Game, Set, and Match

This made for television movie, based on the three books Game, Set, Match, by Len Deighton, is one of the best spy dramas ever produced. Ian Holm is brilliant in his portrayal of the stoic but cunning Bernard Samson. If you are a Deighton fan, as well you should be, this is certainly the best adaptation of his work ever to appear in this media since Michael Caine starred in The Ipcress File and Funeral In Berlin. If you like spy thrillers, this a collector's item. It is certainly on par with "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and one can only hope that it will be made available on DVD. I'll keep my fingers crossed that such wisdom will strike those who own the copyright!

It has been quite awhile since I saw this series - 1987 or 1988 when I lived in the USA. It was on PBS MYSTERY and no other TV series has captured my attention - and admiration - as this ten art series did. Thought I had the story all worked out until the last series of course. made me read the second trilogy - Hook, Line and Sinker (there are place names to it as well but I forget them. I here Mr D bought the copyright to the all the films - pity. Never seen a better mystery since. Sir Ian was a wonderfully confused Bernard and the various other characters from his wife, his girlfriend, Silas, whomever were all played out exceptionally well. Locations - or so it appeared were bang-on as well. The Smiley series is great (the Sir Alec for sure), this ranks just as good at a minimum.

An excellent series, masterfully acted and directed, but unloved (I am told) by Mr Deighton and withdrawn by him after a single presentation. It is now only viewable in private collections, and via the British Film Institute at special request. Very unfortunate, as Ian Holm's nuanced portrayal of the weary-but-determined Bernard Samson is superb; one of his very best performances. The supporting cast, including the young Amanda Donohoe and Hugh Fraser, are superb. With Mel Martin playing the conflicted and traitorous wife, and Michael Degen as the mercurial Werner, the story positively simmers with the tragic and fateful personal consequences of the great game.

Others have done an excellent job summarising this fine mini-series, so I won't bother going into details. I did want to mention that, on a BBS devoted to Len Deighton's work, it was mentioned (although not independently verified) that it was indeed Deighton who kept the series from going to tape (or any other subsequent medium) because of his displeasure with its realisation (stupid temperamental writers!).

It was only by chance that I learned about the series the morning of the day the first episode was to air (unlike one of the other reviewers, I knew Ian Holm very well, first from Alien, and I just happened to notice his picture in the paper in an article previewing the series). I had the foresight to tape it, but missed getting the post-first-episode interview with Ian Holm (tape ran out), which I kick myself for to this very day.

I'm sure I'm not alone in stating that this series NEEDS to be on DVD, but until Deighton dies, this probably won't happen (and I am completely mystified as to what it was he objected to - the series brought every one of the characters to vivid, realistic life, was incredibly (though not slavishly) true to the books, and so enthralled me that I went out and bought all of Deighton's spy novels, even though I'd never read one before). Until then, those of us with tapes will continue to set aside 13 hours every year or so to enjoy this incredibly well-produced, well-acted, and well-told story, hoping each year as the tapes slowly corrode that Deighton will have a change (or massive infarction) of heart and let us have this series in all its glory on DVD...

I have never tired of watching this excellent series since it was first aired back in the eighties. I had the foresight to tape every episode and always try to watch as much of it as I can when it's good old entertainment I'm looking for. Great settings - Mexico, Berlin. For historical value its great to see all the scenes filmed in the vicinity of the Berlin Wall when cold war tension was high. The perfomances of all the actors bring Deighton's characters to life - Bernie, Werner, Fiona, Dickie etc. are all portrayed very well.