The Timeline of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - HEAVY SPOILERS

For discussion of Tomas Alfredson's Film Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Post Reply
User avatar
danielma
Posts: 1057
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:38 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

The Timeline of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - HEAVY SPOILERS

Post by danielma » Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:11 pm

You know, after reading the "Pool Scene" deconstruction on this site by Wolfy, it sort of inspired me to do something similar. But this time, I'm going to do it for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy...so without further a do, lets reconstruct the events of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy into a straight forward Time Line...why? Because I'm bored and feel like writing this

- 1972: The Christmas Party

The Elusive Christmas Party. Alfredson wisely uses this to not only show these men in a somewhat happier time, but he also wisely uses this sequence to drop a few hints our way. Namely the biggest hint being the affair between Haydon and Anne Smiley. And then of course it is used brilliantly in the final five minutes of the film to really drive home the nature of the relationships in the film (namely Haydon and Prideaux). But a lot of people have asked, why is it that no one looks any younger in this flashback? Well the answer is simple, it took place the year before the events of the Budapest incident. With the absence of Ricky Tarr at said party, one can only assume that Tarr was off on duty. Judging by the appearances of each man, it looks to be taking place not long before the events of "Tinker, Tailor" began. I think its somewhat clear that this Christmas Party probably took place in 1972.

- Sometime in 1973 -(I couldn't pick up an exact month or date for this flashback)

Percy Alleline presents Control with Operation Witchcraft. A new secret source who plays claim to Information of the Highest Order from the Soviet. Haydon, Easterhase, and Bland all spark to the Operation. However Control remains suspicious. As does Smiley. Alleline plans to use the information presented by the Secret Source (Polyakov) to further friendly the relations with the Americans. However Control refuses him from doing so due to his suspicions of Polyakov and Witchcraft. It is suggested that this is what sparks Controls suspicions of a Mole within the Circus

I assume that Operation Witchcraft was up and running at this point and that the meetings at the "mysterious house" were taking place even at this point. I'm a little gauge on this, but I have to presume Witchcraft was indeed operating.

- October 1973

Control informs Prideaux of Tinker (Alleline), Tailor (Haydon), Soldier (Bland), Poorman (Easterhase), Beggarman (Smiley)....Control sends Prideaux out on his mission to recruit a potential turn coat, a Hungarian General who wishes to sell information to The Circus.

Meanwhile in Istanbul. Ricky Tarr has been sent to investigate a Soviet Agent by the name of Boris. It is here where he meets Irinia, Boris' wife and also a Soviet Operative in her own right. Presumably their relationship begins here and plays out over the course of the next few weeks...but we'll get back to this in November

- October 21st. 1973

Prideaux is gunned down after the recruitment mission he was sent out on turned out to be a Double Cross. It was a plan by Karla to capture Prideaux and interrogate him about Control's knowledge of the Mole.

Prideaux is presumed Dead by the Circus. However this is not the case, as Prideauxs' wounds were not fatal. He was treated, captured and interrogated.

Meanwhile, Bill Haydon was having relations with Smiley's wife on the same night.


- November 14th. 1973

Control and Smiley are fired from The Circus. Percy Alleline takes over the position of Control. It is then suggested that soon after Anne leaves George.

- November 20th. 1973

Irinia informs Tarr that there is indeed a Mole within The Circus. Ricky Tarr sends a Telegram back to The Circus informing them of a Double Agent. However the telegram goes missing from the log book by someone covering their tracks :) Soon after Irinia is captured and Tarr is now presumed to be a potential double agent by The Circus

- November 28th. 1973

Connie Sachs is "retired". This is due in part to her new found suspicions over Polyakov. The Secret Source involved with Operation Witchcraft. She is forced out by Percy Alleline and company. This once again proves that Operation Witchcraft was indeed running.

- Late November/Early December (once again I don't have exact dates or time frames for these, maybe someone else can fill these in)

Control passes away

Prideaux is tortured and interrogated. He is also asked as to whether he knows of Irinia and proceeds to watch her be executed.

- December 4th. 1973

Jerry Westerby, who had been a duty clerk the night that Prideaux was shot, was dismissed

- December 21st. 1973 (well presumably...Smiley only mentions "2 months after the shooting")

Prideaux is returned. Easterhase meets with him and gives him 1,000 pounds from the Reptile Fund and tells him to disappear,

-1974

With Alleline now firmly in Control's position, Alleline and Bland have a meeting with the Minister to discuss spending budgets. One can deduce that is a meeting regarding the spending budgets, the Minister clearly states "Last Year, The Mess In Budapest"...so clearly we are now in 1974. This meeting is about the budget, but most importantly, the spending budget regarding the mysterious house in which Operation Witchcraft takes place (remember, the Minister mentions that "the land rates on the house have doubled")

Ricky Tarr resurfaces and makes Contact with the Minister. He informs the Minister of the existence of the Mole within the Circus.

The Minister calls in Smiley and informs him of Ricky Tarr's claims. Smiley is hesitant at first until the Minister informs him that Control had also made a similar claim. This sparks Smiley's interest and manages to bring Smiley on board to investigate from the outside.

Smiley recruits Peter Guilam (Ricky Tarr's Senior) and Mendel, a former operative now retired.

Smiley asks Guiliam to steal a log book of people recently retired from the Circus. This leads Smiley to the discovery of the "retirement" of Connie Sachs and the Dismissal of Jerry Westerby

This is also where he finds that 1000 pounds was deposited into an account under one of Prideaux's alias identities. Thus confirming that Prideaux is very much alive.

Prideaux has since left his former life behind and now become a grade school teacher. It is here where we see him strike up a relationship with a young boy in his class named Bill. This also provides us with the biggest clue, being the implied relationship between Prideaux and Haydon. After all Prideaux does mention to young Bill "I've none a lot of Bill's in my time, and they're all good-uns"

Ricky Tarr eventually confronts Smiley and tells him everything that Irinia told him. It is through Ricky Tarr that we learn that Operation Witchcraft is really just a faux operation. Polyakov is indeed a Double Agent. He feeds The Circus "Chicken Feed" whilst the Mole feeds Polyakov vital information and files.

With all of this acquired knowledge, Smiley confronts the Minister and tells him that "they let Karla into the Circus" and that Witchcraft was a plan designed to fool the Americans into sharing vital intelligence with the Brits, which the Mole could then pass to the Soviets.

Easterhase was the weak link. Smiley singles him out and pressures him into giving up the address of the Safe House in which Operation Witchcraft takes place

Smiley sends Tarr to the Paris office to "announce that he knows of the mole"

Upon learning this, the mole (still unknown) will then want to meet Polyakov to inform Karla to neutralise Tarr. Smiley waits at the safe house and captures the mole: Haydon.

At Sarratt, the Circus interrogation centre, Haydon reveals that he seduced Smiley's wife on Karla's instruction, in order to distort any suspicions Smiley may have had of Haydon.

Before his mission to Hungary, Prideaux had visited Haydon, his close friend, and tipped him off about Control's suspicions, thus inadvertently sealing his own fate.

The Circus plans to exchange Haydon back to the Soviets, but Prideaux, having learned of Haydon's treachery, kills him.

Smiley is restored to the Circus as its chief.
My Blog: Toxic Culture
Neon Maniacs: Link

User avatar
ofelia
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 2:49 pm

Re: The Timeline of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - HEAVY SPOILE

Post by ofelia » Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:34 pm

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Not having read the book some of the scenes did confuse me a little as to when they were supposed to be taking place. I think I should go rewatch it, I'll probably get more out of it this time now that all has been explained :D

User avatar
Ingenting-ing
Posts: 279
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:31 am
Location: Ballard, Washington, US

Re: The Timeline of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - HEAVY SPOILE

Post by Ingenting-ing » Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:00 am

Thanks, Daniel. I've been wanting to watch the movie again and this will be my prep. for next time. (I liked it the first time, but between being partially face-blind and not really knowing what was going on -- well the mind was playing catch-up the whole time :?)
Är du här igen?

User avatar
drakkar
Posts: 3833
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 8:26 am
Location: Trondheim, Norway

Re: The Timeline of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - HEAVY SPOILE

Post by drakkar » Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:01 am

Thanks from me as well. I printed it and keep it in the cover together with the bd. :)
For the heart life is simple. It beats as long as it can.
- Karl Ove Knausgård

User avatar
danielma
Posts: 1057
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:38 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contact:

Re: The Timeline of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - HEAVY SPOILE

Post by danielma » Wed Mar 21, 2012 1:28 am

Thank you all for the comments...much appreciated...I was surprised actually by how coherrent the film is when you sit down and start analysing it in a linear fashion.

So thank you kindly for the comments.
My Blog: Toxic Culture
Neon Maniacs: Link

Post Reply

Return to “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”