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Smiley's People

  • TV Mini Series
  • 19821982
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
4.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,234
121
Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
Trailer for Smiley's People
Play trailer1:53
9 Videos
16 Photos
DramaMystery
The murder of a Soviet defector forces his old handler, British spymaster George Smiley, out of retirement. His investigation leads to an old nemesis, the Soviet spymaster known only as "Kar... Read allThe murder of a Soviet defector forces his old handler, British spymaster George Smiley, out of retirement. His investigation leads to an old nemesis, the Soviet spymaster known only as "Karla". This will be their final dance.The murder of a Soviet defector forces his old handler, British spymaster George Smiley, out of retirement. His investigation leads to an old nemesis, the Soviet spymaster known only as "Karla". This will be their final dance.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
4.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,234
121
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Eileen Atkins
    • Bill Paterson
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Eileen Atkins
    • Bill Paterson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 46User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys

    Episodes6

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season
    1982

    Videos9

    Smiley's People: Intro
    Clip 3:06
    Watch Smiley's People: Intro
    Smiley's People
    Trailer 1:53
    Watch Smiley's People
    Smiley's People: Episode 5
    Trailer 1:59
    Watch Smiley's People: Episode 5
    Smiley's People: Episode 6
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch Smiley's People: Episode 6
    Smiley's People: Episode 4
    Trailer 1:59
    Watch Smiley's People: Episode 4
    Smiley's People: Episode 3
    Trailer 1:58
    Watch Smiley's People: Episode 3
    Smiley's People: Episode 1
    Trailer 1:23
    Watch Smiley's People: Episode 1
    Smiley's People: Episode 2
    Trailer 1:43
    Watch Smiley's People: Episode 2
    Smiley's People
    Trailer 0:54
    Watch Smiley's People

    Photos16

    Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness and Bernard Hepton in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)
    Alec Guinness in Smiley's People (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • George Smiley
    Eileen Atkins
    Eileen Atkins
    • Madame Ostrakova
    Bill Paterson
    Bill Paterson
    • Lauder Strickland
    Vladek Sheybal
    Vladek Sheybal
    • Otto Leipzig…
    Andy Bradford
    Andy Bradford
    • Ferguson
    Bernard Hepton
    Bernard Hepton
    • Toby Esterhase
    Michael Byrne
    Michael Byrne
    • Peter Guillam
    Anthony Bate
    Anthony Bate
    • Oliver Lacon
    Tusse Silberg
    • Alexandra Ostrakova
    Germaine Delbat
    • Madame La Pierre
    Michael Lonsdale
    Michael Lonsdale
    • Anton Grigoriev
    Curd Jürgens
    Curd Jürgens
    • General Vladimir
    Mario Adorf
    Mario Adorf
    • Claus Kretzschmar
    Barry Foster
    Barry Foster
    • Saul Enderby
    Michael Gough
    Michael Gough
    • Mikhel
    Rosalie Crutchley
    Rosalie Crutchley
    • Mother Felicity
    Ingrid Pitt
    Ingrid Pitt
    • Elvira
    Dudley Sutton
    Dudley Sutton
    • Oleg Kirov
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During its original airing on BBC television, radio DJ Terry Wogan ran a "Does anyone know what's going on?" competition on a weekly basis. This amused John le Carré greatly.
    • Goofs
      When Smiley is talking to Connie Sachs, she mentions that Karla once had a mistress, upon which Smiley's eyes widen, and with an utterly surprised look, he asks "Who?" She then goes on to tell about how Karla also had a daughter from that relationship.

      It's impossible that George Smiley, who spent most of his life gathering every bit of detail about Karla, and even wrote "The Karla papers" (according to Saul Enderby) wouldn't know about such a vital piece of information about his nemesis.
    • Quotes

      Lauder Strickland: Oh dammit, George, that whole era is dead.

      George Smiley: And so is Vladimir! And I wish to God we'd got half his courage and one tenth his integrity.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening titles feature a set of wooden planks, on which yellow chalk marks (the secret signal used by the spies) are scrawled.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 35th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1983)

    User reviews46

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    More problematic than Tinker Tailor, but still wonderful.
    The merits of Alec Guinness's Smiley are familiar to anyone who has seen this wonderful BBC adaptation of LeCarré's great 'Karla' trilogy of books..well, two of the books anyway. Sadly they skipped over 'The Honourable Schoolboy' arguably the most exciting of the three.

    Both 'Tinker Tailor' and 'Smiley's People' have their casting mishaps but nothing that detracts in any important way. I found Eileen Atkins' Ostrakova to be wildly miscast, physically, but masterfully acted, so she gets a pass. Michael Byrne's Guillam is an improvement over his predecessor in 'Tinker Tailor' but his part is so small that it hardly registers. Beryl Reid's scene as Connie Sachs is longer than her scene in 'Tinker Tailor' but still woefully short of the involved and fascinating scene in the book. It is in regards to Sachs and Jerry Westerby that I deeply regret the BBC not making 'The Honourable Schoolboy.' Reid would have been fabulous in that role, though still not nearly fat or tall enough to wear the original Connie's shoes.

    Generally the actors are superb. There is an especially moving and unforgettable performance from Tulle Silberg as Alexandra Ostrakova. Her scene with Smiley is deeply touching and it is easy to understand why Smiley does what he does in the end. I won't say any more to avoid a spoiler.

    'Smiley's People' is not as riveting as 'Tinker Tailor' I think because I found the first mini- series, focusing on the inner workings of the Circus, to be far more interesting than the foreign "outside" locations in 'Smiley's People.' But that's just me. I still love this film and watch it often.

    Don't miss the Smiley series! The BBC will never make anything like it again, on the evidence of the mediocre bilge they've been catting up in recent years.
    helpful•49
    5
    • pekinman
    • Jun 9, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 25, 1982 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Lady Bay Bridge, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour
      • Color
      • Mono

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