MovieChat Forums > Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2012) Discussion > Significance of the Fly Scene (correctio...

Significance of the Fly Scene (correction: bee scene)

posted 8 years ago by tacobellscannon
7 replies | jump to latest

First of all, just want to say that I love this film; it's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.

There is a brief scene after Smiley and Guillam pick up Mendel (towards the beginning, after Smiley agrees to investigate the mole). The three men (Smiley, Guillam, Mendel) are in a car together, and Mendel mentions he knows a hotel they can stay at. We hear a buzzing sound and see a small black speck moving about the inside of the car: a fly. The fly buzzes around Guillam, who gets annoyed and swats it away. It then flies around Smiley, who patiently observes it. Then we see Smiley rolling down the car window and letting the fly out.

That's the entire scene. I've always been a bit puzzled by it... why is there a fly? Is there any point to this fly incident or is it just random?

My guess is that the scene is meant to illustrate how Smiley thinks. When Guillam is faced with a problem (in the form of the fly), he lashes out at it, driving it out of his immediate vicinity but not really addressing the underlying issue (that the fly is in the car). In contrast, Smiley considers how he might align the fly's interest with his own: the fly doesn't really want to be in the car, and Smiley doesn't want it in the car either. So he comes up with a solution that benefits both parties: opening the window and letting the fly escape. It is this kind of thinking -- figuring out motivations and how to use them strategically -- that makes Smiley such an intelligent and interesting character.

I might be overthinking this, but this is the kind of movie that invites you to dig deep. What do you guys think?

[–] Jameron 8 years ago

You're not overthinking it, that is pretty much the point of that scene.

One correction, it is a bee in the car, not a fly. Mendel is a bee keeper, Guillam and Smiley met with him while he was tending to his bees and one apparently ended up in the car with them.

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Be warned, this thread will be visited by a troll soon. Don't fall for his tricks.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e3tGxnFKfE

http://tinyurl.com/LTROI-story

[–] nystulc 8 years ago

My guess is that the scene is meant to illustrate how Smiley thinks. When Guillam is faced with a problem (in the form of the fly), he lashes out at it, driving it out of his immediate vicinity but not really addressing the underlying issue (that the fly is in the car).

Whatever the scene is SUPPOSED to mean (???), logically, it SHOULD NOT mean the above. Guillam is the one driving the car, and if he has less time than Smiley to deal effectively with the problem of the bee, this shows only that Guillam and not Smiley is the one driving the car. Guillam's focus is on the task of driving, precisely as it should be.

[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

It is this kind of thinking -- figuring out motivations and how to use them strategically -- that makes Smiley such an intelligent and interesting character.

Yes, outwardly minimalist in terms of his athletic prowess, he nevertheless projects an almost zen-like mastery of the actual intelligence analysis aspects of the espionage work.🐭

[–] nystulc 8 years ago

Yes, outwardly minimalist in terms of his athletic prowess, he nevertheless projects an almost zen-like mastery of the actual intelligence analysis aspects of the espionage work.

How can you tell?

[–] kmags84 8 years ago

Yep. It's not so much what it says about anyone else, it's more just showcasing Smiley and his demeanor. Not to say it's ignoring the other characters reactions of course but they are secondary... We are witnesses to a man who operates on another level. He is absolutely Zen Like.

[–] Etherdave (162) 3 years ago

It's a ponderously heavy symbol, but as a scene I think we are just supposed to snicker at the difference between a young hothead and an old spymaster, and not think too deeply into it as we go. After all, Guillam was Smiley's protégé, and owes everything he is to the older man's training and wisdom.

[–] Who (5146) 3 years ago

Beyond showing us the calm, pragmatic demeanor of Smiley, the bee may also be symbolic of the mole. Once Smiley released the bee, it will find its way back to its hive or die trying.

There’s a scene later on where Peter starts narrowing in on Haydon suspiciously knowing the news about Prideaux sooner than the others, but Smiley stops him. Says Haydon was at his house (sleeping with Ann) and was there when the early call was made to Smiley. This is the opposite of the bee scene, showing Smiley’s blind spot about Haydon and the affair muddying his natural clarity.