Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (film)
Encyclopedia
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 English-language espionage film
directed by Tomas Alfredson
, from a screenplay written by Bridget O'Connor
and Peter Straughan
based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
by John le Carré
. The film stars Gary Oldman
as George Smiley
, and co-stars Colin Firth
, Tom Hardy
, John Hurt
, Toby Jones
, Mark Strong
, Benedict Cumberbatch
and Ciarán Hinds
. Set in London in the early 1970s, the story follows the hunt for a Soviet double agent
at the top of the British secret service.
The film was produced through the British company Working Title Films
and financed by France's StudioCanal
. It premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
. The film received favourable reviews and was the highest grossing film at the British box office for three consecutive weeks.
("the Circus"), sends agent Jim Prideaux to Hungary
to meet a Hungarian general who wishes to sell information. The operation is blown: Prideaux is shot and captured by Soviet intelligence. Amid the international incident that follows, Control and his right-hand man George Smiley
are forced into retirement.
Percy Alleline
becomes the new Chief of the Circus, with Bill Haydon
as his deputy and Roy Bland
and Toby Esterhase
as close allies. They have established their status by delivering apparently high-grade Soviet intelligence material, code named "Witchcraft", about which both Control and Smiley were suspicious. Alleline shares Witchcraft material with the Americans, obtaining valuable US intelligence in exchange. Control, already ill, dies.
Smiley is brought out of retirement by Oliver Lacon
, the civil servant in charge of intelligence, to investigate an allegation by agent Ricki Tarr, that there was a long-term mole
in a senior role in British Intelligence. Smiley interviews people who left the Circus at the same time as he and Control. One is Connie Sachs
, who had been sacked by Alleline for accusing Polyakov, a Soviet cultural attaché in London, of being a Soviet agent. Another is Jerry Westerby, who had been duty clerk on the night Prideaux was shot. Westerby reveals he had rung Smiley's house for instructions, but Smiley was away. Shortly afterwards Haydon had arrived at the Circus saying he saw the news on the tickertape at his club at 1am. Smiley realises that, because the tape would have been closed by 1am, Haydon must have heard the news from Smiley's wife, with whom Haydon was having an affair.
Smiley finds Tarr hiding at his home. Tarr tells him that he had been sent to Istanbul
to investigate Boris, a Soviet agent. There Tarr had an affair with Boris' wife Irina, herself a Soviet operative. She had told him of the existence of the mole run by Soviet spymaster Karla
. Tarr had informed London of this revelation, and was ordered home at once. Boris was then killed by his own side, along with the British station chief in Istanbul, and Irina was taken back to Russia. Tarr, accused by the British of defecting and murdering the British station chief, had gone on the run. Smiley instructs Guillam to steal the Circus logbook for the night Tarr called: the relevant pages have been removed, evidence that Tarr's story about the mole is true.
Smiley visits Jim Prideaux, who is alive and has been repatriated. Prideaux reveals the true purpose of his mission to Hungary - to learn the name of the mole. Control had codenamed the suspects "Tinker" (Alleline), "Tailor" (Haydon), "Soldier" (Bland) and "Poorman" (Esterhase). Prideaux tells of his brutal interrogation, and of seeing the Soviets murder Irina in front of him, further evidence that Tarr's story is true.
Smiley learns that Alleline, Haydon, Bland, and Esterhase have been meeting Polyakov at a safe house, giving him what they believe to be worthless British information (thinking that, in the eyes of his Russian superiors, he is a loyal KGB agent, and needs something to show them) in return for Witchcraft material. In reality the mole has been leaking genuine British information to Polyakov and the Witchcraft material is mostly "chickenfeed", designed to persuade the Americans to share intelligence with the British, which the mole could then pass to the Soviets.
Smiley sweats the safe house address from Esterhase and has Tarr resurface at the Paris office, knowing that the mole will then want to meet Polyakov to discuss the matter. Smiley waits at the safe house and captures the mole: it is Haydon. At Sarratt
, the Circus interrogation centre, Haydon reveals that he seduced Smiley's wife on Karla's instruction, in order to distort any suspicions Smiley may have had of Haydon. Before his mission to Hungary, Jim Prideaux had visited his friend Haydon and tipped him off about Control's suspicions, thus inadvertently sealing his own fate.
The Circus plans to exchange Haydon back to the Soviets, but Prideaux, embittered by his torture and heartbroken by Haydon's betrayal, comes to Sarratt and shoots him dead, weeping as he does so. Smiley is restored to the Circus, as its chief.
when he wrote a draft of the screenplay which he offered to Working Title Films to produce. Morgan dropped out as the writer due to personal reasons, but still served as an executive producer. Following Morgan's departure, Working Title hired Peter Straughan
and Bridget O'Connor to redraft the script. Tomas Alfredson
was confirmed to direct on 9 July 2009. The production is his first English-language film. The film was backed financially by France's StudioCanal and had a budget corresponding to 30 million US dollars.
was in talks for a role early on. Michael Fassbender
was in talks at one point to star as Ricki Tarr, but the shooting schedule conflicted with his work on X-Men: First Class
. Tom Hardy
was cast instead. On 17 September 2010 it was confirmed that Mark Strong
had joined the cast. Jared Harris
was cast but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
. He was replaced by Toby Jones
.
took place between 7 October and 22 December 2010 in London, Budapest and Istanbul. Blythe House
in Kensington Olympia, west London, was used as the location for "The Circus." The interior hall of London's Leadenhall Market
served as the location for the café scene (supposedly in Budapest
) in which Jim Prideaux is shot. Empress Coach Works in Haggerston
was used as the location for the Merlin safe house. Other scenes were filmed on Hampstead Heath
and in Hampstead Ponds
, where Smiley is shown swimming, and in the physics department of Imperial College London
. The exterior shots of the Islay Hotel, a run down hotel described in the film as being near Liverpool Street station
, which Smiley uses as a base, were shot in Wilkin Street, London NW5. The production reunited Alfredson with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema
and editor Dino Jonsäter, with whom he had made his previous film, Let the Right One In.
on 5 September 2011. StudioCanal UK distributed the film in the United Kingdom, where it was released on 16 September 2011. US rights were acquired by Universal Pictures
, which have a permanent first-look deal with Working Title, and passed the rights to their subsidiary Focus Features
. Focus plan to give the film a wide release in the United States on 9 December 2011.
site Rotten Tomatoes
.
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." David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph
declared the film "a triumph" and gave it a five star rating, as did his colleague, Sukhdev Sandhu.
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". 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."
reported that the cinema revenues in Britain corresponded to $21,843,322.
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
directed by Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson is a Swedish film director, best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film Let the Right One In...
, from a screenplay written by Bridget O'Connor
Bridget O'Connor
Bridget O'Connor was an award-winning author, playwright and screenwriter. She is best known for her play The Flags and her adaptation, with husband Peter Straughan, of the book Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for the film of the same name...
and Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan is a playwright and author, based in the north-east of England.Peter Straughan was the writer-in-residence at Newcastle's Live Theatre Company. Whilst there, Live staged his plays Bones and Noir...
based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a middle-aged, taciturn, perspicacious intelligence expert in forced retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence...
by John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
. The film stars Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
as George Smiley
George Smiley
George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 , the British overseas intelligence agency...
, and co-stars Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
, Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy
Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
, John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
, Toby Jones
Toby Jones
Toby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Hammersmith, London, the son of actors Jennifer and Freddie Jones...
, Mark Strong
Mark Strong
Mark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass...
, Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
and Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds is an Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built up a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. His television roles include...
. Set in London in the early 1970s, the story follows the hunt for a Soviet double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
at the top of the British secret service.
The film was produced through the British company Working Title Films
Working Title Films
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, UK. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions, including films starring comic actor Rowan Atkinson...
and financed by France's StudioCanal
StudioCanal
StudioCanal is a French-based production and distribution company that owns the third-largest film library in the world...
. It premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
. The film received favourable reviews and was the highest grossing film at the British box office for three consecutive weeks.
Plot
Control, the head of British IntelligenceSecret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
("the Circus"), sends agent Jim Prideaux to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to meet a Hungarian general who wishes to sell information. The operation is blown: Prideaux is shot and captured by Soviet intelligence. Amid the international incident that follows, Control and his right-hand man George Smiley
George Smiley
George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 , the British overseas intelligence agency...
are forced into retirement.
Percy Alleline
Percy Alleline
Sir Percy Alleline is a fictional character in British novelist John le Carré's work. He is the Chief of the "Circus", Le Carré's fictionalised version of MI6/SIS, in the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy....
becomes the new Chief of the Circus, with Bill Haydon
Bill Haydon
Bill Haydon is a fictional character created by John le Carré, and is a major figure in le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.-Biography:...
as his deputy and Roy Bland
Roy Bland
Roy Bland is a fictional character in the novels of John le Carré, appearing most prominently inTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He is a high-ranking official in "The Circus" , and one of five men suspected of being a mole for the Russians.-Background:Unusually for Circus officers, Bland is from a...
and Toby Esterhase
Toby Esterhase
Toby Esterhase is a fictional character in John le Carré's George Smiley spy novels including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; and Smiley's People, as well as some of the stories in The Secret Pilgrim....
as close allies. They have established their status by delivering apparently high-grade Soviet intelligence material, code named "Witchcraft", about which both Control and Smiley were suspicious. Alleline shares Witchcraft material with the Americans, obtaining valuable US intelligence in exchange. Control, already ill, dies.
Smiley is brought out of retirement by Oliver Lacon
Oliver Lacon
Oliver Lacon is a fictional Permanent Secretary at Britain's Cabinet Office in John le Carré's 'George Smiley' spy novels: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. He is responsible for administrative oversight of The Circus, Le Carré's fictionalised version of...
, the civil servant in charge of intelligence, to investigate an allegation by agent Ricki Tarr, that there was a long-term mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
in a senior role in British Intelligence. Smiley interviews people who left the Circus at the same time as he and Control. One is Connie Sachs
Connie Sachs
Connie Sachs is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Sachs plays a key supporting role in le Carré's Karla Trilogy of spy novels including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; and Smiley's People....
, who had been sacked by Alleline for accusing Polyakov, a Soviet cultural attaché in London, of being a Soviet agent. Another is Jerry Westerby, who had been duty clerk on the night Prideaux was shot. Westerby reveals he had rung Smiley's house for instructions, but Smiley was away. Shortly afterwards Haydon had arrived at the Circus saying he saw the news on the tickertape at his club at 1am. Smiley realises that, because the tape would have been closed by 1am, Haydon must have heard the news from Smiley's wife, with whom Haydon was having an affair.
Smiley finds Tarr hiding at his home. Tarr tells him that he had been sent to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to investigate Boris, a Soviet agent. There Tarr had an affair with Boris' wife Irina, herself a Soviet operative. She had told him of the existence of the mole run by Soviet spymaster Karla
Karla (fictional character)
Karla is a fictional character in several novels by John le Carré. A Soviet Intelligence officer, he most often appears as a distant antagonist of George Smiley...
. Tarr had informed London of this revelation, and was ordered home at once. Boris was then killed by his own side, along with the British station chief in Istanbul, and Irina was taken back to Russia. Tarr, accused by the British of defecting and murdering the British station chief, had gone on the run. Smiley instructs Guillam to steal the Circus logbook for the night Tarr called: the relevant pages have been removed, evidence that Tarr's story about the mole is true.
Smiley visits Jim Prideaux, who is alive and has been repatriated. Prideaux reveals the true purpose of his mission to Hungary - to learn the name of the mole. Control had codenamed the suspects "Tinker" (Alleline), "Tailor" (Haydon), "Soldier" (Bland) and "Poorman" (Esterhase). Prideaux tells of his brutal interrogation, and of seeing the Soviets murder Irina in front of him, further evidence that Tarr's story is true.
Smiley learns that Alleline, Haydon, Bland, and Esterhase have been meeting Polyakov at a safe house, giving him what they believe to be worthless British information (thinking that, in the eyes of his Russian superiors, he is a loyal KGB agent, and needs something to show them) in return for Witchcraft material. In reality the mole has been leaking genuine British information to Polyakov and the Witchcraft material is mostly "chickenfeed", designed to persuade the Americans to share intelligence with the British, which the mole could then pass to the Soviets.
Smiley sweats the safe house address from Esterhase and has Tarr resurface at the Paris office, knowing that the mole will then want to meet Polyakov to discuss the matter. Smiley waits at the safe house and captures the mole: it is Haydon. At Sarratt
Sarratt
Sarratt is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, on the border of the county with Buckinghamshire. Sarratt is near Chesham, and the River Chess passes through the village....
, the Circus interrogation centre, Haydon reveals that he seduced Smiley's wife on Karla's instruction, in order to distort any suspicions Smiley may have had of Haydon. Before his mission to Hungary, Jim Prideaux had visited his friend Haydon and tipped him off about Control's suspicions, thus inadvertently sealing his own fate.
The Circus plans to exchange Haydon back to the Soviets, but Prideaux, embittered by his torture and heartbroken by Haydon's betrayal, comes to Sarratt and shoots him dead, weeping as he does so. Smiley is restored to the Circus, as its chief.
Cast
- Gary OldmanGary OldmanGary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
as George SmileyGeorge SmileyGeorge Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 , the British overseas intelligence agency... - Colin FirthColin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Bill HaydonBill HaydonBill Haydon is a fictional character created by John le Carré, and is a major figure in le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.-Biography:... - Tom HardyTom HardyEdward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
as Ricki Tarr - Mark StrongMark StrongMark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass...
as Jim Prideaux - Ciarán HindsCiarán HindsCiarán Hinds is an Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built up a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. His television roles include...
as Roy BlandRoy BlandRoy Bland is a fictional character in the novels of John le Carré, appearing most prominently inTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He is a high-ranking official in "The Circus" , and one of five men suspected of being a mole for the Russians.-Background:Unusually for Circus officers, Bland is from a... - Benedict CumberbatchBenedict CumberbatchBenedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
as Peter GuillamPeter GuillamPeter Guillam is a fictional character in John le Carré's series of espionage novels. He first appears in Call for the Dead at which time he is working for the Ministry of Defence.... - David DencikDavid DencikDavid Dencik is a Swedish actor.After having had minor roles in different films, David Dencik became an established actor in Sweden for his role as the killer John Ausonius in the three-part TV mini-series Lasermannen in 2005...
as Toby EsterhaseToby EsterhaseToby Esterhase is a fictional character in John le Carré's George Smiley spy novels including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; and Smiley's People, as well as some of the stories in The Secret Pilgrim.... - Stephen GrahamStephen Graham (actor)Stephen Graham is an English actor from Kirkby, Liverpool. He is best known for his roles as Tommy in the movie Snatch, Combo in This Is England and its four-part television sequel This Is England '86, Danny Ferguson in Occupation, Billy Bremner in The Damned United, notorious bank robber Baby...
as Jerry Westerby - Simon McBurneySimon McBurneySimon Montagu McBurney, OBE is an English actor, writer and director. He is the founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite.-Early life:...
as Oliver LaconOliver LaconOliver Lacon is a fictional Permanent Secretary at Britain's Cabinet Office in John le Carré's 'George Smiley' spy novels: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. He is responsible for administrative oversight of The Circus, Le Carré's fictionalised version of... - Toby JonesToby JonesToby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Hammersmith, London, the son of actors Jennifer and Freddie Jones...
as Percy AllelinePercy AllelineSir Percy Alleline is a fictional character in British novelist John le Carré's work. He is the Chief of the "Circus", Le Carré's fictionalised version of MI6/SIS, in the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.... - John HurtJohn HurtJohn Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
as Control - Svetlana KhodchenkovaSvetlana KhodchenkovaSvetlana Khodchenkova is a Russian film, stage, and television actress.She became known after starring in the movie Bless the Woman , for which she received a nomination for the Nika Award and continued her career with the role of clairvoyant Cassandra in the historic television series Mascot Love...
as Irina - Kathy BurkeKathy BurkeKatherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
as Connie SachsConnie SachsConnie Sachs is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Sachs plays a key supporting role in le Carré's Karla Trilogy of spy novels including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; and Smiley's People.... - Roger Lloyd-Pack as Mendel
- Christian McKayChristian McKay-Early life:McKay was born in Bury, Lancashire. His mother is a hairdresser and his father is a railway worker. He studied piano as a youth, and had performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at age 21...
as Mackelvore - Konstantin Khabenskiy as Polyakov
Development
The project was initiated by Peter MorganPeter Morgan
Peter Morgan may refer to:* Peter Morgan , British sports car manufacturer* Peter Morgan , 1978 British Formula Ford champion* Peter Morgan , Wales and British lions international...
when he wrote a draft of the screenplay which he offered to Working Title Films to produce. Morgan dropped out as the writer due to personal reasons, but still served as an executive producer. Following Morgan's departure, Working Title hired Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan is a playwright and author, based in the north-east of England.Peter Straughan was the writer-in-residence at Newcastle's Live Theatre Company. Whilst there, Live staged his plays Bones and Noir...
and Bridget O'Connor to redraft the script. Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson is a Swedish film director, best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film Let the Right One In...
was confirmed to direct on 9 July 2009. The production is his first English-language film. The film was backed financially by France's StudioCanal and had a budget corresponding to 30 million US dollars.
Casting
The director cast Gary Oldman in the role of George Smiley, and described the actor as having "a great face" and "the quiet intensity and intelligence that's needed". Many actors were connected to the other roles at various points, but only days before filming started, Oldman was still the only lead actor who officially had been contracted. David ThewlisDavid Thewlis
David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
was in talks for a role early on. Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class...
was in talks at one point to star as Ricki Tarr, but the shooting schedule conflicted with his work on X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
. Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy
Edward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
was cast instead. On 17 September 2010 it was confirmed that Mark Strong
Mark Strong
Mark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass...
had joined the cast. Jared Harris
Jared Harris
Jared Francis Harris is a British character actor, well known for playing the obnoxious Mac McGrath in the Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds, and for his portrayal of Lane Pryce on the AMC series Mad Men.- Personal life :...
was cast but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is an upcoming 2011 British-American action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin. It is a sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur...
. He was replaced by Toby Jones
Toby Jones
Toby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Hammersmith, London, the son of actors Jennifer and Freddie Jones...
.
Filming
Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
took place between 7 October and 22 December 2010 in London, Budapest and Istanbul. Blythe House
Blythe House
Blythe House is a listed building located at 23 Blythe Road, West Kensington, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, UK. Originally built as the headquarters of the Post Office Savings Bank, it is now used as a store and archive by the Victoria and Albert, Science and British Museums.-Post...
in Kensington Olympia, west London, was used as the location for "The Circus." The interior hall of London's Leadenhall Market
Leadenhall Market
Leadenhall Market is a covered market in the City of London, located at Gracechurch Street but with vehicular access also available via Whittington Avenue to the north and Lime Street to the south and east and additional pedestrian access via a number of narrow passageways.-History:The market dates...
served as the location for the café scene (supposedly in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) in which Jim Prideaux is shot. Empress Coach Works in Haggerston
Haggerston
Haggerston is an area and a electoral ward in the London Borough of Hackney, in northeast London, UK. It is bounded by Hackney Road on the south, Kingsland Road on the west, Middleton Road on the north with London Fields and Broadway Market on the east...
was used as the location for the Merlin safe house. Other scenes were filmed on Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
and in Hampstead Ponds
Hampstead Ponds
The Hampstead Ponds or Highgate Ponds are three large freshwater swimming ponds — two designated single sex, and one for mixed bathing — fed by the headwater springs of the River Fleet — in Hampstead Heath, North London, England....
, where Smiley is shown swimming, and in the physics department of Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. The exterior shots of the Islay Hotel, a run down hotel described in the film as being near Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
, which Smiley uses as a base, were shot in Wilkin Street, London NW5. The production reunited Alfredson with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema
Hoyte van Hoytema
Hoyte van Hoytema is a Dutch cinematographer who studied at the Polish National Filmschool in Lodz. He has worked primarily in the Scandinavian countries, but also in Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom.-Life and work:Hoyte van Hoytema has shot several features, documentaries and...
and editor Dino Jonsäter, with whom he had made his previous film, Let the Right One In.
Release
The film premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
on 5 September 2011. StudioCanal UK distributed the film in the United Kingdom, where it was released on 16 September 2011. US rights were acquired by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, which have a permanent first-look deal with Working Title, and passed the rights to their subsidiary Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
. Focus plan to give the film a wide release in the United States on 9 December 2011.
Critical response
Reviews for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy have shown mostly favourable critical acclaim. As of 24 November 2011, the film held a 98% approval rating from 41 reviews at review aggregatorReview aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Jonathan Romney of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
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." David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
declared the film "a triumph" and gave it a five star rating, as did his colleague, Sukhdev Sandhu.
Detractors of the film included Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
of The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
, 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". 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."
Box office
The film topped the British box-office chart for three consecutive weeks. As of 13 November 2011, Box Office MojoBox Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
reported that the cinema revenues in Britain corresponded to $21,843,322.
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Film Festival Venice Film Festival The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the... |
10 September 2011 68th Venice International Film Festival The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,... |
Golden Lion Golden Lion Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes... |
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | |
| British Independent Film Awards British Independent Film Awards The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British... |
4 December 2011 | Best British Independent Film BIFA Award for Best British Independent Film The British Independent Film Award for Best British Independent Film is an annual award given to the best British independent film. The award was introduced in the 1998 ceremony, and the current award winner is The King's Speech.- 1998–1999 :... |
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | |
| Best Director of a British Independent Film | Tomas Alfredson | |||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film The British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film is an annual award given to the Best Actor who starred in a British independent film... |
Gary Oldman | |||
| Best Supporting Actress BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress The British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an annual award given to the Best Supporting Actress in a British film. The award was introduced in the 2008 ceremony.- 2008–2009 :- 2010–2019 :... |
Kathy Burke | |||
| Best Supporting Actor BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor The British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor is an annual award given to the Best Supporting Actor in a British film. The award was introduced in the 2008 ceremony.- 2008–2009 :- 2010–2019 :... |
Tom Hardy | |||
| Benedict Cumberbatch | ||||
| Best Technical Achievement | Maria Djurkovic |