Seventeen Moments of Spring [1973]
The
immensely popular 12-part 14-hour long Soviet miniseries Seventeen Moments of Spring, adapted from Yulian Samyonov’s novel, chronicled
a dangerous espionage mission during the final days of WWII. Tense, brooding,
melancholic and filled with documentary realism, it deftly captured the
fatigue, hazards, existential dilemmas and growing weariness that such a job
entails. The tale’s protagonist is Soviet spy (Vyacheslav Tikhonov) working
deep undercover in a reasonably powerful position and with the false identity
of Stirlitz in the Nazi establishment, in the Himmler-led SS, and his mission
is to foil the clandestine peace negotiations between a German faction and the
Americans. Over the next 17 days, he must gauge the veracity of the suspicion, determine
who’s leading the process from Germany and hamper it through a complex
combination of tactical moves, shrewd engagement with multifarious powerful and
wily colleagues in the Third Reich while being a few steps ahead of them, wit, ingenuity,
presence of mind, dare and covering of tracks. He must outwit the likes of Head
of Foreign Intelligence Walter Schellenberg (Oleg Tabakov), Chief of Gestapo Heinrich
Müller (Leonid Bronevoy) and Hitler’s closest aide Martin Bormann (Yuri Vizbor),
employ the services of those with access to foreign channels, and also save his
beautiful married undercover comrade (Yekaterina Gradova) who he secretly
loves. The proceedings were interspersed with actual footages of war and
devastation that added to its gritty tone, while the elegiac score and quieter
moments marvelously underscored the melancholia and loneliness. Tikhonov, who
reminded me of Burton in The Spy who Came in from the Cold, brilliantly portrayed the implacable, chain-smoking and hard-drinking Stirlitz, and he received terrific support in particular from Bronevoy and Tabakov.
Director: Tatyana Lioznova
Genre: Thriller/Spy Thriller/Political Thriller/Psychological Drama/Mini-Series
Language: Russian
Country: Russia (erstwhile Soviet Union)
2 comments:
"Tense, brooding, melancholic and filled with documentary realism, it deftly captured the fatigue, hazards, existential dilemmas and growing weariness that such a job entails."
It would hard to imagine a more thorough, analytically cogent or passionate promotion of a series than what you have provide here to both the uninitiated and the watcher. I'd certainly be game for it, if the opportunity availed itself.
Thanks a lot Sam. I quite literally stumbled upon this mini-series, and really liked what I saw. I'd be really interested to know what you think of it once you've managed to give it a try.
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