Underplayed Gems

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy poster
Directed by
John Irvin
Genre
crime television series, espionage television series
Country
United Kingdom
Length
1 season, 7 episodes
Rated
13+
Rating
7.6 of 10 from 127 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A veteran British intelligence officer comes out of retirement to secretly investigate a highly placed Soviet mole inside the secret service. The story follows his quiet and meticulous hunt for the traitor among his former colleagues.

slow-burntensecerebralbleaksuspensefulrestrainedmethodicalatmosphericgrim

What happens

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1979 British spy drama television serial from the BBC, based upon John le Carré's 1974 novel. It is directed by John Irvin and produced by Jonathan Powell, written for the screen by Arthur Hopcraft. It stars Alec Guinness as George Smiley, along with Alexander Knox, Ian Richardson, Michael Jayston, Bernard Hepton, Anthony Bate, Ian Bannen, George Sewell, Michael Aldridge and Beryl Reid. The serial was originally shown in the United Kingdom in seven installments, aired from from 10 September to 22 October 1979 on BBC Two. In the United States, the serial was re-edited from the original seven episodes to fit into six episodes, beginning on 29 September 1980 as a part of PBS's Great Performances. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy received widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences. It won BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actor (for Guinness) and Best Film Cameraman (for Tony Pierce-Roberts), with seven other nominations. In the United States, the serial was nominated for a Outstanding Limited Series. It was followed by Smiley's People in 1982. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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