Smiley's People (1982– )

TV Mini-Series  -   -  Drama | Mystery
7.9
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Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what ... See full summary »

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Title: Smiley's People (1982– )

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Season:

1

Year:

1982
Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »
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Edit

Cast

Series cast summary:
...
 George Smiley (6 episodes, 1982)
Beryl Reid ...
 Connie Sachs (6 episodes, 1982)
...
 Madame Ostrakova (4 episodes, 1982)
...
 Lauder Strickland (4 episodes, 1982)
Vladek Sheybal ...
 Otto Leipzig (4 episodes, 1982)
Andy Bradford ...
 Ferguson (4 episodes, 1982)
Bernard Hepton ...
 Toby Esterhase (3 episodes, 1982)
...
 Peter Guillam (3 episodes, 1982)
Anthony Bate ...
 Oliver Lacon (3 episodes, 1982)
Tusse Silberg ...
 Alexandra Ostrakova (3 episodes, 1982)
Germaine Delbat ...
 Madame La Pierre (3 episodes, 1982)
Edit

Storyline

Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow up the clues of his friends past days, discovering that the clues lead to a high person in the Russian Secret service, and a secret important enough to kill for. Smiley continues to put together the pieces a step ahead or a step behind the Russian killers. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

25 October 1982 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Agent in eigener Sache  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (6 parts)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Curd Jürgens's last feature. See more »

Quotes

Villem Craven: I ask him, "Vladimir, who knows I do this for you?" "Only Mikhel, a very little," he said. "Mikhel is my friend. But even to friends, we cannot trust." "Enemies I do not fear," he said, "but friends, I fear greatly."
See more »

Crazy Credits

The opening credits feature a set of wooden planks, on which yellow chalk marks (the secret signal used by the spies) are scrawled. See more »

Connections

Follows The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) See more »

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User Reviews

Guinness is the definitive Smiley
8 August 2000 | by (Derbyshire, UK) – See all my reviews

The recent death of Sir Alec Guinness prompted me to wonder which role in his very long career he should be remembered for, and I believe it should be his portrayal of John Le Carre's master spy and inadequate man, George Smiley.

"Smiley's People", like the earlier "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", derives much of its fascination from its mundane realism. Le Carre, unlike many espionage authors, really knew the setting, the techniques and many of the people. The TV series follows every detail of the novel and cannot be faulted on any grounds of atmosphere.

The cast list has a plethora of famous names, some so heavily made up and convincingly acted as to be unrecognisable as themselves. Guinness's gelid tones and painstakingly slow gestures manage to put them all, even the bubbly Bernard Hepton and Beryl Reid, in the shade. Especially in the final scene, where all Smiley's friends and supporters are practically dancing with joy, Guinness's studied absence of emotion dominates.

Few corporations other than the BBC would dare drag a 200-page novel out to over 4 hours of TV time, and very few actors other than Sir Alec Guinness could have held the viewer fascinated throughout such a marathon.


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