John le Carré on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

"The first thing that happened, which was hugely reassuring, was a first draft script from Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor. It was something I could never have done. Sadly Bridget did not live to see the film being made but her contribution is all over the script and film and that’s a wonderful thing for Peter. I also had misgivings about how we would cast Smiley and it was a great secret really, until the rabbit was pulled out of the hat. The rabbit was Gary Oldman and I had never seen a better rabbit in my life. And Gary, even from the earliest rushes, was a man waiting patiently to explode. He had what painters call the 'energy of the object'. I envy that you’re seeing the movie for the first time. I think you will appreciate the solitude he brought to it; the romance, the disenchantment, the pain of seeing too much and not being able to do anything about it. I don’t see myself as somebody who had a great part in making it. I was a passive resource – when people wanted to talk about it, we talked about it and that was super. And I’m very grateful and very proud."

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – quite a mouthful for a film title. Just like the new film adaptation of John le Carré's 1974 British spy novel, it takes some getting used to, but once you're there you can't stop going over it. The film, directed by Tomas Alfredson, had its UK premiere last night at the BFI following its debut at the Venice Film Festival last week, and was attended by cast including lead Gary Oldman who plays a brilliant George 'Smiley', Colin Firth, John Hurt and Tom Hardy. Speaking before the film, Oldman said the BFI holds special memories for him – a place he would visit regularly as a young boy "with a flask of tea and sandwiches and watch all-night screenings of Hitchcock films". His performance is hotly tipped for a 2012 Academy Award.

Adapting the novel of an author is no easy task, especially one that is alive, yet Alfredson, his team and cast had a close relationship with le Carré. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the first novel of his Karla trilogy, set in the bleak days of the Cold War, focused on Smiley (a middle-aged retired intelligence expert) uncovering a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence Service. As well themes of power, politics, truth and the 1970s male, it tells the story of love, in its varying guises. It's not an easy story to follow – a lengthy list of 'main' characters, regular flashback scenes, unexpected bursts of shocking violence and intense, intricate and multi-layered narratives – but this hasn't prevented le Carré's work being interpreted for television, radio and now, the big screen. Alfredson's adaptation certainly makes one proud to be British – as well as the carefully considered London locations, it boasts a list of British male actors at the top of their game, and is produced by Working Title, financed not by Hollywood but Europe’s StudioCanal. With a large cast of powerful leading males, there is always the risk the viewer won't feel a connection with each of them but this is where Alfredson excels; no mean feat for a film of two hours. Its success also lies in the work of cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema who realised the film's beautifully simple and compelling scenes (secret papers travelling in an office lift and Smiley taking his morning swim) and composer of the fitting musical score, Alberto Iglesias. So powerful in its execution, one can almost smell the whisky, cigarette smoke, leather seats and aging paper documents.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is released in UK cinemas on September 16 2011. An exhibition of pictures taken on set by Gary Oldman and Jack English will run from September 17 at the Paul Smith store in Albemarle Street, London.

Text by Laura Bradley