Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 Anglo-French espionage film directed by Tomas Alfredson. The screenplay was 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 asGeorge 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 was a critical and commercial success and was the highest-grossing film at the British box office for three consecutive weeks. At the 84th Academy Awards, the film received three nominations: theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Oldman received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actor.
Cast:
- Gary Oldman as George Smiley, "Beggarman"
- Colin Firth as Bill Haydon, "Tailor"
- Tom Hardy as Ricki Tarr
- Mark Strong as Jim Prideaux
- Ciarán Hinds as Roy Bland, "Soldier"
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Peter Guillam
- David Dencik as Toby Esterhase, "Poorman"
- Stephen Graham as Jerry Westerby
- Simon McBurney as Oliver Lacon
- Toby Jones as Percy Alleline, "Tinker"
- John Hurt as Control
- Svetlana Khodchenkova as Irina
- Kathy Burke as Connie Sachs
- Roger Lloyd-Pack as Mendel
- Christian McKay as Mackelvore
- Konstantin Khabensky as Polyakov
- Michael Sarne as Karla
- Tomasz Kowalski as Boris
- Zoltán Mucsi as Hungarian agent
Development:
The project was initiated by Peter Morgan when he wrote a draft of the screenplay, which he offered to Working Title Films to produce. Morgan dropped out as the writer owing to personal reasons, but still served as an executive producer.[2] Following Morgan's departure, Working Title hired Peter Straughan and his wife, Bridget O'Connor, to redraft the script.Park Chan-wook considered directing the film but ultimately turned it down.[3] Tomas Alfredson was confirmed to direct on 9 July 2009. The production is his first English-language film.[4][5] The film was backed financially by France's StudioCanal and had a budget corresponding to $21 million.[6] The film is dedicated to O'Connor, who died of cancer during production.
The events which take place in Czechoslovakia in the novel were moved to Hungary, because of the country's 20% rebate for film productions. The teams filmed in Budapest for five days. Right before Christmas the team also filmed in Istanbul for nine days.[6] 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.[16]Principal photography took place between 7 October and 22 December 2010.[13] Studio scenes were shot at a former army barracks in Mill Hill, north London.[6] Blythe House in Kensington Olympia, West London, was used as the exterior for "The Circus."[14] The interior hall of Budapest's Párizsi Udvar served as the location for the café scene, in which Jim Prideaux is shot.[15] 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.[citation needed]
Won 67 awards altogether.
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.[7] David Thewlis was in talks for a role early on.[8] 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 Hardywas cast instead.[9] On 17 September 2010 it was confirmed that Mark Strong had joined the cast.[10] Jared Harris was cast but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts withSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. He was replaced by Toby Jones.[11] John le Carré appears in a cameo as a guest in a party scene.[12]
Filming:
The events which take place in Czechoslovakia in the novel were moved to Hungary, because of the country's 20% rebate for film productions. The teams filmed in Budapest for five days. Right before Christmas the team also filmed in Istanbul for nine days.[6] 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.[16]Principal photography took place between 7 October and 22 December 2010.[13] Studio scenes were shot at a former army barracks in Mill Hill, north London.[6] Blythe House in Kensington Olympia, West London, was used as the exterior for "The Circus."[14] The interior hall of Budapest's Párizsi Udvar served as the location for the café scene, in which Jim Prideaux is shot.[15] 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.[citation needed]
Post-production:
The film took six months to edit. The final song in the film, a rendition by Julio Iglesias of the French song "La Mer" set against a visual montage of various characters and subplots being resolved as Smiley strides into Circus headquarters to assume command, was chosen because it was something the team thought George Smiley would listen to when he was alone; Alfredson described the song as "everything that the world of MI6 isn't". A scene where Smiley listens to the song was filmed, but eventually cut to avoid giving it too much significance.
Critical response:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy received generally positive reviews. The film holds an 83% 'Fresh' approval rating from 200 reviews collected byreview aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill."[22] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating in the 0–100 range based on reviews from top mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 85 based on 42 reviews, equating to "universal acclaim".[23]
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."[24] David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph declared the film "a triumph" and gave it a five star rating,[25] as did his colleague, Sukhdev Sandhu.[26] Stateside, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "As Alfredson directs the expert script by Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor, the film emerges as a tale of loneliness and desperation among men who can never disclose their secret hearts, even to themselves. It's easily one of the year's best films."[27] M. Enois Duarte of High-Def Digest also praised the film as a "brilliant display of drama, mystery and suspense, one which regards its audience with intelligence".[28]
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".[29] 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."[30] Writing in The Atlantic, le Carré admirer James Paker favourably contrasted Smiley with the James Bond franchise, but finds this Tinker, Tailor adaptation "problematic" compared to the 1979 BBC mini-series. He writes "To strip down or minimalize le Carré, however, is to sacrifice the almost Tolkienesque grain and depth of his created world: the decades-long backstory, the lingo, the arcana, the liturgical repetitions of names and functions."
Box office:
The film topped the British box-office chart for three consecutive weeks, and earned $80,630,608 worldwide.
| Directed by | Tomas Alfredson |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Robyn Slovo |
| Screenplay by | Bridget O'Connor Peter Straughan |
| Based on | Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré |
| Starring | Gary Oldman Colin Firth Benedict Cumberbatch Tom Hardy John Hurt Toby Jones Mark Strong |
| Music by | Alberto Iglesias |
| Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema |
| Editing by | Dino Jonsäter |
| Studio | StudioCanal Working Title Films |
| Distributed by | StudioCanal UK (United Kingdom) StudioCanal (France) |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21 million |
| Box office | $80,630,608[1] |
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 26 February 2012 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Alberto Iglesias | Nominated | ||
| Amanda Award[34] | 17 August 2012 | Best Foreign Film | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated |
| American Society of Cinematographers[35] | 12 February 2012 | Best Cinematography in a Feature Film | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated |
| Art Directors Guild[36] | 4 February 2012 | Period Film | Maria Djurkovic (Production Designer) | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | 12 February 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Outstanding British Film | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated | ||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| Best Original Music | Alberto Iglesias | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Dino Jonsater | Nominated | ||
| Best Production Design | Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Jacqueline Durran | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema | John Hurt | Won | ||
| British Film Bloggers Circle Awards | 21 February 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best British Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated | ||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | |||
| British Independent Film Awards | 4 December 2011 | Best British Independent Film | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Nominated |
| Best Director of a British Independent Film | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best Technical Achievement | Maria Djurkovic (Production Design) | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kathy Burke | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Tom Hardy | Nominated | ||
| Benedict Cumberbatch | Nominated | |||
| British Film Institute | 4 December 2011 | Top Ten Films | Won | |
| Best Film | Tenth place | |||
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association | 5 January 2012 | Best Cast | Won | |
| Chlotrudis Awards | 18 March 2012 | Best Cast | Nominated | |
| Ciak d'oro | 6 June 2012 | Best Foreign Film | Tomas Alfredson | Runner-up |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | 19 December 2011 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Nominated | ||
| Crime Thriller Awards | 18 September 2012 | Best Film | Won | |
| Conch Awards | 19 September 2012 | Best Film Soundtrack | Stephen Griffiths | Won |
| Best Film Mix Facility | Goldcrest Post Production | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design & Editorial Team | Andy Shelley and Stephen Griffiths | Nominated | ||
| Denver Film Critics Society | 11 January 2012 | Best Cast | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Alberto Iglesias | Nominated | ||
| Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards | 23 December 2011 | Top Ten Films | Won | |
| Best Film | Fourth place | |||
| Top Ten Directors | Tomas Alfredson | Won | ||
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Fourth place | ||
| Top Ten Actors | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Third place | ||
| Empire Awards | 25 March 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best British Film | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated | ||
| Best Thriller | Won | |||
| European Film Awards | 1 December 2012 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Pending |
| Best Production Design | Maria Djurkovic | Pending | ||
| Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Pending | ||
| Best Original Score | Alberto Iglesias | Pending | ||
| People's Choice Award – Best European Film | Tomas Alfredson | Pending | ||
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | 7 February 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best Technical Achievement | Maria Djurkovic | Nominated | ||
| Alexander Walker Special Award | John Hurt | Won | ||
| Golden Trailer Awards | 31 May 2012 | Best Drama Trailer | Nominated | |
| Best Thriller Trailer | Nominated | |||
| Best Independent Poster | Won | |||
| Best Drama Poster | Nominated | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | 1 September 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Tom Hardy | Nominated | ||
| Best Ensemble Cast | Won | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Hoyte van Hoytema | Nominated | ||
| Best Production Design | Maria Djurkovic | Nominated | ||
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 18 November 2011 | Gotham Tribute Award | Gary Oldman | Won |
| Hollywood Film Festival | 24 October 2011 | Best Composer | Alberto Iglesias | Won |
| International Chinephile Society | 22 February 2012 | Best Cast | Runner-up | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| Best Production Design | Maria Djurkovic | Runner-up | ||
| Best Original Score | Alberto Iglesias | Runner-up | ||
| International Federation of Film Critics Award | 10 September 2012 | Grand Prix for the best film | Tomas Alfredson | Nineth place |
| Irish Film and Television Awards | 11 February 2012 | Best International Film | Won | |
| Actor in a Lead Role in a Feature Film | Ciarán Hinds | Nominated | ||
| International Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Italian Online Film Actors & Dubbers Award | 1 September 2012 | Best Foreign Actor | Gary Oldman | Won |
| Best Foreign Supporting Actor | Tom Hardy | Nominated | ||
| Best Foreign Cast | Won | |||
| Best Male Dubber | Stefano De Sando | Won | ||
| Public Choice Award for Best Performance | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Italy Screenplay Prize | 13 July 2012 | Best Film | Won | |
| Top Ten Films | Won | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay – International | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| Special Award for Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Won | ||
| Special Award for Best Performance | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | 13 December 2011 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated |
| Best Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Maria Djurkovic | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Dino Jonsater | Nominated | ||
| London Film Critics Circle Award | 19 January 2012 | Top Ten Film | Won | |
| Best Film | Fourth place | |||
| Best British Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best British Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Nominated | ||
| Best Technical Achievement | Maria Djurkovic | Won | ||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | 11 December 2011 | Best Art Direction | Maria Djurkovic | Runner-up |
| Metacritic Awards | 5 January 2012 | Best Reviewed Drama | Third place | |
| Best Reviewed Thriller | Won | |||
| Movie Farm Awards | 12 February 2012 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Won |
| Music & Sound Awards | Best Original Composition in a Film | Alberto Iglesias | Won | |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | 2 January 2012 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | |||
| Best Editing | Dino Jonsater | Nominated | ||
| Online Film & Television Association | 5 February 2012 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Maria Djurkovic | Nominated | ||
| Best Cast | Won | |||
| Best Casting | Jina Jay | Won | ||
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 15 January 2012 | Best International Star | Gary Oldman | Won |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society | 27 December 2011 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Nominated |
| Premio Cinema Ludus[37] | 19 November 2012 | Gran Prix for Best Film | Tomas Alfredson | Won |
| Prix for Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Best European Film | Won | |||
| Best European Director | Tomas Alfredson | Won | ||
| Best European Actor | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Best European Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| Best European Technical Achievement | Maria Djurkovic | Won | ||
| Best Producer | Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner | Won | ||
| Richard Attenborough Regional Film Awards | 2 February 2012 | Best British Film of the year | Won | |
| Best Actor of the year | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Best British Actor of the year | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| San Francisco Film Critics Circle | 25 March 2012 | Best Actor | Gary Oldman | Won |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| Satellite Award | 18 December 2011 | Best Film – Motion Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor – Motion Picture | Gary Oldman | Nominated | ||
| Spanish Film Music Critics Awards | 29 June 2012 | Best Spanish Composer | Alberto Iglesias | Won |
| Stockholm Film Festival | 20 November 2011 | FIPRESCI Award | Won | |
| Sydney Film Critics | 21 December 2011 | Top Twenty Unreleased Films | Won | |
| Best Unreleased Film | Fourth place | |||
| Total Film Hotlist | 3 August 2012 | Hottest Film | Nominated | |
| Hottest Actor | Benedict Cumberbatch | Nominated | ||
| Hottest Actor | Tom Hardy | Nominated | ||
| Venice Film Festival | 10 September 2011 | Golden Lion | Nominated | |
| Virgin Media Movie Awards | 1 March 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 5 December 2011 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Nominated |
| YouMovie Awards[38][39] | 30 June 2012 | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Drama Film | Won | |||
| Best Thriller | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Gary Oldman | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Benedict Cumberbatch | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Colin Firth | Nominated | ||
| Best Cast | Won | |||
| Best Villain | Colin Firth | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Tomas Alfredson | Won | ||
| Best Trailer | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Hoyte Van Hoytema | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Maria Djurkovic | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Jaqueline Durran | Nominated | ||
| World Soundtrack Academy | 20 October 2012 | Best Score of the Year | Alberto Iglesias | Won |
| Best Composer of the Year | Alberto Iglesias | Won |
