France, United Kingdom, Germany
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is based on the John Le Carré cold war spy novel. Set in the 1970s, George Smiley, a recently retired MI6 agent, is doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent re-appears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage.
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is based on the John Le Carré cold war spy novel. Set in the 1970s, George Smiley, a recently retired MI6 agent, is doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent re-appears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the Circus, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage.
Director's Statement
When I first met John le Carré he was very clear about his wishes regarding the film version of his novel “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”: “Please don’t shoot the book or re-make the TV mini-series. They already exist. I’m not going to interfere, but you can call me any time if there is anything you wonder about.” I think we have obeyed him to the letter. Of course, you cannot encompass every detail in a book of 349 pages at the movies. But you can take themes and strands and moments, and try to describe what you see. With TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY I think we’ve made a film about loyalty and ideals, values that are extremely relevant − perhaps mostly because they are so rare these days?