Project 1: Scene Breakdown

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Project 1: Scene Breakdown Scene Breakdown The scene I chose for this project comes from the movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The film revolves around a man named George Smiley, a retired yet distinguished MI6 official for the British government who is asked by the British Minister of Defense to come out of retirement to investigate a report of a mole infiltrated deep into the highest authority of MI6 known as the “Circus”. The mole is allegedly stealing top secret information from MI6 and passing it along to the Soviet Union. Over the course of the film, Smiley is forced to follow a trail of bread crumbs that eventually reveals that there are more people within the “Circus” involved in the espionage than previously thought. …show more content…

The scene begins with Esterhase coming down a service elevator at MI6, getting ready to head home. The elevator opens to reveal Guillam standing right in front of him blocking his way. We see a car with the door open in the background. Guillam tells him to get in the car, which he then does, and is then joined by Smiley and another unknown MI6 agent. Esterhase tries to remain cordial and greets the gentlemen, but we can see that he is undoubtedly nervous and has a feeling he is in trouble. The car drives to an airport runway where Smiley and Esterhase exit the vehicle and Guillam and the other agent drive away leaving Smiley and Esterhase alone on the runway, no doubt purposefully done to give them a very private yet wide-open place to talk. Smiley initially tells Esterhase he wants to talk about loyalty. Smiley tells him he knows what he is up to, and knows that Esterhase at least sent some MI6 information to the Soviets. During the scene we see shots of this interaction. Esterhase immediately becomes very emotional and tries to plead with Smiley that he is being misunderstood and was simply the “messenger”. While this conversation is happening a plane in the distance lands on the runway they are on, and approaches them finally stopping directly in front of them. Esterhase is now crying saying how he does not want to “be sent back”. While we the audience never actually learn exactly where he came from, we can infer that he was perhaps given asylum by MI6 in exchange for information. This is alluded to many times in the film. Esterhase tells Smiley that it was not just him giving information to the Soviets, but also several other members of the Circus. We see shots of their interactions as well. Upon one final plea from Esterhase,

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