I need Cold War filling in on "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." Please help!

[CTyankee]

I saw it today. I know the basics about the story but I was totally mystified by all the characters that appeared on the screen without much if any description of why they were there. Some of it you could probably just barely dope out, but most just came and went and then came in again and you still didn't know why they were there in the first place.

I hope this is not one of those movies you have to see again several times in order to "get it." I won't do that.

Does anyone have/can give a link to, a reference to the story line so I can put more meat on the story?

That said, I loved the acting, directing, cinematography, etc. All excellent. I just never read the book so I have no frame of reference for the characters, other than the rather sketchy descriptions given.

And what the hell was that scene of the party of the Brits singing in Russian with a Santa Claus wearing a face mask of Lenin?

[NMDemDist2]

1. ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker,_Tailor,_Soldier,_Spy

[CTyankee]

5. Thanks, it was a bit tedious but I kinda get it...

It gets difficult to follow mystery after mystery and pretty soon you don't much care and want it over and done with. It was probably more successful as a TV series, because as just one movie you have too much cascading one after another on top of you, without comprehending all that is going on. It can be frustrating...

[Spazito]

13. It was very good as a TV series...

The story line is very convoluted, intricate and in breaking it into 6 parts meant each episode could go into more depth which helped me to understand more what was going on.

I had read the book originally, loved it so when the series came on I made sure to watch it.

It didn't hurt that Alec Guiness played Smiley, he was a favorite actor of mine even then and he did a superb job in the part.

[JI7]

2. how was the movie without giving away spoilers ?

is it worth watching ?

[CTyankee]

6. Film was great. Acting was superb. Everyone top notch.

I have no problem with the production as it was all great. My problem was with the total comprehension of what was really going on...

[dipsydoodle]

11. That's the issue of condensing

something which was originally 315 minutes long.

[Jumping John]

3. More:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy_(film)

Critical response
Reviews for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy have been generally favourable.[17][18] As of December 2011, the film held an 85% 'Fresh' approval rating and an average score of 7.8/10 from 146 reviews collected by review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill."[18] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating in the 0–100 range based on reviews from top mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 87 based on 33 reviews, equating to "universal acclaim".[19]

Jonathan Romney of The Independent wrote, "The script is a brilliant feat of condensation and restructuring: writers Peter Straughan and the late Bridget O'Connor realise the novel is overtly about information and its flow, and reshape its daunting complexity to highlight that."[20] David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph declared the film "a triumph" and gave it a five star rating,[21] as did his colleague, Sukhdev Sandhu.[22]

Detractors of the film included Peter Hitchens of The Mail on Sunday, who wrote that the plot would be too baffling for viewers who had not read the book, and that the film's makers had "needlessly messed it up".[23] David Edwards of the Daily Mirror wrote, "The big question – and one Le Carré himself asked when the film was announced – is whether such a hefty novel can fit comfortably into a feature-length production. In answering this, the writers have pared things back, meaning it's far pacier than the seven-part TV show. Unfortunately, the plot is every bit as bewildering with an overload of spy-speak, a few too many characters to keep track of and a final act that ends with a whimper, rather than a bang.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Cant relate to the remake

Would recommend you either read the book or get a copy of the BBC original.

Wiki book title for synopsis of the book

[CTyankee]

9. I probably wouldn't read the book. I'm not that interested in the subject.

My objection is this: if you HAVE to read the book to understand the move, then the movie is a failure. A movie should be a work of art that can stand on its own. It ought to be able to boil down certain plot lines to really get to the meat of the meaning.

I get that this is really about the cynicism of Smiley and others in the British intelligence community about what they are doing vis a vis the Soviets (and the Americans). And the overlay of class in postwar British society, I get that too. But it is bewildering to be introduced to character after character that you have no idea about, none.

If this movie is made just for people who have read the novel, fine. But please, let us know ahead of time...we may not want to spend time and money on it...

[brewens]

7. I think there is a mini-series of it that probably covers more. Olbermann

claimed the movie worked great but he'd read the book and owned the mini-series. Easy not to notice the gaps when you already know the whole story.

I'm going to read the book, then get the mini-series and then the movie eventually.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Yes do it in that order

and enjoy.

Hollywood are about to fuck up House of Cards next. The original of that with Ian Richardson is truly excellent and wickedly funny.

Also - if you've already seen State of Play get the UK original of that too.

I dread to think what they've done to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

edit to add : whatever you do DO NOT read The Honorable Schoolboy first. That's the next book and the first page or so gives the game away on Tinker Tailor........ It however a very book as well.

[brewens]

14. Gotta wait at least a few weeks to get the book. I only read

outside in nice weather. I sit outside, smoke cigars and read. I even have progressive lense sunglasses for it. I can't wait towards the end of winter to be outside with a beverage and cigar reading!

[OriginalGeek]

15. That sounds like an awesome way to do it

I think I'm gonna institute a similar policy at my abode.

Just got a Kindle touch too so I'm gonna do it techie style.

[CTyankee]

12. I'm truly not interested in getting into the book. I was trying to look at the movie as a

stand alone work all its own. I love movies that are art pieces in and of themselves. I was hoping this was one of them.

To a certain extent, it was. But it failed in an essential way: it had no way of expressing itself in a coherent piece without viewers having to stew about what it all meant...that should have been more evident......

[ananda]

10. Watch the miniseries with Alec Guiness.

It's just so great!

[AtomicKitten]

16. I saw it yesterday.

Having not seen the BBC miniseries nor read the John le Carre novel, I had a bit of trouble keeping track of the characters and story line. It's a 'must view again' film for me.

That said, kudos to Gary Oldman for an exquisite performance. He was snubbed by both SAG and the Golden Globes, but BAFTA gave the film 16 nominations and Gary Oldman owns one of those.

On edit: War Horse on the other hand was a disappointment. I was under the impression it was inspired by the Korean War horse, Reckless, but it was a sappy, formulaic film. The actual story of Reckless would have been truly inspirational and it was quite a surprise that Spielberg let it slip through his fingers.