Why 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' Is The Best Spy Novel You'd Ever Come Across

Published in 1974, 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' stands as an enduring testament to the timeless allure of espionage fiction. With its gripping narrative and intricate web of intrigue, this novel has held readers in its thrall for nearly half a century. In this video, we embark on an enthralling literary expedition, immersing ourselves in the shadowy world of the British intelligence service.
Here, within the labyrinthine corridors of secrecy, the very foundations of trust are shaken as the line between friend and foe blurs into obscurity. Within these hallowed halls, secrets, like buried treasures, lie concealed, waiting to be unearthed.
Join us as we navigate this treacherous terrain, unravelling the complexities of loyalty, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of truth that lie at the heart of John le Carré's masterpiece, 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.'
🗣️ Join the Discussion:
Share your thoughts and insights in the comments section below. Have you read the book or seen the movie? Which character resonated with you the most? Let's engage in a lively discussion about this literary classic!
🔔 Don't forget to subscribe, like, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our latest literary explorations. Whether you're a die-hard le Carré fan or just curious about the world of espionage fiction, this video is a must-watch!
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[@brianknight7897]

Please the Alex Guiness version is the gold standard for this La Clare novel.

[@poetcomic1]

John Le Carre himself says thanks to Alec Guinness's 'Smiley' he can't even write about Smiley without seeing Sir Alec.

[@kenoliver8913]

Its not just Guinness though. I think the Oldman film is actually very good - there are some stunning scenes in it - but it suffers from not being able to fit the full twisted plot into 2 hours. The 5+ hours of the TV series captures the subtleties of the novel better. Also some of the minor characters in the film were annoyingly cardboard cutout, which is not true of the BBC TV series which had some rich performances in support of Guinness (again, the extra length helped). Though I thought - spoiler alert - Colin Firth did a better job of the villain than Ian Richardson.

[@ewawilsons]

As much as I love the Guinness version, and as much as I loved Richardson in House of Cards, I totally agree the Firth was the better Haydon.

[@kenoliver8913]

Yep. Richardson's masterpiece was as Francis Urquhart; both more nuanced and more horrific than Spacey's Frank Underwood in the US version. But he was not as fascinating playing Bill Haydon.

[@MrAhuapai]

@@kenoliver8913 The cinematography in the later version is outstanding.

[@ericericson3535]

Tinker Tailor is my favorite book, it is a cozy, a thriller, and an espionage story rolled into one. I read it every year. Le Carre's style and writing are a master class in how to write.

[@timeofgifts]

There are basic mistakes in this plot description - 'the Lamplighters' are part of The Circus and are run by Toby Esterhazy, Connie Sachs & Toby Esterhazy don't join Smiley's team, they are questioned by Smiley. Esterhazy & Bland are suspects as the KBG 'mole'. You can't even say this was dramatic licence by the film, it's just inaccurate. Seriously who wrote the plot synopsis for this video.

[@neilmccarthy1839]

I noticed the same thing - bingo!

[@allwrighty100]

Was looking for this comment. These mistakes negate the whole video.

[@kenoliver8913]

It is written and spoken by an AI bot. ChatGPT still has a long way to go.

[@mageplayer9419]

also Tarr was in hong kong

[@castelodeossos3947]

@@mageplayer9419 Not important. In the infinitely better BBC series, he met Irena in Lisbon.

[@pantalisyianni8393]

Yes, this spy novel is the best of it's genre. The BBC production with Alex Guinness playing George Smiley is one of the best series ever . Every part of it was superb: production, script, director, music and all the actors.

[@StimParavane]

Arguably the greatest tv series ever.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

Absolutely. Watch the TV series not the movie; it's nothing like the book.

[@NothusDeusVagus]

One wonders whether or not the writer or editor (if they aren't the same entity, of this script has ever actually read the novel or seen the films that are being reviewed here. Both Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy movies were (and a series too) based upon a great novel and all of them alone and together deserve a better effort at explanation than this sadly insipid offering.

[@PK_Mega_Awesome]

One also wonders if this was written by ChatGPT

[@NothusDeusVagus]

@@PK_Mega_Awesome - what or whom is a chat gpt?

[@poetcomic1]

Both Tinker, Tailor and Smiley's People have been uploaded on KZbin as 'The Quest for Karla'. Ten hours longs but without the intros and closings.

[@chrisst8922]

BBC Worldwide's lawyers will see to it that it's removed forthwith.

[@londomolari5715]

All three novels have been published together under that same title.

[@poetcomic1]

@@londomolari5715 The Honourable Schoolboy was a great read but Smiley wasn't the center point. They wanted to do a BBC of it but the location shooting was too expensive.

[@kenoliver8913]

​@@poetcomic1 Yes, that's a real pity. I think the Honourable Schoolboy would actually be easier to turn into a film (or a play) than Tinker Tailor - the plot's less byzantine.

[@poetcomic1]

@@kenoliver8913 I think it the most epic and 'cinematic' of his novels.

[@scottboyd3838]

In the film, it was Hungary ( Budapest) where the "disaster" happened, where Jim gets shot and eventually tortured and "returned" back to the UK.

[@allwrighty100]

I have the BBC adaptations of Tinker, Tailor and Smiley's People on VHS in a cupboard somewhere!

[@misterinadequate3518]

Tinker, Tailor was very good;; but I enjoyed Smiley's People more. (talking about the books).

[@magetaaaaaa]

Smiley's People is definitely the better story in my opinion. Tinker Tailor can be overwhelming with the inner politics of the Circus. Smiley's People showcases more spycraft in the field which I think is more engaging and requires less research to keep up with on the readers/viewers part.

[@craiga2002]

Le Carre is pronounced "Luh Car-RAY," Esterhase is pronounced "Ester Hahzee."

[@ephemerabluetit335]

You are listening to a computer generated voice.

[@castelodeossos3947]

Very sorry, in English, the stress is not on 'ray' but on 'Car', even though there is an accent on the final e.

[@dandelves]

It is a modern classic for sure and a candidate for the greatest spy novel of all time.

[@ericericson3535]

BTW when the BBC wanted Alec Guinness to play Smiley, he said "no I'm too old." They then approached Donald Sutherland, when Alec heard that he said, "okay, I'll do it":

[@philippankhurst6680]

Guinness thought that Arthur Lowe (Dad's Army) should be Smiley as he looked like the book's description of him. Guinness BECAME Smiley in the greatest performance of his career, aided by almost the entire National Theatre company...

[@philgerber447]

Love both the movie and the series, they were both great in their own ways. The book is still worth reading just for the 2-3 pages of Ricky Tarr's backstory, which isn't covered in either adaptation and completely blew me away (and I thought was probably a story drawn from real events - le Carre had worked for The Circus IRL before being forced into retirement).

[@PaulRiley-ev9it]

I love Hywell Bennet as Rikki Tarr

[@situated4]

@@PaulRiley-ev9it Irina

[@castelodeossos3947]

Ricky Tarr's 'backstory' (sic.) is mentioned briefly in the BBC series, when Smiley and Ricky meet at Lacon's house.

[@donaldlewis2506]

Error The small group put together by Smiley to expose the Mole were partly retired personnel because they WERE retired and thus out of suspicion. The term Lamplighter was given to a type of MI-6 employee that specialized in SIGINT and HUMINT. Their duties were similar to those of NSA specialists.

[@kenoliver8913]

This is totally an AI script and voice. The producer has never read the book or seen either the TV series or the movie. Of course it stuffs things up completely - AI still has a long way to go. Do not bother watching any more of this channel - they'll all be the same.

[@situated4]

Scalp Hunters and JuJu Men too. Oh, God. The scintillating intrigue!

[@blackbird5634]

If they DON'T make ''Smiley's People'' after this they're missing a great opportunity. The cast is still alive, the interest is out here, and they could knock it out of the park.

[@charliesmith4072]

Uh...You do know that the BBC did that about thirty years ago with the original Alec Guinness crew, don't you?

[@blackbird5634]

@@charliesmith4072 I referenced ''Smiley's People'' didn't I? Reading comprehension used to be part of the curriculum in school. I wonder what happened?

[@charliesmith4072]

@@blackbird5634 What did you miss? TTSS was screened by BBC in 1979. SP was screened around 1990. Both are available here as "The Quest for Karla".

[@blackbird5634]

@@charliesmith4072 Perhaps English is not your first language?

[@Madhu2405]

Excellent review comment. I am of course, fan of the Alec Guinness as Smiley. I have read the book many times and ready to read it again. Your comments on the book with quick recap of the film truly made me to recall the movie. They have done a remarkable job in making a movie. Bill Haydon's character was based on Kim Philby...

[@situated4]

* Sir Alec Guinness

[@Madhu2405]

@@situated4 Hi, Thanks for pointing out my spelling error. I failed to notice it. By the way, Every day I watch 30-45 minutes of Tinker, Tailor…It acts as a life giving nectar 😊!

[@BrianRPaterson]

I love Le Carre novels. But this plot summary is a long way from the book, the movie or the BBC TV series. It gets many details wrong and mistakes the roles of critical characters. However, the idea is sound - Tinker Tailor is a masterpiece.

[@markberman6708]

Loved this book!!!

[@Soldier4USA2005]

I really wanted to enjoy this video because I enjoyed the movie, but the "text to speech" is lazy and sounds horrible. Didn't even get passed 10 seconds.

[@ravikumarangovender7780]

Lucky you…it gets the story wrong 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@thomascarlisle7895]

This version is terribly lacking after The Alec Guiness version

[@ocelotsly5521]

God, I hate this AI-generated crap. Le Carré's work deserves better.

[@RobertLeather]

Have you even seen the film or read the movie?! Toby Esterhase and Roy Bland are actually two of the people under suspicion of being the Russian Mole. Ricky Tarr is informed of the mole not in Turkey, but in the novel it's Hong Kong. Interestingly, in the BBC TV Series it's Portugal.

[@yezdnil]

Whoever put this together doesn't appear to have read the book.

[@simondaly9960]

It's the best spy novel, because it's based upon real facts. The story is brilliantly written embellishment based upon a true shortlist of an MI5 mole who was never successfully caught. Take a read of the late Peter Wright's "Spycatcher" to see how the novel used the facts for its core story.

[@BillHimmel]

Saw the movie and thought it horribly overrated!

[@peterthayer6238]

Both the Guinness tv adaptations are superior in every way. The film is terribly miscast. Smileys People has an extraordinary cast. Guinness. Beryl Reid. Curt Jurgens. Vladek Shebayl just to name a few. Britain again proves it has mastered drama far better than Hollywood Le Carre must have been paid a bundle to appear in but not write the script of the movie. No wonder they didnt follow up with the movie Smiley's People.

[@christopherkeillor2404]

The book is wonderful. This monstrosity of a movie should have never been made. It's awful. The BBC mini series with Alec Guiness is a worthy adaptation.

[@luciuslomax336]

I'm not sure it is the best. I think it's a tie between Tinker, Tailor and the Spy who Came in from the Cold

[@brunosirigado]

How much does this movie cost to produce? The cast alone...

[@GeorgeSmiley77]

The narration is by a bot. Not watching. It's a desecration to use a bot to discuss such things.

[@Jackthesmilingblack]

Many of the names are mispronounced. In future, don't use US narrators.

[@Frank_Nemo]

It's an AI voice. In fact, this whole 'review' sounds like it was ChatGPT generated. You can tell because ChatGPT makes bits up if it doesn't know.