I Watch TV: Smiley's People

 

Smiley’s People

In Paris Madame Ostrova (Eileen Atkins) a Russian exile is contacted by the Soviet embassy. They have her sign forms for her daughter to come to France, but nothing comes of this. She writes to an old contact, General Vladimir (Curd Jürgens), who is part of the Baltic émigré community in London. He suspects something and sends an old contact Otto Leipzig (Vladek Shaybel) to interview her. He also tries to contact British Intelligence but his handler has retired and no one is interested.

Realising he needs hard proof, he has Otto follow various leads, which we don’t learn about until later. Eventually he gets something about Karla (Patrick Stewart!), infamous head of Moscow Centre’s Thirteenth Directorate. He calls in his emergency call, asking for George Smiley (by his code name). Smiley has retired, but the junior Circus* official follows protocol. He arranges a meet at a safe house, following Moscow Rules (the rules for passing information in hostile territory). However the General is murdered on the way to the meeting.

The new head of British Intelligence pulls George Smiley (Alec Guinness) out of retirement to try and clean this all up. Smiley promptly castigates the current officers for cutting the émigrés loose, saying they were cheap, loyal, and sometimes brought useful product. He then promises to clear it up discreetly and goes to all his old contacts to try and figure out what happened.

To solve the crime Smiley has to track down what it was that the General thought he had uncovered. This requires finding the General’s own network, and seeking out all the old Circus people who retired under the new management. It becomes clear that this was not a regular piece of intelligence business. The General knew that Karla was Smiley’s nemesis, and his messages suggested he had three proofs of a weakness Smiley had never been able to exploit.

Smiley moves through a grimy underworld of desperate and ruthless men. The general’s network had been cut off, and the members used their skills in various ways – Otto Leipzig had got one of the proofs via a Hamburg sex club whose owner was an old friend and comrade**. In turn when Smiley has enough to prove that Karla is operating outside of his official channels, the head of British Intelligence admits he can’t be involved – but he can get him money. A mirror of Karla’s operation where transporting the money is the weak point. Smiley uses the retired agents from his time in the Circus – his People we might say – and tracks the money to a Russian diplomat in Switzerland, who turns out to be played by Michael Lonsdale***.

This is a magnificent adaption of the novel, a worthy sequel to the BBC’s adaption of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, with several returning actors (led of course by the incomparable Alec Guinness, at the height of his powers). At the time the Cold War saw no likelihood of ending, so this was as much unfinished personal business for Smiley, going to see a variety of old friends, enemies and agents. How easy it is for Smiley to slip back into wartime mode. The younger generation are less interested – the lorry driver who is the General’s courier does it out of a sense of duty to the older generation, his wife openly hostile. When Smiley goes to find Otto Leipzig, he is at a riverside encampment of a variety of people outside of society, and he is treated with hostility****.

Watch This: Classic spy drama about what’s left behind when your intelligence career is over
Don’t Watch This: Old man wanders about disapproving of the modernity of 1982 trying to blackmail a Soviet spymaster

* British Intelligence is headquartered in Cambridge Circus, site of the Palace Theatre, here showing Song And Dance a mostly forgotten Andrew Lloyd Webber production

** “How did you enjoy the show?” he asks Smiley when he tracks him down. “It was very artistic,” says Smiley politely. The owner takes it as a compliment.

*** Giving us three Bond villain actors – Kronsteen, Karl Stromberg, and Hugo Drax. Surely not a coincidence.

**** Never actually speaks German in the show, though it’s notable that book Smiley is fluent – indeed his first assignments are teaching in German universities.