In the mid-1970s, while travelling on the slowest train in the world from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, I recall ploughing my way through John Le Carre's spy novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Not a fast-paced book, it was at least quicker than the wretched train. I have to admit to not fully understanding the labyrinthine tome, but did enjoy the mood and atmosphere and found George Smiley's character intriguing.
A few years later the BBC produced an absorbing TV mini-series starring Sir Alec Guinness who was masterful as always. Guinness played Smiley's role with classic understatement and created the perfect mood. It was just as if his character had walked out of the book. I still didn't fully understand what happened though.
Last week, I found myself sitting in the old Scala cinema watching the latest version of Tinker with a great cast including Gary Oldman, very plausible as Smiley, and strong supporting performances from John Hurt and Colin Firth.
Slow paced, almost dawdling at times, ''atmospheric'' is perhaps the word for this film. No chases or special effects in this cerebral treat.
The murky world of espionage is filmed in equally murky lighting of a miserable-looking London consumed by shadows. The life of a spy during the Cold War does not come across as much fun.
Some of the flashbacks are a bit confusing and I imagine the film is hard to follow if you are not familiar with Le Carre's work. And no, I still don't really understand it.
From Sir Alec to Sir Somchai
The Guinness version of Tinker was actually shown on Thai television in the early 1980s in pre-cable days when all we had was just four Thai TV stations. This left you at the mercy of the sound engineer at Channel 3, hoping he didn't fall asleep and forget to pull the switch for the English soundtrack.
Unfortunately he did doze off now and again and I was sorely tempted to throw the cat at the TV set (only joking, moggy lovers) when the English soundtrack fled the scene.
At one stage, it was approaching the vital moment when Guinness was close to exposing the mole. As tension mounted, with an extraordinary sense of timing, the official Radio Thailand news, which was obligatory for all channels to carry, came thundering in with its familiar marching music to hijack the soundtrack. So we were then treated to gripping reports on the latest tapioca prices and third-grade officials attending a seminar in Nakhon Nowhere.
However, you could still get the Thai soundtrack which was infuriating enough in itself.
Guinness somehow didn't quite carry the same authority saying ''Sawasdee khrap'' or ''Oh ho!'' with a voice that sounded like something out of a third-rate soft drink commercial.
Poet of anonymity
A little bit more on Guinness. Not blessed with film star looks, he was just like the ordinary man on the street, which was possibly part of his appeal. Fellow actor Peter Ustinov once described him as the ''outstanding poet of anonymity''.
And his humour was so droll. None of the crude ''in-your-face'' rubbish that passes for comedy these days. His Ealing Studios comedies like The Lady Killers and the Lavender Hill Mob were classics.
Unfortunately, to many of the younger generation, Guinness will be known more for his role in Star Wars, a rare occasion where he looked out of place. Guinness hated Star Wars so much he encouraged director George Lucas to kill his character off as quickly as possible. ''I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful banal lines,'' he said.
Close encounters with a PM
I have to admit that seeing Tinker was my first visit to the Scala in more than 30 years.
When I was first in Thailand it was a really trendy, modern-style cinema having been built in 1967 and was the first theatre to enforce a no admittance to rodents policy.
It doesn't seem to have changed much, with the big staircases leading up to the entrance. Admittedly it does look a little drab these days and could possibly do with a coat of paint, but I didn't see any rats. It was at least spared the untimely fate of the nearby Siam Theatre which was burned down in the unrest almost two years ago.
I have one lasting memory of the Scala. One day in 1975, approaching the cinema I came face to face with the Thai prime minister at the time, the late MR Kukrit Pramoj, who was walking down the steps by himself after watching a movie.
MR Kukrit was a great film buff and even played a star role in the 1963 production The Ugly American, which was partly shot in Bangkok, starring Marlon Brando.
According to Time magazine, the temperamental American actor enjoyed Thailand and was quoted as saying he was ''genuinely overwhelmed by the gentle Thai people''.
At the time I thought it was great to be in a country where the premier could go and watch a movie on his own, just like anyone else.
For all I know, he might even have hopped on the bus to get home. Well, probably not.
Contact PostScript via email at oldcrutch@hotmail.com.