What traits of nature and nurture go into the making of a master of deception? British agent Magnus Pym?s training begins in a chaotic childhood. His charismatic con man father trades secrets for love, bouncing in and out ... more »of jail and his son?s life. Schooled at Oxford and mentored by two masters of espionage, Magnus is poised for greatness?except that his mentors are on opposite sides of the battle. With characters drawn from his own life, le Carré weaves a gripping tale of international intrigue brilliantly adapted for the BBC by Arthur Hopcraft, who also adapted le Carré?s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for television. A Perfect Spy stars Peter Egan (Reilly: Ace of Spies) and Ray McAnally (A Very British Coup) with an exceptional supporting cast featuring Alan Howard, Peggy Ashcroft, and Sarah Badel.« less
"An outstanding adaptation of the Le Carre's book. Long and deliberately slow moving, it may not be for everyone. Very little 'action' as such, but an exceptional character study of what makes a 'Perfect' Spy. There is a certain sadness which permeates the film, and becomes quite powerful at the end. Highly, highly recommended for those who prefer thoughtful, deliberately paced movies."
Le Carre's Great Book Adapted for Film
Doug - Haydn Fan | California | 03/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This version of a great novel has a straight-forward screenplay, and is much easier to follow than the many circumlucations of the book's narrative. The story of Pym's father's childhood is dropped and the first of three chronolgoically presented Pyms, the child, is a bit too strange though clearly manipulative. The second Pym is a good actor without rating a wow. But the actor playing the mature Pym is great, and the second half of the filming is something very special indeed.
The movie covers many years, and a viewer should realize this is for the most part a slowly paced internal drama, and not a Bond-like adventure film.
It is also NOT a film for children or teenagers.
The film is very tough emotionally - life in this film is definitely not sugar-coated: women are especially badly treated. The main subject is human betrayal of friends, family and finally oneself.
This review is based on the Video, but hopefully should help in deciding on a purchase of the DVD.
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A perfect spy series
Shahid Mahmud | 02/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a really memorable and extraordinarily well done story of the life of a spy. Unlike most other spy films, it tries to explain why and how, starting from his childhood, an individual becomes a spy and a double-agent. The series is so well crafted that I believed every instant of the story, and remained in total awe until the very end. I rate this even better than the also extremely good Le Carré series with Alec Guiness."
BRILLIANCE ON VIDEO
Doug - Haydn Fan | 08/23/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Along with the SMILEY videos which feature Alec Guinness's greatest performance, this filming of LeCarre's brilliant novel is thoughtful entertainment at its best. With a bravura performance by the late Ray Macanally and a superb script by Arthur Hopcraft, A PERFECT SPY is simply perfect. Buy the Smileys and this one and lock yourself in a room. END"
An outstanding adaptation of a novel which must have been ve
Shahid Mahmud | Rockville, MD | 01/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This mini-series is based on one of the most complex books I have read - dealing extensively with the inner demons of a man on an inexorable path to self-annihilation. I am happy to note that this mini-series does a superb job of translating the story from the book to film.
Yes, allowances have been taken - I don't think one could have made a film of this book without taking such allowances. Purists will object, and I'm sure each of us can find fault in some of the choices made, but these choices, by definition, are very subjective. As a whole, on its own the mini-series stand as a brilliant achievement - a great character study of a man's loss of his own character as he descends into dark abysses of continuous duplicity.
Peter Egan, a surprising choice for the role, does an outstanding job in the title role. A number of users have commented on how inappropriate he is for the role. I disagree, and again, I think the problem is the subjectivity of the subject. So much of the movie is based on his inner feelings and it is hard to convey that to the viewer. Some might prefer a more robust expression of his inner turmoil, but that does not really fit well with the character. I think, his more subtle approach is much more engaging and truer to what I imagined in the book - of course, others may have imagined differently and for them this may become a problem with his portrayal.
Overall an outstanding adaptation of the Le Carre book. Be forewarned that, just like the book, it is long and deliberately slow moving and may not be for everyone. Very little 'action' as such, but an exceptional character study of what makes a 'Perfect' Spy. There is a certain sadness which permeates the film, and becomes quite powerful at the end. Highly, highly recommended for those who prefer thoughtful, deliberately paced movies.
IMDB users have given this film an extremely high 8.8 (out of 10) rating as of January 2007."