A Perfect Spy (Dramatised)

By: John le Carré

Narrated by: James Fox, Harriet Walter, Julian Rhind-Tutt

Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of the bestselling novel by John le Carré, starring James Fox, Harriet Walter and Julian Rhind-Tutt. Magnus Pym, Counsellor at the British Embassy, is hosting a dinner party at his home in Vienna when he receives an unexpected telephone call that will profoundly affect his life. Once the guests have gone, Pym breaks the news to his wife, Mary: his father, Rick, is dead. In a state of shock, he says something Mary cannot understand - 'After all these years, I'm free.'

Magnus flies back to England to attend the funeral - and doesn't return. As Mary and MI6 spymaster Jack Brotherhood desperately try to find out his whereabouts, it soon becomes clear that Pym has been keeping secrets from both his family and his employers, the British Intelligence Service. Hiding out in a remote cottage in Devon, where he goes by the name of Mr Canterbury, Magnus begins to write his memoirs - retracing his rise and fall and revealing how Rick led him step by step into a double life of deception, broken promises and betrayal... Adapted from the John le Carré novel by Rene Basilico.

©1986 David Cornwell (P)2011 BBC Worldwide Ltd

A decent dramatization

This dramatization, in eight half-hour episodes, apparently dates from 1993. Rene Basilico's adaptation of the novel is skillful, though perhaps inevitably some important elements of the story (particularly to do with Pym's childhood) are omitted or only mentioned briefly. The production is good, and James Fox is excellent in the lead role. My only complaint is that some of the acting is at times a little cartoonish. It's as if the program came at a time of transition between an older, "stagey" style of voice acting and a modern, more naturalistic approach. Fortunately the problem is mostly confined to minor characters. Although this program is not quite up to the standard of the BBC's recent (superb) cycle of le Carre's Smiley novels, it is still effective and enjoyable overall. Here's hoping the BBC will release more le Carre dramatizations!

The Perfect Spy - Dramatised BBC Cast Recording

Would you try another book from John le Carré and/or the narrators?

I would definitely buy another recording if the music cuold be excluded. The durgelike, hideous and penetrating music is hard on the ears, brain and detracts enormously from the enjoyment of the recording.

What other book might you compare A Perfect Spy (Dramatised) to and why?

Not applicable.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators are superb.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

no

Not finished yet

What did you love best about A Perfect Spy (Dramatised)?

I don't want this to end. The acting (e.g. James Fox) is top quality BBC. Story is concise adaptation of novel (which must be read to get the

A great dramatization, not the complete novel

What did you love best about A Perfect Spy (Dramatised)?

It's a nice condensation of the novel, which I have less time to read or even listen to. The story is told very nicely and the actors do a wonderful job- as they do in all the Le Carre' adaptations. Those adapted by Rene Basilico are the best in my opinion. They include The Perfect Spy, The Russia House, A Small Town In Germany, and the two Smiley adaptations: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's People (the versions starring Bernard Hepton- sadly not yet available on Audible).

What other book might you compare A Perfect Spy (Dramatised) to and why?

A Small Town In Germany and The Russia House, both dramatized and available on Audible. I recommend them both.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A clear understanding of how the lines are read. The British idiom can be lost in print but the actors make things clearly understood. I haven't listened to Mr. Jayston's reading of the book, which is 17 hours longer, but I suspect he helps push the listener along too.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"After all these years... I'm finally free."

Any additional comments?

You must realize that this is a dramatization with multiple actors, sound effects and music. It's so much more than one person reading you a story, but it is NOT the word for word text of the novel. That is available too and I wouldn't discourage you from buying it. I think if you give the dramas a try you'll find you enjoy them.

Great Production.

It was a great production. All the actors were great especially James Fox and Julian Rhind Tutt. Very much recommend it.

Really evokes the mood of the Carre classic

Very well edited with a very talented cast. A great way to enjoy the novel

Ho hum, I Guess I Just Don't Get le Carré!

I've tried a couple of John le Carré's books in the past and found myself more working my way through them than enjoying the experience.. Given how popular and respected an author he is that's always bothered me, what was I missing? So, seeing a dramatisation like this I had hoped that such an alternative look at one of the stories might help me see the magic. Sadly not, this had the same feeling of trudging through the story as the books and some of the actors seemed to lack much in the way of enthusiasm throughout. Nothing much seems to happen and it seems to take a long time making so little progress. I did very much enjoy the Axel performance, almost pin point perfect sounding just like some of my German colleagues speaking English in every way but other than that I found few highlights. So, with apologies to the many fans of the author for being negative but I'm just not getting it sadly.

Tediously boring listen

I’ve listened to the end of part 4 expecting it to pick up - I can’t realistically listen any more. If this is the ‘dramatised’ version I just can’t imagine what the undramatised would be like. Does adapting a novel for radio involve sucking the life out of a story?

Brilliant adaptation.

A brilliant adaptation of the book by the BBC. First class performances of the characters and the times. As with many John le Carre books, the ending is not always what you think it's going to be. Occasionally, I find the ending unsatisfactory....

Excellent enjoyed enormously

Keeps you griped and wanting to listen to next chapter.highly recommend .only negative is that it is rather short.

Hard work

Not the usual standard I expect from a performance for a Lecarre story. Difficult to recommend, compare to the other shining examples that star the superb Simon Russell Beale!

found this hard to follow the story

I found it hard to understand the story as someone fresh to it. not sure if it assumes you have read the book first but I struggled to follow it. on a first listen ..

An excellent production with some technical issues

This was an excellent production with some very good performances all round. The only criticism I have is that there is some sound bleed from the original source. There seems to be an echo in the background on some scenes, which was slightly distracting.

Interpretation

Jack is not played appropriately. The voice actor has intonation and is to aggressive in his interpretation of the lines he delivers. This makes him unrealistic and certainly not aligned with the usual John le carre written word, which is normally considered careful respectful and appropriate to his objective. This guy is miles off