Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: The Men Behind The Mole War

Jeff Stein offers a brief history of the real story behind John le Carre's spy novel, which was made into a classic miniseries and is now a feature film starring Gary Oldman.

Stein's piece in the Washington Post covers the Cambridge spy ring, a group of British men who spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Included in the ring was a senior British Secret Intelligence Service officer named Kim Philby (seen in the above photo).

Beautifully directed, wonderfully acted and darkly stylized, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” the latest rendition of John le Carré’s iconic spy thriller, is drawn from real events that shook the British establishment decades ago.

But for two-plus hours, moviegoers — especially those born after the last hammer and sickle flew from the Kremlin in 1991 — might wonder what all the fuss was about.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-the-men-behind-the-mole-war/2011/12/07/gIQABf942O_story.html

You can also read an earlier piece on John le Carre and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy via the below link;

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2011/12/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-almost.html

And you can read a BBC account of the Cambridge spy ring via the below link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/09/99/britain_betrayed/444058.stm