UK spy novelist John le Carre dead at 89

Bilge_Rat · 12-14-20, 01:46 PM

I have the Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy DVD collection for the 1979 BBC mini-series which I have watched many times, much superior IMHO to the Gary Oldman movie version, but only because they had to simplify so much stuff to fit into a 2 hour movie vs a 6 hour mini-series, but even the mini series only covered maybe 20-25% of what was in the book. Le Carré was a master in writing little stories that seemed like a side story, but became crucial to the plot later on as well as providing tons of context on the Cold War.

Another excellent novel he wrote was the "The Little Drummer Girl", which in the TV/movie adaptations become a standard "catch the terrorist" spy plot, but in the book becomes a very thorough examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as mirrored through the secret war between Mossad and various PLO groups. No one has clean hands in a Le Carré novel.

12-14-20, 01:46 PM	#5
Bilge_Rat Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: standing watch... Posts: 3,855 Downloads: 344 Uploads: 0	I have the Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy DVD collection for the 1979 BBC mini-series which I have watched many times, much superior IMHO to the Gary Oldman movie version, but only because they had to simplify so much stuff to fit into a 2 hour movie vs a 6 hour mini-series, but even the mini series only covered maybe 20-25% of what was in the book. Le Carré was a master in writing little stories that seemed like a side story, but became crucial to the plot later on as well as providing tons of context on the Cold War. Another excellent novel he wrote was the "The Little Drummer Girl", which in the TV/movie adaptations become a standard "catch the terrorist" spy plot, but in the book becomes a very thorough examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as mirrored through the secret war between Mossad and various PLO groups. No one has clean hands in a Le Carré novel. __________________