An Education

Last night I was watching almost the whole series of Smiley's People on DVD. It is very good and really faithful to the John le Carre book. It's much darker and a lot more bitter than the previous le Carre mini-series Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It's also a lot more exciting than the previous work, although that was also very good. The special feature on the DVD was a half-hour interview with John le Carre and the show's director John Irwin where they discuss working with Alec Guinness who starred in both shows.

This morning I set out early because I was going along to the Cameo cinema with my Mum to see a preview of An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig, and a screenplay by novelist Nick Hornby, based on a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber. The film is set in England, 1961, and tells the story of 16 year old Jenny (played by Carey Mulligan) whose life is pretty much entirely devoted to passing her exams and getting into Oxford University to study English. Until that is she meets a charismatic older man, David (Peter Sarsgaard) who seduces her with his glamorous and exciting lifestyle, and leaves Jenny with some very tough choices to make. It is a hugely entertaining movie, and very funny, although it is also very emotional. It is definitely worth watching.

After the movie, Dad came to collect us and we all went along to La Tasca, a tapas restuarant, in order to celebrate Mum's birthday which isn't until the 2nd November. It was really nice. After that we went back to my parent's house for awhile, before I went back home.