Moscow rules

[khaosworks]

Been quiet for a while - nothing much going on this week, just trying to get past work and heading for the long weekend. I had the sudden urge to rewatch the most excellent BBC adaptations of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Smiley's People", and I always marvel at how absolutely compelling drama it is, for little to no action and scenes consisting entirely of talking heads. Alec Guinness's quiet, gentle portrayal of George Smiley holds such hidden steel that you're constantly drawn to him just to see if you can pierce that veil of mystery, the hint of the wheels turning inside the ultimate spymaster's head. I don't think such an adaptation would even be contemplated for today's modern audience by network executives, who would probably demand that Smiley shag Madame Ostrakova, or Peter Guillam be played by Ben Affleck, or something.

Makes me want to dig out my Sandbaggers DVDs next.

Comments

[faxpaladin.livejournal.com]

I've reread Tinker, Tailor recently -- didn't know the miniseries were on DVD. I may need to go looking for them. I haven't seen them in -- oh, god, it is decades, now...

One of my vivid memories as a kid is the pitying/smirking look from my childhood rival Joel when I spoke of how excited I was because that night I'd finally find out who Gerald the Mole was. I think he was picturing a cartoon character...

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Both of them are out from Acorn Entertainment, I think the company is. Not much in the way of special features, but with drama this good, you don't really mind.

[(Anonymous)]

Here in R2 land they came out a couple of years back from BBC Worldwide in their 'Classic Drama' range, and they do have some rudimentary extras - nothing spectacular, but a couple of half-decent documentaries as I recall.

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Sandbaggers is out on DVD? From where?

I watched the entire thing on library videocassettes while I was home on maternity leave and pretty much couldn't get off the couch all day...yes, the kid'll probably be twisted. But I'm very fond of the program.

If you're in that Cold War British spies mood, I read Kim Philby's autobiography last year...now, that's an interesting document. And...what else did I read right after that? I want to say something by Graham Greene.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

BFS video put out all of the episodes in 3 boxed sets some time ago. You can find them off Amazon.com.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Oh, and if you've only watched it on VHS, that means you've probably not seen the last episode of the first series, "Special Relationship"? I still can't watch that last scene without feeling Burnside's pain.

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Is that the one where the girl gets shot?

I don't think I have -- there was a sort of flashback at the beginning of the second series, on a bridge, but not an actual episode about it on the VHS tapes.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That episode wasn't released on the VHS version for some reason, but it's in the DVD version. The flashback doesn't do the episode justice... you got to see the lead-in to that awful moment, and that horrifying decision Burnside has to make.

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Oh, you've sold me. I always felt the transition to the second series was really jarring (although a good parable about the perils of falling for someone you work with, when you work a job where people get shot at regularly....)

My dad's been musing about buying more things on DVD -- they're out in the country so they get no tv, and they're darned if they'll pay $40/month for cable when they can buy DVDs...I'll see if I can sell *him and then borrow them *GRIN*.