John le Carre

 

John le Carre (1931-2020)

The recent death of John le Carre has garnered a lot of retrospective consideration of his works, and I feel that I'd be remiss if I didn't join in. I've read most (if not all) of his novels, and I've seen many adaptations of his work (more on these to come). (C has read about as much, as well.) There is something about the grittiness of le Carre that draws me into his work. Of course, there's intrigue, although surprisingly little violence (although nasty enough when it appears). Le Carre studied people in situations, sometimes in committee meetings, sometimes at gunpoint. But his granular lens is always focused on the characters. Of course, this can also make for wonderful adaption to the screen if done well (and it often wasn't). But there is one set of exceptions beyond question: the BBC productions of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People, both starring Alec Guinness as Smiley and both staffed with a terrific supporting casts. I haven't changed my opinion about this; indeed, C & I watched both series again this year during pandemic confinement. I've lost track of how many times I've watched these two series, but I don't tire of them, they're so nuanced. 

For a thoughtful reflection on the many incarnations of George Smiley--foremost of which are now those of Guinness and Oldman, but which has also included James Mason--and for contrast with Ian Fleming's (and later imitators) James Bond, read this article by James Parker in the December 20011 issue of The Atlantic. 

Guinness: My favorite Smiley

Also, here's a 40th-anniversary reflection on Tinker Tailor from The Guardian (2019). And here's a photo of the three-plus Alleline: 

A great supporting cast, especially Bernard Hepton (far left) and Ian Richardson (next to Hepton)
Hepton was even better in Smiley's People. 

So to honor le Carre and to indulge in a walk down memory lane of my own, here are some of my earlier blog posts concerning le Carre. And if you must, skip the posts and read and watch le Carre's works. 

Skeptical Anticipation: Tinker Tailor Movie Coming

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: The Movie (2012)

John LeCarre: Our Kind of Traitor

John LeCarre's A Most Wanted Man

A Review of A Delicate Truth by John le Carre

And from a list of "favorite movies" [sic] I made in 2010: 

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979) and Smiley's People (1982). Okay, C already complained that these are not movies. True, they were made for TV; however, because of the quality of the script, acting, and production design, I have to treat them as films. These are to me what the Godfather films are to C. I'm not sure that I can quote as well as her from the script (a frightening ability that she possesses when she quotes Vito or Michael to me), but still, if you want more, I'll give you an earful. Alec Guinness is superb as Smiley. The supporting cast consists of great actors.

John le Carre: RIP. 

Thoughts for the Day: Wednesday (again) 23 December 2020

 

The Master and His Emissary

Iain McGilchrist

The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis has partial truth – if you don't have the word, you are likely to lose the concept; but this research demonstrates that the concept can arise without the word, and is therefore not dependent on it. So thinking is prior to language.

Essays in Understanding, 1930-1954

Hannah Arendt

According to Mannheim, all human thought is “existentially bound” and can be properly understood only by taking into account the particular situation from which it arises. This applies even to philosophical thought, which claims to be unaffected by particular points of view and to embody truth as such, thus assuming absolute validity for itself.

Commanding Hope

Thomas Homer-Dixon

Nestled inside the worldview component of this “growth WIT” [worldview, institutions, technology] is the dominant intellectual rationalization of today’s world order: conventional economics. This elaborate apparatus of theory, empirical evidence, mathematical gymnastics, value judgments, and self-congratulation legitimizes globalized capitalism and the social power of its elites.

History Man

Fred Inglis

Central to interpretation (whether by cop or by prof) is question-and-answer logic, which may be better thought of less with the daunting severity of the logician and more as a series of consequential inquiries arranged, so to speak, with the connectedness (and logic) of a tree-diagram.

From an old lawyer: yes.

Leadership and Self-Deception

The Arbinger Institute

"Self-betrayal" 1. An act contrary to what I feel I should do for another is called an act of "self-betrayal." 2. When I betray myself, I begin to see the world in a way that justifies my self-betrayal. 3. When I see the world in a self-justifying way, my view of reality becomes distorted.