Oldman's Anti-Bond Ensnares -- Deceptive 'Tinker Tailor' Is a Striking, Purposeful Film

Summary

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With mirthless humor, the agents of the British Secret Intelligence Service who maneuver through "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" - whether the classic 1974 novel, the 1979 BBC miniseries or this new feature-film adaptation - refer to their employer as "the Circus."

The term accurately identifies the agency as a place that values performance and trickery ("Operation Witchcraft" is on the agenda), but at the same time it radiates mockery and irony. The nickname identifies the service as a refuge for clowns while wryly spoofing the extremely uncarnivalesque grimness and secrecy that characterize a career in the Cold War Big Top.

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Oldman's Anti-Bond Ensnares -- Deceptive 'Tinker Tailor' Is a Striking, Purposeful Film

Chief among the Circus' careerists is veteran agent George Smiley (whose name is another joke), played in the new film by Gary Oldman (whose name suddenly seems most appropriate)...

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