John Le Carre's A Murder of Quality

This is a fairly slight outing for the great Spy Master, George Smiley. On an unexplained hiatus from the circus (British Secret Service) Smiley (here played by a very unassuming and perceptive Denholm Elliot) is talked into investigating a mystery at the Carne (as in meat perhaps?) school. It seems that a one-time colleague from the Circus Ailisa Brimley - beautifully played by Glenda Jackson wants to use his connection with the brother of a now dead spy. So the point is, the Old Boy network works. This contact is Terence Fielding (played as a cynical aging gay male Joss Ackland) a soon to retire, without pension schoolmaster at Cane.Smiley arrives at Carne to find that the game is afoot. The person he is sent to check on was the wife of a very junior temporary school master. Was, as in she has been brutally murdered. Again Circus connections insure that the local constabulary is welcoming to this outsider. Smiley proves himself a worthy consulting detective.This is not a heavy or philosophical John Le Carre project. One might think that the author was beginning to realize that he needed more than just the great game of international espionage as a topic and by using his star character he could insure sales. Smiley is clearly the master of this case from the beginning. For all twists and almost incidentally disclosed clues - why for example was the victim so openly hated by the closed community of the Carne School? We get the initial impression she is a meek religious woman. There is no point in the movie where the viewer can doubt that Smiley will break the case.A Murder of Quality is a: who done it?-procedural kind of mystery. We are given a fair chance to get ahead of Smiley, as we learn things sometimes, before he does. For example we know why Mad Janie thinks the murderer had "silver wings" because we saw them even before we knew who was to be the victim. By playing fair with the viewer, I give Le Carre credit for building a reasonably complex plot and not making the solution some last minute thing only the detective could know. In fact I think one of the most important clues comes very late in the movie, but is missed by Smiley.Bottom line is that A Murder of Quality is not a great movie. It is a fair afternoon, family relaxing time event. There is nothing very deep or crude. There is little or nothing to offend the ear or eye. Mostly there are lots of polite people going about their lives, while mostly ignoring the nasty business of that murder. Get your popcorn, relax and rest assured that the local investigating Inspector will be suitably respectful when he finally gets to take in the person `what done it".

Denholme Elliot does an understated but solid turn as John Le Carre's quintessential master spy George Smiley in this excellent made-for-TV version of "A Murder of Quality."George Smiley is asked by a wartime colleague to visit the wife of a teacher at Carne, an exclusive English Prep School. The wife, who does not fit into the existing social set, fears for her life. By the time Smiley arrives, she has been murdered. The balance of the movie is Smiley's patient unpeeling of the complicated and most uncivilized lives of the faculity and students of Carne. In the end, and with the assistance of an often baffled local police chief, Smiley cleverly unmasks the killer.Denholme Elliot lacks the world-weary qualities and understated ruthlessness of Alec Guiness's later portrayal of George Smiley; this is George Smiley at an earlier, less cynical, and more sociable stage of his career in espionage. Elliot is surrounded by a very solid cast that include Academy Award-winner Glenda Jackson and veteran British actor Joss Ackland. A young Christian Bale (Batman Begins) features as one of the students. Le Carre's novel was hard to follow in the original; this film version will challenge viewers to pay close attention to the storyline. The end result will be entertaining and worthwhile.

If you love spy stories and love John LeCarre, you will enjoy this look into the world of English school protocols and values, as well as the snobbery of past times over education, manners and form.

I can no longer recall if this is the first of the Smiley character novels by John Le Carre' or whether it is "Call for the Dead". Doesn't matter, both are great stories that get foreshadowed by the even greater story of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the even greater production of the story by Sir Alec Guinness as Smiley in the PBS series of Tinker Tailor. Nevertheless, this is still a great story and well acted movie. Eclipsed by the other production of Smiley with Sir Alec Guinness. It'll entertain you as a thrilling story. The intellectual spy as detective. Great stuff.

Interesting, and typically British production of a story taken from one of Le Carre's lesser known George Smiley books. As with manyfilms produced fo rthe home market and particularly for British TV, there are zero special effects and absolutely no frills, but the producer has wisely spent his budget on beautiful (if limited) period sets and authentic costuming. It could well be a stage production captured on film. Coupled with Denholm's quite different and refreshing interpretation of George Smiley, retired spymaster, it makes for a production that captures the eye, but intrigues the mind. Worth the investment and fun to watch.

This is a good adaptation of the book, but Denholm Elliott, though a fine actor, is no Alec Guinness when it comes to playing George Smiley. If you can get over the fact the Alec Guinness is not George Smiley, this is a good murder mysterywith a good plat and fine acting. It was interesting to see Glenda Jackson in a movie that is dated just a few years before she became a member of parliament.

Denholm portrayed the man well, but Smiley is still Alec Guinness in my mind. It started with The Lavender Hill Mob. I can't help it.But, I do not regret my purchase.

What is the music Smiley puts on the victrola at the end of the movie?

Within the constraints of turning John LeCarre's precisely written prose and depth of characterisation into a ilm length scipt this works fairly well. It lacks the "Feel" of the original novel although the filming was good the acting lacked depth and the choice for Smiley was perhaps suspect. This Smiley was a cruder less sophisticated person than that portrayed by Ales Guiness and lacked any sublety - rather more the gauche plodding policeman than the intellectual complex reasoning ex spymaster. This is worth watching but perhaps as well is adviseable to fill in the blanks by reading the book. The over all theme of a class ridden morass of seedy underachievers with an almost, but not quite, unshakeable self belief conflicting with the the more mundane and prosaic world of reality is fascinating. A fair try but as they used to say in so many school reports Could Do Better..

Enjoyed this DVD. Interesting to see Denholm Eliott as George Smiley.

product arrived today. I was excited to finally get it. However was bitterly disappointed that it won't play on a UK DVD played.

Well if I could watch I would have a better view of this product. I should have realised the issue with Regions. Anyhow a good service.

excellent