I'd never heard of this until a couple of weeks ago. It's a cult in Russia - a gritty, sinister spy drama set in WW2. I've seen 6 of 12 episodes so far, and it is really engrossing.
You can see it free on Youtube with new english subtitles Seventeen Moments of Spring
It was commissioned by the KGB, of all people! But it is far from shouty propaganda.
The plot is that in spring 1945 as forces advance on Berlin, and most of the creepy Nazis see the writing on the wall, Soviet deep cover agent in SS Intelligence, Max Otto von Stirlitz has to thwart a separate peace with the West, while various enemies begin to suspect him and the net tightens.
It has brilliant music and acting. All the leading Nazis are there: hitler, himmler, goring, kaltenbrunner, goebbals and Max's boss, the slimy Schellenberg. The atmosphere of paranoia and treachery is very like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Most of the leading Nazis are conspiring against each other, so von Stirlitz can play them off against each other.
It is quite slow-moving, and very "talky" by modern standards, although that does mean that we do learn a lot about each character and their motivations. Von Stirlitz aka "Mr Boltzen" (another of his secret identities) is dour, methodical, and broods a great deal.
For its age, it has worn very well. Each Nazi character is introduced by their secret personnel file, which has a lot of boilerplate text, which becomes quite funny after a while: "Merciless to the Reich's enemies".
I am really enjoying it. If you like your spies to be James Bond or Jason Bourne, this may not be for you. If you like to wallow in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (either version) or The Lives of Others, this might send you into orbit (or depression
).
You can see it free on Youtube with new english subtitles Seventeen Moments of Spring
It was commissioned by the KGB, of all people! But it is far from shouty propaganda.
The plot is that in spring 1945 as forces advance on Berlin, and most of the creepy Nazis see the writing on the wall, Soviet deep cover agent in SS Intelligence, Max Otto von Stirlitz has to thwart a separate peace with the West, while various enemies begin to suspect him and the net tightens.
It has brilliant music and acting. All the leading Nazis are there: hitler, himmler, goring, kaltenbrunner, goebbals and Max's boss, the slimy Schellenberg. The atmosphere of paranoia and treachery is very like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Most of the leading Nazis are conspiring against each other, so von Stirlitz can play them off against each other.
It is quite slow-moving, and very "talky" by modern standards, although that does mean that we do learn a lot about each character and their motivations. Von Stirlitz aka "Mr Boltzen" (another of his secret identities) is dour, methodical, and broods a great deal.
For its age, it has worn very well. Each Nazi character is introduced by their secret personnel file, which has a lot of boilerplate text, which becomes quite funny after a while: "Merciless to the Reich's enemies".
I am really enjoying it. If you like your spies to be James Bond or Jason Bourne, this may not be for you. If you like to wallow in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (either version) or The Lives of Others, this might send you into orbit (or depression
).
