Description
A Perfect Spy 3-DVD Box Set
OPTIONAL SUBTITLES. Espionage. Black & White. Year: 1987. Running time over 6 hours.
Stars: Peter Egan; Ray McAnally; Peggy Ashcroft; Sarah Badel; Jane Booker; Alan Howard; Benedict Taylor, Tim Healy, Ian McNeice & Rudiger Weigang. Dramatised by Arthur Hopcraft from the novel by John Le Carré. Director: Peter Smith.
“Betrayal, over and over, on and on…”
Magnus Pym has disappeared, sparking a massive man-hunt. One of Britain’s top spies, Pym is also searching – for his true identity, hidden beneath a lifetime of deception. His quest takes him from his relationship with his con-man father to his betrayal of everything close to him: his wife, his country, even the high-ranking Eastern agent who he befriended. Pursued by his agency and his enemies, Pym must find himself before his hunters find him.
Part spy thriller, part mystery, part psychological suspense, John Le Carré’s most intriguing and absorbing masterpiece is brought to life in this superb adaptation.
A Perfect Spy is a serial adaptation of John le Carré’s 1986 spy novel, broadcast in1987. It follows the career of the British MI6 spy Magnus Pym, from his early schoolboy days to his eventual disappearance as a suspected agent of the Czech secret service. The series was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries and the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series in 1988.
The series traces the life story of Magnus Pym and his career in British intelligence and as a double agent. The story explores Pym’s childhood with his con-man father, brilliantly played by Ray McAnally. The plot reveals Pym’s early years at school and university, explaining the development of his character. It also portrays his encounters with long-time friend and Czech spy Axel, and his final downfall. With a troubled upbringing, a father who consorted with “working girls” and an early life that drove his mother insane, Pym could never have a straightforward personality. He proves adept at gathering information discreetly, and rarely regrets his betrayals. His superiors, his wife, even his young son begin to perceive what kind of man he is. Only his father accepts him for himself, for there is a similarity between them.
Peter Egan gives an impressive performance as the flawed, troubled Magnus Pym, portraying the ambiguity of the enigmatic man, with an ambivalence that inhabits every part of his character. Sad and evocative in equal measure, the central characters are compelling and the sense of period beautifully delivered. The series draws on the book with cast and locations exquisitely filmed. The supporting cast provide insightful depth to the production, including a brilliant cameo performance from Peggy Ashcroft.
£20.00 with free UK postage.
