Smiley's People (miniseries)
Smiley’s People | |
---|---|
DVD cover for the series | |
Based on |
Smiley's People by John le Carré |
Written by | John Hopkins |
Screenplay by | John le Carré |
Directed by | Simon Langton |
Starring |
Alec Guinness Michael Byrne Anthony Bate Bernard Hepton |
Theme music composer | Patrick Gowers |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Jonathan Powell |
Cinematography | Kenneth MacMillan |
Editor(s) |
Chris Wimble Clare Douglas |
Running time | 360 min (UK) |
Distributor | BBC Worldwide |
Release | |
Original network | BBC2 |
Picture format | 4:3 |
Audio format | Mono |
Original release | 20 September – 25 October 1982 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
Smiley’s People was a 1982 drama miniseries in six parts, made for the BBC. Directed by Simon Langton, produced by Jonathan Powell, it is the television adaptation of the 1979 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré. Starring Alec Guinness, Michael Byrne, Anthony Bate and Bernard Hepton. It was first shown in the United Kingdom from 20 September to 22 October 1982, and in the United States beginning on 25 October 1982.
Plot
George Smiley is called out of retirement when one of his former assets, an émigré general, is found murdered. In tidying up loose ends for the "Circus", his former employer, he discovers a clandestine operation run by his nemesis, Karla, for his own personal benefit. Smiley is able to use this irregularity against Karla, forcing him to defect to the West.
Cast
- George "Max" Smiley - Alec Guinness
- Madame Ostrakova - Eileen Atkins
- Peter Guillam - Michael Byrne (portrayed by Michael Jayston in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- Toby "Hector" Esterhase - Bernard Hepton
- Sir Oliver Lacon - Anthony Bate
- Sir Saul Enderby - Barry Foster
- Anton Grigoriev - Michael Lonsdale
- Connie Sachs - Beryl Reid
- Lauder Strickland - Bill Paterson (portrayed by Frank Moorey in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- Ann Smiley - Siân Phillips
- Claus Kretschmar - Mario Adorf
- Karla - Patrick Stewart
- Gen. Vladimir - Curd Jürgens
- Otto Leipzig - Vladek Sheybal
- Mother Felicity - Rosalie Crutchley
- Stella Craven - Maureen Lipman
- Oleg Kirov - Dudley Sutton
- Mihkel - Michael Gough
- Detective Chief Superintendent - Michael Elphick
- Villem Craven - Paul Herzberg
- Nigel Mostyn - Stephen Riddle
- Alexandra/Tatiana - Tusse Silberg
- Hilary - Norma West
- Elvira - Ingrid Pitt
- Molly Meakin - Lucy Fleming
- Ferguson - Andy Bradford
- Mr. Brownlow - Alan Rickman
- Beckie Craven - Tanya Rees
Awards
In 1983 Smiley's People won four BAFTA awards, including Best Actor (for Alec Guinness) and Best Actress (for Beryl Reid), and was nominated for six others. The series also won a Peabody Award. In 2010, The Guardian ranked the series at number 17 in their list of "The Top 50 TV Dramas of All Time".[1]
References
- ↑ "The top 50 TV dramas of all time", The Guardian, 12 January 2010. Retrieved 2016-01-14.