47]
5. Avoid Scandal [10:23]
1. Flat 6B [9:20]
2. Straight and Steady [12:55]
3. It's About Vladimir [9:53]
4. His Vicar [10:47]
5. Negative Image [10:23]
1. News From Moscow [9:20]
2. The General [12:55]
3. Calling Max [9:53]
4. Authorized Version [10:47]
5. Avoid Scandal [10:23]
1. Flat 6B [9:20]
2. Straight and Steady [12:55]
3. It's About Vladimir [9:53]
4. His Vicar [10:47]
5. Negative Image [10:23]
Disc #2 -- Smiley's People
1. Name is Benati [11:05]
2. Retirement [8:34]
3. Filling the Gaps [12:26]
4. About a Girl [7:37]
5. The Blue Diamond [13:36]
1. Looking for Otto [8:48]
2. Water Camp [11:40]
3. Blackmail Material [9:46]
4. Removals Job [11:53]
5. Rogue Elephant [11:06]
1. Name is Benati [11:05]
2. Retirement [8:34]
3. Filling the Gaps [12:26]
4. About a Girl [7:37]
5. The Blue Diamond [13:36]
1. Looking for Otto [8:48]
2. Water Camp [11:40]
3. Blackmail Material [9:46]
4. Removals Job [11:53]
5. Rogue Elephant [11:06]
Disc #3 -- Smiley's People
1. Kirov [10:44]
2. Spells It Out [9:50]
3. Goodbye Ann [11:20]
4. Berne [11:01]
5. Asylum [10:21]
1. Grigoriev [12:27]
2. Key to Karla [12:49]
3. Alexandra's Secret [10:39]
4. Letter [5:42]
5. Berlin [11:42]
1. Kirov [10:44]
2. Spells It Out [9:50]
3. Goodbye Ann [11:20]
4. Berne [11:01]
5. Asylum [10:21]
1. Grigoriev [12:27]
2. Key to Karla [12:49]
3. Alexandra's Secret [10:39]
4. Letter [5:42]
5. Berlin [11:42]
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Menu

Disc #1 -- Smiley's People
   Episode Selection
      Episode 1
         Play Episode 1
         Scene Index
      Episode 2
         Play Episode 2
         Scene Index
   Scene Index
   Special Features
      Interview with John le Carré
      John le Carré Biography
      Production Notes
      Filmographies
         Sir Alec Guinness
         Curd Jürgens
         Bernard Hepton
         Beryl Reid
         Anthony Bate
         Eileen Atkins
         Michael Lonsdale
         Barry Foster
         Michael Byrne
         Patrick Stewart
         Bill Paterson
Disc #2 -- Smiley's People
   Episode Selection
      Episode 3
         Play Episode 3
         Scene Index
      Episode 4
         Play Episode 4
         Scene Index
   Scene Index
Disc #3 -- Smiley's People
   Episode Selection
      Episode 5
         Play Episode 5
         Scene Index
      Episode 6
         Play Episode 5
         Scene Index
   Scene Index
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 3 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(1)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(0)

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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    A good follow-up

    This version deviates considerably from the book to deal with the limitations of movie making, but it is still a splendid story. And wonderfully subtle (watch for and think about the significance of the cigarette lighter). It is such a joy to see a movie that assumes viewers are smart and are paying attention, not lame-brained targets for the filmmaker's propaganda. As always, Alec Guinness's interpretations are deep and satisfying, and you have to keep a close watch so as not to miss anything.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Smiley's People DVD

    The item contains three (3) DVDs and one is slightly defective. However, I did not keep the receipt and it didn't seem worth the trouble to contact you which is not very easy to do without a receipt without the paperwork.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 8, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews