Guinness is good for you

[altariel]

The DVD of Smiley's People arrived over the weekend, and we started watching it on Monday night. Eee, they don't make 'em like this any more. Guinness only appears after about half an hour and doesn't have much to say, but quietly steals the show.

I read Eliot's The Cocktail Party yesterday: it's... an odd play, but when I checked the cast list it turned out that Guinness was in the original production. It helped to hear his voice saying the lines. I haven't read any of Eliot's plays before, tho' I'm fairly certain I saw the film version of Murder in the Cathedral when I was a kid. The wondrous katlinel recently sent me the book of the film.

When I checked the Sky Digital box last night, I found we had three Alec Guinness films stored on it for future viewing: Great Expectations, Our Man in Havana, and the somewhat undersung At Sea. Has anyone seen the new Coen Brothers version of The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks in the Guinness role? Will going to see it just make me sad?

Yesterday the DVD of A Murder of Quality arrived. It doesn't have Guinness in it (it does have Denholm Elliot and Joss Ackland, tho'), but Le Carré wrote it and it's about George Smiley, so that's the connection there.

Comments

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

Has anyone seen the new Coen Brothers version of The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks in the Guinness role? Will going to see it just make me sad?

Yes. And yes.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, that bad?

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

Weeelllll... even just looking at it as a Coen Brothers film and not a remake, it's not that great. Fun, but not Coen Brothers brilliance.

Not *that* bad. Just... Tom Hanks.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Not *that* bad. Just... Tom Hanks.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

[chazzbanner.livejournal.com]

The DVD of Smiley's People arrived over the weekend,

I remember being really irritated that Michael Jayston didn't play Peter Guillam in Smiley's People -- I loved him in Tinker, Tailor.

Patrick Stewart as Karla, right?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, Jayston is great in TTSS. I can't picture the guy playing Guillam in SP - ah well, we'll get to him soon enough.


Patrick Stewart as Karla, right?

That's the one!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I got this for Mr A. as a Christmas present a little while back. Strangely enough, I was dipping into it myself earlier today, looking up the references to TS Eliot.

Smiley's People

[gfk88.livejournal.com]

I watched this recently (for the first time!), and it's marvellous (it's my favourite JLC book so it damn well ought to be).

I think it's better than the Tinker Taylor video (also seen for first time v recently), because he/they get the Smiley "stillness" quality just right - in TT I thought he was too assertive, but in SP he just sits there and controls the world by doing almost nothing and letting everyone come to him.

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New Ladkillers was average to poor, but I never saw the original.

Re: Smiley's People

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I've seen Tinker, Tailor a lot more, and Smiley's People only once, but I think I'm coming to the same conclusion. We were commenting just last night (episode 2), how Smiley barely does anything.

Apparently, the BBC intended to make The Secret Pilgrim, with Guinness as Smiley again, but there was a major accounting cock-up, and several dramas had to be shelved. When there was money again, Guinness was too old :-(

The Ladykillers is a classic Ealing comedy! You must see it!

[gfk88.livejournal.com]

I accidentally bought Kind Hearts & Coronets the other day, and it's waiting for me at home. If I'm going to be disappointed, don't tell me.

I love the cufflinks story in The Secret Pilgrim. Sucker for a soppy story, me.

Finished reading A Perfect Spy recently - didn't reckon it much, sadly.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Kind Hearts and Coronets is wonderful!

A Perfect Spy is Le Carré's most autobiographical book, I believe.