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Smiley's People [VHS] [1982]
 
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Smiley's People [VHS] [1982]

VHS ~ Alec Guinness
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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4 new from £23.46 21 used from £1.20 4 collectible from £3.50

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Product details

  • Actors: Alec Guinness, Eileen Atkins, Bill Paterson, Vladek Sheybal, Andy Bradford
  • Format: HiFi Sound, PAL
  • Language English
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • VHS Release Date: 12 April 1999
  • Run Time: 337 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004CLCT
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,519 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

    Popular in this category:

    #9 in  Video > Classic Films > Actors > Guinness, Alec

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
The second of the BBC's well-remembered serialisations of John Le Carré's espionage bestsellers, Smiley's People is marginally less compulsive than Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy if only because Tinker, Tailor had a much stronger plot premise (who is the mole in British Intelligence?) than Smiley's People, which takes a very long time to come into focus. Retired spymaster George Smiley (Alec Guinness) wanders around Europe and visits a succession of desperate or eccentric characters as he plays a game which finally leads to another confrontation with and a possible victory over his Moriarty-like Soviet arch-nemesis Karla (an expressive but silent Patrick Stewart cameo).

Directed by Simon Langton and coscripted by John Hopkins and Le Carré himself, this is a leisurely mystery. It offers a cannily generous central performance from Guinness, who never takes off his scarf and does his best to fade into the background while a succession of striking character players hold centre screen; but slowly and by sheer presence he begins to dominate the panoramic view of European treachery, deception and disappointment. Among the terrific supporting cast are Michel Lonsdale, Mario Adorf, Vladek Sheybal, Michael Gough, Alan Rickman (a tiny, early role as a hotel clerk), Beryl Reid, Ingrid Pitt, Bernard Hepton, Michael Elphick, Rosalie Crutchley, Michael Byrne, Bill Paterson and Maureen Lipman. Smiley's People is more interested in character than thrills, with each cameo contributing another view of the human cost of the Cold War: most of the old friends Smiley seeks out react to his reappearance by saying they never wanted to see him again, and victory is only possible because Smiley discovers that his opposite number has a weakness that makes him almost sympathetic. Originally broadcast in six hour-long episodes, its intelligent approach works better if you watch episode-length chunks, letting one sink in before going on. --Kim Newman

Synopsis
Smiley, a retired spymaster is once again called in to help the 'Circus' when a Soviet General, who was also a double agent, is killed.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Smiley's People : Complete BBC Series [1982] [DVD]
46% buy
Smiley's People : Complete BBC Series [1982] [DVD] 4.9 out of 5 stars (23)
£5.98
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy : Complete BBC Series [1979] [DVD]
36% buy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy : Complete BBC Series [1979] [DVD] 5.0 out of 5 stars (53)
£5.98
Smiley's People [VHS] [1982]
18% buy the item featured on this page:
Smiley's People [VHS] [1982] 5.0 out of 5 stars (8)
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Long overdue for release in the 'States, 2 Dec 2000
By f7frcd@aol.com (Vancouver, Washington U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
This series, along with "Tinker, Tailor..." was, is, and will remain the defining work in the Cold War genre. Who better to have played Smiley than Sir Alec Guiness? Who better to have scripted this tour through the dismal, melancholy world of British Intelligence, and the silent fight they waged against the Soviet Union to no applause and less appreciation than David Cornwell? Stodgy and correct; quiet and demure, Guiness' Smiley defined the real-world application of high-stakes spy work as no 007 lark ever could. The screenplay, supporting cast, cinematography and score did what I wouldn't have believed possible: top "Tinker, Tailor."

The die was cast for me as a teenager reading "The Looking Glass War," and has been solidified with these books and the splendid television movies produced since. I watched as our PBS stations aired "Smiley's People" not long after "Tinker, Tailor," and once more in syndication on local channels. I have not seen it since, and that is a great shame. A former American Cold Warrior who saw my share of the clock's chime at midnight in desolate places while watching the Soviet Navy's every move, I ask again -- I implore the holders of the series' rights -- release this (and Tinker, Tailor) in the United States, please! So many here no longer understand or care to know what those years were like, and Smiley's People can in some small way enlighten while it entertains.

Rob Davies

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The real George Smiley, 1 Mar 2001
By A Customer
Far from the benign old buffer portrayed in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, here we see George Smiley as written by John Le Carre. Both sides of Smiley are seen at their best in the scene with Connie Sachs and 'Hils'.

Some of the more subtle undercurrents in the piece are a joy to behold such as the transformation of Toby Esterhase from seamy dealer in dubious pieces of art to the man revived in the scenes with 'Herr Glaser'.

An absolute masterpiece which shows the BBC at the height of its powers before Checkland et al got their hands on it and fed us a seemingly constant diet of period costume dramas.

Drama which can be viewed again and again with each viewing revealing more of the subtleties for which Le Carre is rightly famous.

Exquisite!

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It Cries to be on VHS in America, 28 Nov 2000
By Dennis J. Pauly (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Possibly the best movie ever made for television. Guiness is magnificent as George Smiley and once again Beryl Reid nearly steals it with her cameo appearance as Connie. The entire cast is superb. Nice cameo also by Sian Phillips. This certainly shows the dark side of spies. Not Bond at all. The owners of this movie would make a lot of Americans happy if they released it in America. The same for its prequel-TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Cold War Frost
This and Tinker Tailor were the two rare films (albeit made for TV) which actually match up to the books from which they sprang. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2004 by ianrmillard

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best television series ... ever!
This is wonderful drama at its best. The brilliant novel by John Le Carre is beautifully and loyally scripted, and Alec Guinness - the only Smiley! Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2004 by Bob Digby

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly intelligent entertainment
Perhaps two of the most intelligent television miniseries ever made are the BBC adaptations of John le Carre's spy novels TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY and SMILEY'S PEOPLE, the... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2003 by Joseph Haschka

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully understated and captivating.
I saw "Smiley's People" in the States on the Public Broadcasting System about 10 years ago. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2000 by thuff@gmu.edu

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Adaptation
Far from the glossy Bond image usually portrayed by the entertainment industry, this work shows a gritty and grey realism probably reflecting the truer inner workings of the... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2000 by d198594t

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