Smiley's People (1982– )

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 »

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Beryl Reid, Eileen Atkins

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Alec Guinness	...	George Smiley (6 episodes, 1982)
Beryl Reid	...	Connie Sachs (6 episodes, 1982)
Eileen Atkins	...	Madame Ostrakova (4 episodes, 1982)
Bill Paterson	...	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)
Michael Byrne	...	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)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

british intelligence | emigration | spy | british secret intelligence service | insanity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agent in eigener Sache

Filming Locations:

Bern, Kanton Bern, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min 360 min (6 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John le Carré, author of the novel 'Smiley's People' and screenwriter on the TV series, does a pretty good Alec Guinness impression on the DVD special features interview.

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Quotes

George Smiley: And the safety signal? The signal which says "I am not being followed".
Villem Craven: Was Hamburg newspaper from yesterday.
Stella Craven: Oh, Bill. Bill, you stupid bloody fool.
[she walks away]
Stella Craven: I mean why didn't they just put it in the bloody post, whatever it is, and be done with it?

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Crazy Credits

The wooden planks in the opening credits are those of park benches.

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Connections

Follows Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)

User Reviews

Guinness is the definitive Smiley

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.