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Amazon.co.uk Review
A Perfect Spy is dramatised by Arthur Hopcraft, based on John Le Carré's novel of the same name and was first broadcast on the BBC in 1987. This six-hour trawl through the life of a British agent who mysteriously disappears takes in half a century and several sumptuous locations, including Prague and Vienna. It's more than a big, fat feast of spectacularly prestigious televisual drama, however. With its recurring motifs, splendidly realised minor as well as major characters (such as Peggy Ashcroft's seaside landlady) and advanced explorations of the themes of loyalty and betrayal, it is almost Dickensian in its scope.
Peter Egan plays Magnus Pym--whose entry into the world of espionage was prompted by his involvement in the dealings of his flamboyantly unscrupulous father, Ricky (the late Ray McAnally)--is a schemer without an honest bone in his body, though he and his son seem to bond extremely well. Duplicity becomes second nature to Magnus. He betrays everyone and everything close to him: his wife, his father, his country, even the high-ranking Eastern agent whom he befriends following the war and feeds secrets to. For him, this "treachery" isn't ideological but a reflex, a means of maintain his various "selves". Hence, he is the perfect spy. If Pym's bond with his father seems inexplicably intense, perhaps it's because A Perfect Spy is largely autobiographical. Le Carré's own father was a con man, while his mother, like Magnus's, disappeared early from his life. Not quite a perfect drama but richly compelling nonetheless. --David Stubbs
DVD Description
A Perfect Spy traces the rise and fall of Magnus Pym and his career through intelligence. From chance meetings with people will be important to him in the future to a life in Czechoslovakia, Washington and finally on the run in England Pym weaves his way through the complicated world of espionage. Where no-one is safe from betrayal, not even his father.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
I only leave off the fifth star because this is ultimately less satisfying than the previous LeCarre adaptations by the BBC. But it is still a towering achievement, especially when compared to the glossy but hollow dramas which which we must make do with nowadays. This is a powerful tale, almost Tolstoyan in its ambition: epic and intimate, specific and universal. My only qualm is over the aging of the actors: I suppose it always difficult to cast a story which follows a set of characters over several decades, but I do not feel that they solved it very well here. Some characters seem ageless, others prematurely aged. It's a small quibble, but a quibble none the less. TV is so much better a medium than film for adaptations of demanding fiction of this type that one wonders why it hasn't been exploited more often: Grahame Greene's work, for instance, would benefit from the treatment.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading the book and a few years later I enjoyed listening to the unabridged audiobook. Now I've finally watched the TV series and enjoyed that as well. It really does the book justice. A nice bonus is that the picture quality of this BBC DVD is fantastic, a lot better than you usually get with an old TV series, maybe the best I've seen of all the old Brit TV shows from the 70s, 80s and 90s. The picture quality is massively better than similar series such as Smiley's People or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Those have the full complement of artefacts of analogue videotape with blown highlights, noisy shadows, poor sharpness, low resolution, muddy colours and so on. When enjoying A Perfect Spy one is not distracted from the content by the limitations of the medium or presentation. I can't imagine a series like this making it to the screen these days. The first two episodes (55 minutes each) would probably be wrapped up in 15 minutes or rendered as narrative destroying flashbacks over the entire series in a modern version, but actually all the detail and content matters, and fortunately it is brilliantly executed. Every texture and nuance and event early in the story has repercussions later on. There isn't the amazing pace of a modern TV series, instead you have flavour and lasting satisfaction. Many performances are exceptional, none are less than very good.
84 of 87 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Peter Egan, the nominal star of this serial, makes his first appearance in episode 3. In the first two episodes we see his childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. The pacing is very slow at the beginning. Flashback sequences would have alleviated this, but the programme can be seen as an excellent antidote to the frantic cutting of modern television productions.
This role is Egan's best performance I have seen to date. In one scene he sits in a restaurant with his father and you see his attitude melt from bitterness to unwilling humour by facial expressions alone. Egan also impressively portrays the ambiguousness of the enigmatic Magnus Pym, an ambivalence that inhabits every part of his life - personal or professional.
By episode 5 the story is in full flow, and the building sense of unease compels you to watch. Magnus's life looks set to unravel. His spy bosses, his wife, even his young son begin to perceive what kind of man he is. Only Magnus's father accepted him for himself, for there is a subtle but clear similarity between them. Again, Peter Egan is convincing enough for you to lose yourself in the drama.
One of the most fascinatingly mysterious characters is Axel, who crops up throughout Pym's life and, it seems, will be a major force in his destiny.
This role is Egan's best performance I have seen to date. In one scene he sits in a restaurant with his father and you see his attitude melt from bitterness to unwilling humour by facial expressions alone. Egan also impressively portrays the ambiguousness of the enigmatic Magnus Pym, an ambivalence that inhabits every part of his life - personal or professional.
By episode 5 the story is in full flow, and the building sense of unease compels you to watch. Magnus's life looks set to unravel. His spy bosses, his wife, even his young son begin to perceive what kind of man he is. Only Magnus's father accepted him for himself, for there is a subtle but clear similarity between them. Again, Peter Egan is convincing enough for you to lose yourself in the drama.
One of the most fascinatingly mysterious characters is Axel, who crops up throughout Pym's life and, it seems, will be a major force in his destiny.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
perfect spy almost perfect adaptation
A Perfect Spy: Complete BBC Series (3 Disc Box Set) [DVD] This I think, is the best of the TV Le Carre adaptations that the BBC have produced- while it has less of the glamour of... Read more
Published 5 days ago by standardsfisher
Another great John La Carré adaptation
Another great adapatation by the BBC of one my favourite John La Carré books. The advantage of a series is that there is time to include pretty well the whole of the book... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Leslie
Emotional cold war warrior
The story and its motion picture version are a perfect (and rare) example of how one's most private personal architecture intersects with their public roles. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Dr. M. Lojko
good novelistic treatment of a mediocre traitor
It took me a while to warm up to this series and get it. Up to nearly the end, I thought it was too slow and convoluted. Read more
Published 22 days ago by rob crawford
Good Political Thriller With Lots of Twists
Even though the program was made in the '80s, it is still a rattling good spy story told in great detail. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rudy
Best spy writer ever and a superb film rendition!
I am a John le Carré convert, so use caution with my words. Having said that, the BBC did its usual superb quality job of presenting this fascinating story in film. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jonathan Harrison
OK, But Not Up To The Other John Le Carré's TV/Movies
I really was not impressed by this with very little plot and even less subplots. Much slower watching too than the others. This could have been with two disks, not three. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Siffert
Great but...
There is no doubt that this is a fine production and it has been on my wish list ever since I got the Alec Guinness DVDs. Read more
Published 2 months ago by DC
A Perfect Spy
Product arrived in excellent time. Was in very good condition. I thoroughly enjoyed the original television series and was looking forward to seeing it again. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. Penelope-jane Pullen
Quietly gripping, brilliant production
I watched this in one go. I didn't intend to, but the captivating performance by Peter Egan as the flawed, troubled Magnus Pym just meant it was impossible to stop. Read more
Published 2 months ago by G. Gavigan
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