Tomas Alfredson on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’s legacy and future of The Smiley Saga

When Tinker Tailor was first released in 2011, director Alfredson avoided discussing the book’s legacy; now with 10 years of distance, he’s able to articulate his feelings on the legacy of his John le Carré adaptation eloquently. "The memories from working on it are a bit hazy, but I remember it as a huge task," he tells RadioTimes.com. "It took quite a while to get there, and a lot of hard work – but it paid off. It was a very happy production, especially when planning for it and creating the style and approach of the whole thing." Alfredson’s quick to commend the efforts of everyone involved as to what made it truly special: "The stars really aligned in the right place when we put the whole group together that created Tinker Tailor."

With the challenge of reflecting the distinctive Cold War period against a mere $21 million budget, Alfredson mentions how practicality and efficiency were his two weapons: "We shot it in an old military barracks called Mill Hill – it was a big place with 60 or 80 different houses from a lot of eras, so most of the film is done there." If you have a historical location trapped-in-time at your disposal, why not take advantage of it? "It was the only way to do it, because there’s so many different locations in the film – it was a great solution."

We get onto the theme of paranoia, a theme prevalent across all of Alfredson’s works, and I wonder if that’s something that’s always driven, or possibly concerned him. He takes a moment to collect his thoughts, and opens a conversation on one’s own self-awareness: "It’s a bit hard knowing yourself as a filmmaker, what about your films speak to an audience and what people would react to because somehow it reflects one’s personality. To me, it’s impossible, I would say, to know and to see those things myself."

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It’s a fascinating point Alfredson makes, that possibly his audience may know him better than he does, in some ways. It’s also what drives him as a filmmaker: "It is the only way I could properly express myself. It’s hard for me to make my points, and it’s hard to describe how I feel and how I see things. So my films become a bit of a cinematic autobiography somehow." It’s an interesting comment on the relationship between audience-and-filmmaker that leaves me wondering if filmmaking is an inherently honest confession, whether you like it or not. "If you see these things, these themes, that might be something that reflects my psyche somehow. I couldn’t debate it."

I give Tomas my personal take on Tinker Tailor, telling him that I would describe as an ‘honest film’ above all else. I ask him what he thinks of that interpretation, and he walks me through what led to his subversive take: "When you’re young and new to [spying], it’s a fantastic world to be carrying secrets and to know things others don’t, to be on secret missions, playing games and parts. But I think as the years go by, you get very lonely with these secrets creating big holes inside of you. And I thought, you know, the camera can immerse itself in that loneliness."

One of Tinker Tailor’s key formal focuses is what’s hidden and revealed in expressions, often through the deafening silence of glances, shared gazes and cold, hard stares. "How do they look when they’re standing in front of the bathroom mirror, or when they’re about to go to bed – what’re they feeling in those moments? The camera has that exclusive possibility revealing these typically hidden expressions." Alfredson elaborates on the paradox of Tinker Tailor, that its deeply dishonest world is itself about honesty, or at least trying to show in an honest way how dishonest it was. "The price [spies] had to pay must have been very, very expensive."

This focus on expressions and emotions is what drives my fascination in Alfredson as a director. I describe Tomas to himself as an emotional filmmaker, and he seems to agree. His common misconception is that of a ‘horror filmmaker’, and it’s understandable how some may conclude that: Let The Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Snowman all have a thread of internalized horror linking them that’s inextricably tied to humanity. I ask Tomas if he thinks humanity has an inherent horrific nature, mentioning I do realise it’s a big question to ask. He admits he’s unsure, but he confesses a strong connection to horrific things himself: "Especially in my dreams, and at night. It’s a big part of being a human to imagine. We always speak about imagination as something fantastic, but imagination is also something horrible and can take you to really nasty places."

The darker side of imagination is certainly explored in Alfredson’s work, subverting the James Bond-like global cavaliering with the damp, creeping paranoia of George Smiley. "I suppose paranoia is very much a part of that vehicle inside you – your ability to make thing sup, and to be scared about them."

After Tinker Tailor, Tomas expressed interest in a Smiley’s People sequel, and with Gary Oldman remarking in 2016 as to the existence of a sequel script, I inquire as to Tomas’ knowledge on the subject, and his feelings on continuing despite changes like the passing of Le Carré last year. "I felt like I couldn’t do another Smiley film directly after the first, it wouldn’t feel right. I was too exhausted and worn out on this particular subject at that moment. I was still very open to making it!" He goes on to explain that the rights eventually reverted back to Le Carré’s estate, and reveals plans for a big reboot in the future: "I think they’re planning to do some kind of a big relaunch on The Smiley Saga for television, but I’m not involved in it."

Considering the recent TV adaptations of The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl – "I’m not a film critic, but they’re great, too. They have very strong filmmakers behind those films" – I follow-up by asking if he would like to be involved: "They would need to remake Tinker Tailor again as a part of that, and maybe it’s better if someone else would do that. I would be interested in Smiley’s People – it would also be a great thing for Gary, since he’s 10 years older now. But I think continuing down that road has passed for some because of the plans for a TV reboot. They have different plans for George Smiley."

The vibe I get from Alfredson is that he’s a remarkably honest person and filmmaker, and he’s oft quoted as describing filmmaking as something inherently emotional, no matter how intellectual you attempt to approach material. Emotion always dominates. He’s no stranger to being overcome emotionally, having admitted to feeling slightly paralyzed over the success of Let The Right One In. What I was most curious about – and what Alfredson has talked about little-to-none – is The Snowman, his maligned 2017 crime thriller adapted from Jo Nesbo’s work. How did he process what happened with The Snowman? Did the fallout throw him a little?

"It really did. I mean I wanted to take my name from that film. I was in a situation where the studios' expectations were different from what I was looking to deliver, I wanted to create a film that felt different." Critics were quick to dismiss Alfredson’s initial claims as ‘excuses’, but if you look at his previous work, it’s clear that The Snowman is oddly lacking that subversive difference Alfredson brings to his projects. "I think the studio wanted a more conventional film overall, and so we didn't understand each other. You hear all those stories about being squeezed into the Hollywood system, all of that happened to me on The Snowman. It was not a happy experience." It’s no secret The Snowman was a project long-languishing before Alfredson came on-board, and all too suddenly was jump-started into action the second funding was acquired.

"That wasn't my film that came out. It was very painful, having to present that with my name on it, when it wasn't my film at all. But that's how this industry can be, I understand that. But I would rather have not made The Snowman.” Alfredson took his time once Tinker Tailor finished production, editing for six months to ensure everything was perfect. He’s clearly a director who understands that a slow, careful approach to filmmaking can create something truly remarkable. "I think [The Snowman] could have been a fantastic film if I was given the trust to do it my way, it could've been something really different. There's absolutely great pieces in there, moments and opportunities, but it just didn't work. It was very painful."

This slow-cooking mentality is one that Alfredson has always nurtured, working on one project at a time until it’s fully completed, then moving to the next. I point out that he has two projects in development right now, TV series Europa and the Rachel Weisz-led thriller Séance on a Wet Afternoon, and ask if his mentality has change. He laughs. "You know, it’s a very hard thing to have your little one man company have an even flow of projects to do – you have to have three to four projects in development because there’s always those films that never get made." He comments that the projects he never ended up developing vastly outweigh those he’s fully created and completed.

His admission gets me wondering just how many projects Alfredson has attempted to bring to fruition, and whether his entanglement with the Hollywood studio system created any particular difficulties for him – either way, I’m left incredibly excited that he’s back to work, and confident that whatever he does next will be something must-see.

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is available now digitally and then available to own in 4K on UHD for the first time from 20th December – visit our Movies hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.