Review on “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011)
Short Description of the Movie
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is another espionage thriller created in 2011 and directed by Tomas Alfredson. The story is based on the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spybook written by John le Carre in 1974.
Tomas Alfredson also created a movie about vampires – Let the Right One In. The movie stars Gary Oldman in the lead role of George Smiley, an officer of British Secret IntelligenceService (MI6). Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy cast also involves Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy, David Dencik, Mark Strong, and Ciaran Hinds. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011 is definitely a piece of atmospheric cinematography in this genre. The film was celebrated by the audience, received BAFTA Award for Best British Film, and three Academy Awards for Best Actor, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Background Story
The novel written by le Carre was previously adapted into TV mini-series on BBC in 1979 with the lead role brilliantly played by Alec Guinness. However, Gary Oldman was wonderful in this persona as well.
John le Carreis known for the novel The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, 1963, a riposte to the cult figure of James Bond. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was the turn of the tide in espionage fiction. The novel set moral inquiries similar to those of Joseph Conrad in his Lord Jim and Chance.
The political situation of 1974 in the world with its self-deception and dishonesty reminds us of the current times when anyone can easily become a double-agent for multiple reasons, including a personal political choice, a career aspiration or a perverse desire to dominate at any price.
The Protagonist
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy describes the events that took place during the Cold War. At the center of the film is a figure of George Smiley, an unremarkable man of middle age. His moral principles and keen observation ability remind of those of Conrad’s Marlow. Smiley was investigating a mole sent by the Secret Service of the Soviet Union in the top ranks of the British Secret Service nicknamed the Circus in the film.
The performance of Gary Oldman is equally plausible to the one of Alec Guinness. Oldman appeared as a tired, experienced man who excited spectators with his canine ability to investigate. Sometimes he reminded a British cult actor – Michael Redgrave – who retained attention with his sexuality radiance from the TV screens. You can grade Oldman’s performance yourself, by watching the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy DVD that is available on the different websites, like edubirdie.com.
The Plot
When mini-series were released on TV, spectators enjoyed the play of Alec Guinness who performed Smiley first. Guinness filled the performance with his feline plasticity. His performance presented a recognizable image of the British Intelligence during the Cold War. Alfredson took the same story, made it shorter, and altered the order of events that appear to the audience. However, he retained the overall tone of the book as well as its ambivalences and controversies.
A mission to Budapest went wrong: at the beginning of the 70s, Jim Prideaux, a British agent, was sent by Control – the head of the Circus, performed by John Hurt – to meet a Hungarian general who wished to defect. Prideaux was shot, arrested and tortured. This resulted in a chain of events that followed the incident: Control and Smiley, the right-hand man of Control, were dismissed.
In the film, the events occurred in Hungary instead of Czechoslovakia mentioned in the le Carre’s novel. Also, a Russian defector jumped into the ship in Turkey instead of Hong Kong when she was threatened. This reminds spectators of an episode of the story told by Ian Fleming’s in his From Russia with Love where James Bond was threatened in Istanbul. This event triggered the investigation of a Soviet mole. Smiley received the task to identify who was the traitor from five former colleagues.
Shortly after his dismissal, Control dies. He confirms the nicknames of all suspects to Smiley who has to play against Karla, his opposite in Moscow. Together they represented dedication and disloyalty at all levels.
Special Effects
The special atmosphere of the movie was supported by memorable images like a cigarette lighter, the use of glasses or changing points on the railway lines near Smiley’s HQ. Music was also chosen to accentuate the viewers’ impressions. A stage of Christmas party was brilliant with drunken people singing The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World – a song which was a theme song in Licensed to Kill – slightly reminding of James Bond’s series. The entrance of Santa Claus in the mask of Lenin to the sound of Soviet Union’s anthem was also a spectacular and emblematic episode. In general, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy surprises spectators in unexpected ways.
Nicole Lewis is a top content writer at Edubirdie.com. She has been writing articles on tech topics for the last 6 years and loves researching on the newest software available. She likes to help people understand what technological solution is better for them.