Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (novel, miniseries, and forthcoming film to be directed by Tomas Alfredson)

and i dont see how it needs to show his impotence any more than it does... we already see him disgraced, fired, and cuckolded, i think we are pretty good on that score

how does guillam feel, working for smiley? working for someone, yet, that working for whom requires his sitting, in a wimpy, wearing a suit, eating with a knife and fork?

also, how does that one shot not tell you all that already?

i'm sorry i hurt you

you dont get it, you hurt yourself

a blank exteriority

Like most whodunnits, it really doesn't matter much whodunnit in this, which I just saw. It's well directed and acted, which is all that counts, I suppose. I was put off by the make-up, of all things, which made everyone look like creepy perfect-skin mannequins.

So, finally saw this -- good watch, first time through I felt it was more admirable than great but a second viewing helped tease out some moments a bit more. Also I think the first time through I was getting my head around the various elisions and shifts from the book/miniseries (took me a second to realize that the Jerry Westerby character in the film is actually the duty officer character but with Westerby's name).

Surprised nobody's seemed to have said anything about the music yet? Not the original score so much, which I think was half OTM half unnecessary, but music as a theme is constant throughout -- the occasional contemporary pop drop-ins, George Formby's "Oh Mr. Wu," and that soundtracking of the final minutes to Julio Iglesias's reworking of Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGcp3_OT2-0

I liked how the soundtrack wasn't all suspensey. Also no idea why they chose the Iglesias (live!) track but it works great. Also it's La Mer, which Beyond the Sea was based on

I really liked Oldman's interpretation of Smiley.

The only thing that bothered me at first was how Mad Men-y it felt with the way it was shot, like all very pleased with its furnishings and interiors and period details and I was like uggggghhhh is this going to be furniture porn

but i got over that pretty quickly. Didn't much care for Firth, who seemed really not to act at all but just be his usual self...but everyone else was great.

Also it's La Mer, which Beyond the Sea was based on

Ah, got it, wasn't sure which direction it went. A great use of music, all this lush French chattiness and sweeping style and everything over images of crushed people and Smiley perversely triumphant.

Bordwell did a follow up post, BTW:

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2012/02/20/tinker-tailor-once-more-tradecraft/

Also I'm amused by this interview just because of the photo -- damn does Alfredsson look out of place:

http://smhttp.14409.nexcesscdn.net/806D5E/wordpress-live/images/TTSS.jpg

reading Mailer's Harlot's Ghost at the moment makes me wonder what an adaptation would be like.

i don't think it wd be a good idea

btw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mer_(song)

started listening to the commentary last night (alfredsson and oldman), it's a bit sparse but lots of great stuff.

btw i think the wooden gizmo is a wedge for improving the stability of Prideaux' caravan, quite possibly as per the book.

― Dios mio! This kid is FUN to hit! (Noodle Vague), Saturday, September 24, 2011 8:20 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wd've liked it a bit denser and darker tbh

― Dios mio! This kid is FUN to hit! (Noodle Vague), Saturday, September 24, 2011 8:21 PM (6 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Jeez, give him a break, he worked hard on it

This film was magnificent.

yes it is perfection

http://i.imgur.com/gskk2.png

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idUjpNL53RE

that = pure cinema.

this film was poop

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/Smiley-1-300.jpg http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/Smiley-2.jpg

God the ending of this movie is so fucking good

OTM

u mad

great movie

mark strong kills me in that clip every time.

DG i believe it is "u" who is the one who is "mad" in this instance

and ya the way m-strong kind of adjusts himself after noticing colin firth looking at him is about as good as it gets

i dance like esterhase in that clip

move like esterhase

nah s1ocki this film was crap

hmm, guess i overlooked that inconvenient lil fact

yes

if i've read the karla trilogy and spy who came in from the cold can i basically read whatever le carre i want next?

Just finished reading Smiley's People a couple days ago and I really hope that movie actually happens. Funny to read through all the long slow conversations and imagine how they would have to be cut down to 45 seconds of screen time.

the miniseries isn't as good as TTSS but still vg

did it use everyday people as its theme song

no

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQ0vDAbF7s

what if it did tho

max tell me what to read next

you could read a perfect spy, i guess. but youve finished all the best ones i think.

i read tinker tailor so that i would have read it before i saw this movie and now i feel like i need to read everything. that book rules.

yeah reading around i get the impression there's not a lot to choose between the rest of his stuff, and that's not because it's all 5*

has anyone complained that gary oldman is too skinny to be george smiley? oldman was good, but i felt a little let down.

I couldn't finish the novel but I'll try again soon. My library copy, which smelled awful, looked like it'd been in a dog's mouth.

everything else ive read is "eminently readable" and sometimes p good but none of it is as engaging or smart as TTSS or TSWCIFTC. perfect spy has its moments but is really long and most of it is not really about spying just about a thinly veiled version of JLC's dad

le carre does mention smiley's belly and chins a lot