This should have been as good as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but, having watched episode one, it's obvious that the change in director and the start of the 1980s has partially ruined the show.
Alec Guinness is trying too hard to be a certain type of, let's say, experienced older generation spymaster and not making a very good job of it. It's like watching the spying version of One Foot in the Grave with Smiley another Mrs Bucket.
Barry Foster is hopelessly camp in his role of a sort of upper-class, posh spymaster himself; using words like 'ergo' and delivering them in a ridiculous, hyped-up posh accent is stupid and totally unnecessary. The detail is tedious - mind games over whether or not someone drinks whiskey - it's a bit like watching a bunch of camp actors in Crossroads, but in this case just trying too hard to create a certain kind of old-fashioned Britishness.
The director wants to re-create a certain, old-fashioned kind of Britishness yet goes completely over-the-top with the language, voices, social relationships and almost everything. Also, why throw in the stupid 'lets explain what's going on' lines that also happen, like when the fire brigade is called in Paris and then someone has to explain to Smiley why they were called despite there being no accident or fire.
That's the London scenes. However, the rest of it shot on location is inrigueing.
Alec Guinness is trying too hard to be a certain type of, let's say, experienced older generation spymaster and not making a very good job of it. It's like watching the spying version of One Foot in the Grave with Smiley another Mrs Bucket.
Barry Foster is hopelessly camp in his role of a sort of upper-class, posh spymaster himself; using words like 'ergo' and delivering them in a ridiculous, hyped-up posh accent is stupid and totally unnecessary. The detail is tedious - mind games over whether or not someone drinks whiskey - it's a bit like watching a bunch of camp actors in Crossroads, but in this case just trying too hard to create a certain kind of old-fashioned Britishness.
The director wants to re-create a certain, old-fashioned kind of Britishness yet goes completely over-the-top with the language, voices, social relationships and almost everything. Also, why throw in the stupid 'lets explain what's going on' lines that also happen, like when the fire brigade is called in Paris and then someone has to explain to Smiley why they were called despite there being no accident or fire.
That's the London scenes. However, the rest of it shot on location is inrigueing.