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Presented in 2.35:1 and in 1080p high definition, as I emntioned earlier, there are flaws in the encoding process so it doesn’t look quite as good as it should do. The rest of the time it does evoke the ’70s period perfectly well.
The sound is in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, for which I got the 5.1 DTS version, and delivers nothing out of the ordinary for a drama with little or no audio challenges.
The extras are as follows:
- Featurettes (9:08): I know the word ‘featurettes’ indicates that they’re brief, but only nine minutes across all four? As such, the chat from the cast members is too brief to be of any real use.
There’s one about George Smiley; then Inside The Circus – the home of the Secret Service; Shadow World talks generally about the film while, John le Carré, obviously is the guy who wrote it.
- Interviews (24:21): Four again: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and one with director Tomas Alfredson and writer Peter Straughan.
These are Q&As with a caption ‘asking’ the questions and those onscreen then giving the answers. I guess it’s the most simple way to do it.
- John le Carré interview (29:43): Separate and done in a conventional style with an off-camera interviewer, although I’m not sure who’s asking the questions. A worthy watch if you’re a fan of his work.
- Deleted scenes (5:43): Five here, the second being a very non-descript one featuring a green screen, which looks like they filmed ‘the circus’ in that way rather than creating it in a studio (that said, the lift scenes are clearly green screened). There are no scenes which need to be put back in.
- UK Premiere featurette (4:47): Talking heads say a lot of this and that whilst on the red carpet.
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Sky Movies Special (20:30): Does what it says on the tin. Rather like clips mixed in with the interviews.
- Photo Gallery: 20 pics.
- Audiobooks: Chapter One for each of “The Honourable Schoolboy” (54:15) and “Smiley’s People” (55:32). Presumably only the first chapter so as to serve as a taster to make you buy the whole thing. They are read by Michael Jayston.
- Audio commentary: from director Tomas Alfredson and main man Gary Oldman.
- Audio description: does what it says on the tin.
- Teaser trailer (1:20): In 1.85:1 and open-matte.
- Full trailer (1:54): In 2.35:1 and, for a trailer, it doesn’t spoil things, which is quite a rarity.
The menu mixes clips from the film with a very small piece of looped theme music and the number of chapters is the usual embarrassment from Optimum with a paltry 12 over the 128-minute running time.
In addition there’s a series of trailers that come before the main menu. Why do studios do this? Have they forgotten what the extras menu is for? You have to fast-forward through them too, as they’re not chaptered. Total farce. As such, I’m not listing them here.
At least there are English subtitles included.
When it comes to the menu system, I don’t know if it’s just my Blu-ray player (Samsung BD-P1500), but it’s meant to replicate the dumb waiter in the film that runs up the centre of the building and when I select a different option, rather than ‘action’ the effect, it first has to seek the bit of film that shows that animation rather than just running it straight away. Any advice, please?
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is out now on Blu-ray, Limted Edition Blu-ray and DVD.
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FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
1 8 7 6 |
| OVERALL | 6 |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 127 minutes
Year: 2011
Distributor: Optimum
Cat no: OPTBD2077
Released: January 30th 2012
Chapters: 12
Picture: 1080p High Definition
Sound: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages: English
Subtitles: English
Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)
Disc Format: BD50
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Robyn Slovo
Screenplay: Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan (based on the novel by John le Carré)
Music: Alberto Iglesias
Cast:
George Smiley: Gary Oldman
Control: John Hurt
Bill Haydon: Colin Firth
Jim Prideaux: Mark Strong
Peter Guillam: Benedict Cumberbatch
Roy Bland: Ciarán Hinds
Percy Alleline: Toby Jones
Ricki Tarr: Tom Hardy
Toby Esterhase: David Dencik
Oliver Lacon: Simon McBurney
Jerry Westerby: Stephen Graham
Mendel: Roger Lloyd-Pack
Connie Sachs: Kathy Burke
Bryant: Arthur Nightingale
Belinda: Amanda Fairbank-Hynes
Fawn: Peter O’Connor
Magyar: Zoltán Mucsi
Hungarian Waiter: Péter Kálloy Molnár
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.