The Night Manager [DVD] [2016]

The Night Manager is the BBC adaptation of John le Carre's epic  1993 thriller . It is a 6 part TV series with the run-time of most of the episodes clocking in over 50 minutes each. It is a terrific adaptation with mesmerising acting, and beautiful locations. There is not much in the way of special features on the DVD. The episodes themselves though are great.The plot of The Night Manager is relatively simple but it is the characterisation that makes it shine so brightly. It is though absolutely gripping all the time even though things do play out much as to be expected. Right from the start it is a fascinating adventure though and the surrounds are so glamorous.It helps that the start of the series sees Tom Hiddlestone's character Jonathan Pine come across a dazzling damsel in distress in the form of Sophie Alekan played by Aure Atika. The moral fortitude of Jonathan Pine makes him susceptible to attractive women who need help even if he does not always have the tools to fix their problems. It is a completely believable performance by Hiddleston who looks great even if he is a bit on the skinny side.Hiddleston's good looks and charming smile make him an excellent hotel manager. That persona suits him well so it is impressive to see Hiddleston take on other aspects of the role Pine plays including as a thug in Dorset and then as covert operative in what is clearly a ruthless organisation.The main foil for Hiddleston is bad guy Richard Roper. There is never any sense that Roper is anything other than a villain even if there is something so damn likeable about Hugh Laurie. It is great to see Laurie taking on this kind of role, his natural timing and the comfort with which he discusses arms deals and killings is eerie. It is a fine performance from Laurie and shows such an incredible emotional range. It is often just a look which indicates what he is thinking about a situation.Despite the great performances from Hiddleston and Laurie, it is Tom Hollander who frequently steals the show. His character Corky is absolutely hilarious. The wit drips out of Hollander with such cutting venom it is laugh out loud funny. Hollander says such horrible things and his character is an utter jerk but he is so very funny. The scene in which he disgraces himself in the restaurant is perhaps the most memorable of the entire show.Roper's partner Jed is the main damsel in distress. The tension between her and Pine is pretty overt and given the way Pine reacted to Sophie Alekan, it is entirely in character for him to have sympathy for Jed. Played by Elizabeth Debicki she is believable as a tart with a heart. Debicki does not have the amazing beauty someone as rich and malevolent as Roper might in real-life have aimed for but her long, thin physique and sense of sadness make her seem somewhat broken and so a credible girl in a horrible man's world.The other main character is Angela Burr played by Olivia Colman. The character is quite a departure from the Burr character in the book. Nevertheless it is a fun performance by Burr with plenty of fast-paced, straight talking lines. Her world is the internal politics of London bureaucracy rather than the glamour of the places Roper's world opens up. Indeed, Burr's office is drab and her interactions at the Foreign Office show off the clearly faded glamour to be found in many parts of King Charles Street.The external locations are beautiful. The huge villa in Mallorca is absolutely stunning. A superb villain's hideaway. Equally the scenes set in Zermat and those filmed in Marrakesh for Cairo are exotic and luxurious. The location team for this production has produced an absolute gem.There is a sequence set on the Syrian border with absolutely fabulous visual effects. How such an explosive sequence was filmed would have made a great aspect for the extras to focus on. It is a long and impressive sequence.The extras are unfortunately disappointing. It is just a 4-5 minute talking head sequence with many of the main actors and director/producers. There is no insight at all and it is just a bunch of people telling each other how great they were to work with. Indulgent luvvie nonsense unfortunately when this huge hit deserved much better.The Night Manager is a huge hit because it is outstanding acting delivering amazing characters. The unfolding of the plot seen through the eyes of fascinating people is so gripping. A truly excellent BBC production.

This has to be one of the best, if not THE best, adaptation of a John le Carré novel ever! Despite the changes, which I will not reveal, the whole production was an incredible achievement. Filmed entirely on location, there was an edge to this production that made it feel entirely credible, current and realistic. Having read, and enjoyed, the novel (one of le Carré's best since his 'Cold War' series), I was more than a little sceptical at the casting of Hugh Laurie and Tom Hollander in major roles. Not having seen Hugh Laurie perform since his 'Bertie Wooster' days, many years ago, I was completely at sea as to why he had been chosen to play the role of 'Richard Onslow Roper', a part that calls for both charm and menace personified. Also Tom Hollander, whose presence I normally enjoy on screen but whom I could not imagine as the ruthless but faithful Major Corcoran, the right-hand man of Roper, was also a mystery of casting to me. May I say here and now that I was completely bowled over by both Laurie and Hollander in their respective roles. Hugh Laurie, in particular, completely stole every scene that he was in with a masterfully nuanced performance that made for riveting viewing. Tom Hollander was an equally powerful, yet subtle, presence whose character was that of a man who was losing his influence and as a consequence coming apart at the seams. Brilliant portrayals by both men.Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine, the Night Manager, was extremely well cast but I must say his permanent cheesy little-lost-boy grins wore a little thin after a time; that said, that was more to do with the role that he had to play (John le Carré's character became more than a little incredulous) than his acting ability, which was superb. Also entirely natural, and an incredible presence on screen, was Elizabeth Debicki who played 'Jed', Roper's young and tortured mistress.All of the performances without exception were 100%, but I thought that the two MI6 'bent' baddies, 'Dromgoole' and 'Steadman', were a little out of central casting as the Two Ugly Sisters. That said, it was an incredibly mesmerising production and full marks must go the the director, Susanne Bier, for her attention to location and plot. I look forward to seeing more of her productions in the future.It goes without saying that I thoroughly recommend this production as both a brilliant adaptation and a riveting drama.

First off: If you haven't already seen this, buy it at once, take the day off, switch off your phone and watch it. All five plus hours of it. It's that good. The story is solid - as you would expect from John LeCarre, the filming locations are glorious - especially the Mallorca mansion which can equal the lair of any Bond villain, the casting is inspired, the acting is outstanding and director Susanne Bier brings it all together beautifully. I had seen the series before, and yet I found myself glued to the screen and compulsively watched the whole thing in one go (which made for a very late night). Mostly that's due to the exceptional performances of the entire cast.Tom Hiddleston is well cast as the title character, the hero of the story if you will. He does slick smugness well and it suits the character. Olivia Colman is wonderful as the pregnant secret service analyst who recruits and handles Hiddleston's character. It seems there is nothing this actress can't do. Tom Hollander is hugely enjoyable as the villain's sidekick, stealing every scene he is in. Elizabeth Debicki is drop dead gorgeous as the villain's young love interest. But it's Hugh Laurie as the villain of the piece who owns the series. He is nothing short of amazing. He plays the most despicable human being alive with huge charisma (and without any humour whatsoever) and manages to give him such a personality that you understand how people fall under his spell. Hell, I found myself rooting for him at times.The DVDs are good. Subtitles are available for those who may need them. By way of extra features, there are interviews with cast and crew. Highly recommended. Excellent viewing for a long wet winter weekend.

all the episodes of Night Manager and great additional interviews included. played very well on my region free dvd player.

I'm a big fan of Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of Loki and so decided to see what else he's done. The premise of this series sounded interesting enough and so I ordered it. The vendor Rarewaves Imports is who I used to get the dvd and I wanted to talk about them (I haven't watched the series through yet so I can't say much - it's looking very interesting so far, lots of drama and intrigue with some artsy camera angles thrown in). So the last delivery date came and went and I asked Rarewaves what was going on. Their response was immediate, including apologizing and stating they'd send another order out immediately. I got my order about four days after the last delivery date; this looked to be the original order and I let them know right away. In summation, my four stars is for the prompt and courteous customer service I received from this vendor; I'm guessing the series will rate a four-star as well.

Grazie tutto perfetto

再生出来ないとのレビューがあったので不安だったのですが、PCで再生できました。テンポの良い展開で楽しめました。トム好きには堪りません！プライムビデオでは日本語字幕で見れますが、本商品は日本語字幕対応してないので購入する際は注意です。また、全6話の構成になっています。

J'aime beaucoup les romans d'espionnage que j'ai découverts par le biais de ces deux orfèvres en la matière que sont Frederick Forsyth et John Le Carré. J'avais lu il y a quelques années "Le Directeur de Nuit", version française de ce "Night Manager" que j'avais beaucoup aimé, et je me suis plongée dans la V.O. juste avant d'attaquer la mini-série de la BBC. L'adaptation télé garde l'essentiel de la trame narrative qu'elle déplace habilement de la première Guerre du Golfe au Printemps Arabe : littéralement, du pain bénit pour scénaristes. Mr Pine, night manager dans un hôtel de luxe du Caire, va se laisser recruter par une officine plus ou moins clandestine du Foreign & Commonwealth Office, une excellente occasion de venger la mort d'une femme qu'il a aimée. La mission qu'on lui assigne est d'infiltrer l'entourage d'un marchand d'armes britannique, Robert "Dickie" Roper, pour faire tomber celui-ci. Les motivations de chacun pour avoir la peau de Roper sont très différentes, et les justiciers vont se heurter à de nombreuses embûches, administratives, politiques, personnelles, pour arriver à leurs fins, car Roper est riche, malin, puissant, et protégé au plus haut niveau de l'Etat. L'intrigue est un peu compliquée, parfois un peu longue, pleine de faux-semblants mais absolument passionnante. Décors et effets spéciaux sont saisissants, et le suspense est là ! Rajoutez à cela les performances de tous les acteurs - avec une petite préférence pour Hugh Laurie (Roper), Olivia Colman (Angela Burr) et Tom Hollander (Corky) - et vous obtenez une pépite qu'on ne veut pas lâcher. Je connaissais pourtant l'histoire, mais je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher d'enchaîner les six épisodes à la suite, et j'ai adoré.Attention, ce DVD est uniquement en anglais (même les sous-titres).