tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post6420365240118669372..comments2024-03-25T11:29:25.356-04:00Comments on Existential Ennui: John le Carré's Smiley's People (Karla Trilogy #3): a Review of the Novel (Hodder & Stoughton, 1979) and the BBC Television Adaptation (1982)Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-42721194211648082642019-09-12T19:16:08.136-04:002019-09-12T19:16:08.136-04:00Just had a chance to watch this again recently. W...Just had a chance to watch this again recently. While I prefer Tinker, Tailor, unlike you, I find the decadent, claustrophobic interiors one of the sources of its greatness, there is no doubt that Smiley's People gives it a run for its money.<br /><br />I watched Smiley's People when it first aired in the early 1980s. I encountered the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the 1990s, and Fassbinder's dramatic and visual style hovers over the production, especially during the scenes in Germany, the strip club, particularly. It looks a lot like Fassbinder's "The Third Generation". Mario Adorf, who plays Claus, had even recently had a role in Fassbinder's "Lola".<br /><br />Both Tinker Tailor and Smiley's People are also masterful in regard to their insights about the mundane absurdities of bureaucracy. Having worked in them much of my life, I believe that you could easily reshoot them as dark comedies.<br /><br />Anyway, really appreciate this post, looking forward to reading the others.Richard Estesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-32698510016658036912017-01-11T07:44:37.581-05:002017-01-11T07:44:37.581-05:00Haha, yes, who remembers him these days!Haha, yes, who remembers him these days!Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-12703425228635134772017-01-05T14:55:50.045-05:002017-01-05T14:55:50.045-05:00Well done! My wife and I watched the PBS broadcas...Well done! My wife and I watched the PBS broadcasts in the 80's and bought the DVD's about 2008 and have watched them numerous times. The recent redo of Tinker Tailor disappointed on first viewing but was pleasing the second time around. Le Carre, however, is vastly overrated in every respect and will go the way of what's his name.Robert Pullmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02319768372176274714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-14188551177196886722011-09-14T09:58:33.824-04:002011-09-14T09:58:33.824-04:00I'd have to go back and check the books, but f...I'd have to go back and check the books, but far as I recall, Ann's not so much a voice in George's head as a constant presence: he thinks about her a lot, and recalls conversations. And people are forever asking after her, eliciting non-committal responses.<br /><br />I must give the radio adaptations a go. But I'm off to see the new film on Friday, so that's a more imminent prospect...Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-82701063935808659322011-09-14T09:26:27.731-04:002011-09-14T09:26:27.731-04:00Fascinating posts, Nick. Talking of posts, as I ma...Fascinating posts, Nick. Talking of posts, as I may have mentioned before, I nearly walked into one when I was finishing up reading Smiley's People. It was years ago when I lived in Budapest, and I was walking to work so engrossed in the final Berlin Wall sequence that I simply could not take my eyes off it... and nearly brained myself on a lampost on the banks of the Danube. Happy days. The recent Simon Russell Beale radio adaptations of each and every Smiley novel (whether he is a major character or not) are all utterly wonderful, IMHO. While their style may not be for everyone (there are quite a few interior monologues, especially from Smiley), Russell Beale really does manage to banish any thought of Guinness, which is no mean feat. Anna Chancellor is a wonderful Ann, who often pops up as a goading voice in Smiley's head - is that something that happens in the novels Nick? I can't remember - and while there are many things I can't leagally say about Hugh Bonneville, I am free to confirm that he is a perfect Jerry Westerby in the adaptation of The Honourable Schoolboy. They are all available on CD, either individually, or in a big boxset, which is how I came to own them. Honest. *coughs*<br />http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-George-Smiley-Dramas-Dramatisations/dp/1408427745/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316006471&sr=8-2Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18213445603443547362noreply@blogger.com