Story of movie Seventeen Moments Of Spring :
Seventeen Moments of Spring (Russian: ?????????? ????????? ?????, translit. Semnadtsat' mgnoveniy vesny) is a 1973 Soviet twelve-part television series, directed by Tatyana Lioznova and based on the novel of the same title by Yulian Semyonov.
| Seventeen Moments of Spring | |
|---|---|
Russian DVD cover | |
| Genre | Espionage thriller |
| Created by | Yulian Semyonov |
| Based on | Seventeen Moments of Spring by Yulian Semyonov |
| Screenplay by | Yulian Semyonov Tatyana Lioznova |
| Directed by | Tatyana Lioznova |
| Starring | Vyacheslav Tikhonov Yefim Kopelyan Leonid Bronevoy Ekaterina Gradova Rostislav Plyatt |
| Narrated by | Yefim Kopelyan |
| Theme music composer | Mikael Tariverdiev |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Original language(s) | Russian |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Yefim Lebedinsky Zinovi Genzer |
| Cinematography | Pyotr Kataev |
| Editor(s) | Ksenia Blinova |
| Running time | 840 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Gorky Film Studio |
| Release | |
| Original network | Programme One |
| Original release | 8 July – 24 August 1973 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The series portrays the exploits of Maxim Isaev, a Soviet spy operating in Nazi Germany under the name Max Otto von Stierlitz, portrayed by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. Stierlitz is tasked with disrupting the secret negotiations between Karl Wolff and Allen Dulles taking place in Switzerland, aimed at forging a separate peace between Germany and the Western Allies.
The series is considered the most successful Soviet espionage thriller ever made, and is one of the most popular television series in Soviet history. Two songs from the series: Moments and The Song on the Far-away Homeland became very popular.
Screenplay
12 February 1945, Germany. Max Otto von Stierlitz, a respected SS-Standartenführer in the Ausland-SD, is in fact Soviet spy Maxim Isaev, who has infiltrated into the German establishment many years ago. Though Adolf Hitler is determined to continue the Second World War, Walter Schellenberg convinces Heinrich Himmler to conduct secret negotiations with the Americans, hoping to reach a separate peace deal which would allow the Germans to concentrate all their forces on the Eastern Front. In the meantime, Ernst Kaltenbrunner becomes suspicious of Stierlitz, and orders Heinrich Müller to launch a covert investigation on him.
Stierlitz is ordered by Moscow to ascertain whether the Americans and the Germans have a backdoor channel and, if so, to foil any possible agreement. His mission is complicated when the house of his assistants, radio operators Erwin and Katherin Kinn, is bombed. Erwin is killed, and his pregnant wife is taken to a hospital, threatening to compromise Stierlitz. He recruits two new aides—Professor Pleischner, a former member of the German Resistance, and Pastor Schlag, a clergyman who disapproves of the regime. All the while, Stierlitz has to engage in a battle of wits with Müller, who seeks to expose him as an enemy agent. He must also maneuver between the opposing factions inside the Main Security Office, as different high-ranking officials vie for power.
After realizing Himmler and Schellenberg have sent Karl Wolff to negotiate with Allen Dulles in neutral Switzerland, Stierlitz—playing on the rivalries between the Nazi plenipotentiaries—succeeds in leaking the details of the negotiations, conducted under the code name Operation Sunrise Crossword, both to Hitler and to Stalin. The Soviets, now possessing evidence, demand to end those contacts and President Roosevelt must oblige them. Himmler narrowly convinces Hitler it was all merely an attempt to sow distrust between the Allies. On 24 March 1945, Stierlitz, who managed to clear all suspicions against him, returns to his duties. The Red Army is steadily approaching Berlin.
Background
In the late 1960s, after Yuri Andropov became the chairman of the Soviet Union's Committee for State Security, he launched a campaign to improve the service's image, which was primarily associated in the public's view with its role in the political repressions carried out by the government. Andropov encouraged a series of novels, songs, films and other works glorifying KGB agents, focusing on those serving abroad – mainly in the hope of attracting young and educated recruits to the organization. The television production of Seventeen Moments of Spring was part of this trend.
Inception
During 1965, Author Yulian Semyonov, a Soviet writer of espionage books, composed the novel No Password Required, in which he first introduced the character of Vsevolod Vladimirov – a young Cheka agent who infiltrates Admiral Alexander Kolchak's staff under the alias Maxim Isaev. No Password Required became a success with readers. In 1967, it was adapted to screen and the eponymous film attracted more than 20 million viewers. Semyonov published a sequel, Major "Whirlwind", during the same year. In 1968, he was invited to a meeting with Andropov, who told him he read No Password Required and enjoyed it. After the interview, Semyonov began directly cooperating with the KGB and received access to its archives. The third novel featuring Isaev, Seventeen Moments of Spring, was inspired by a suggestion from the chairman himself; Semyonov wrote it down in less than two weeks. In the new book, Isaev was – for the first time – the chief protagonist, operating inside German intelligence in the guise of SS officer Stierlitz. It was decided to turn it to a television series already in 1969, before it was even published. The character of Stierlitz reflected Andropov's own concept of the ideal Soviet spy: he was calculated, modest, devoted to his country and above all an intellectual, who accomplished his mission by outwitting his enemies. He was based primarily, although not exclusively and in a loose fashion, on a Gestapo officer turned Soviet agent, Willi Lehmann. The American-German negotiations foiled by Stierlitz were modeled after the real agreement reached by Allen Dulles and Karl Wolff during 1945, which brought about the surrender of the Wehrmacht in Northern Italy on 2 May 1945.
Development
Director Tatyana Lioznova of the Gorky Film Studio encountered Seventeen Moments of Spring while reading an excerpt of it in The Banner magazine; Lioznova determined that she would adapt it for screen. By that time, Semyonov had already successfully negotiated a deal with the Lenfilm Studio to produce the series. Lioznova applied strong pressure on him, and eventually convinced the author to cancel the arrangement with the Leningrad-based company. Semyonov wrote Sergey Lapin, Chairman of the State Committee for Television and Radio, and requested him to allow the Gorky Studio to take over the project.
Lioznova made several adjustments to Semyonov's material: she had in mind a character of Mrs. Saurich, an elderly German woman with whom Stierlitz will have occasional conversations, to make him more amiable; the author hesitantly indulged her, and wrote several such scenes. Actress Faina Ranevskaya, to whom the director proposed the role, refused to perform it, saying that it was "horrible nonsense". Eventually, Lioznova decided to improvise it during the filming, and had given the part to Emilia Milton.
The work on the series was supervised by the KGB: Andropov's deputy, Colonel General Semen Tzvigun served as chief consultant, alongside other high-ranking officers of the service. They encouraged Lioznova to make further changes to the script: A flashback from Stierlitz's last meeting with his wife was included. The director insisted on retaining the six-minute long wordless scene in spite of objections from other producers, who claimed that it was too monotonous. This scene later became one of the most memorable parts of the series.
Casting
The first contender for the role of Stierlitz was actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky, who removed his application after learning that he would have to leave his home for more than two years for the filming. Afterwards, Archil Gomiashvili had auditioned for it, but he left the project upon receiving the role of Ostap Bender in Leonid Gaidai's upcoming adaptation of The Twelve Chairs. Eventually, Vyacheslav Tikhonov was selected to portray the lead protagonist. Leonid Kuravlyov was an early candidate to be cast as Hitler, but instead was given the role of SS officer Eismann; East German actor Fritz Diez portrayed the dictator, making his fifth appearance as such on screen. Oleg Tabakov had physically resembled Walter Schellenberg, whom he portrayed in the series – the latter's niece, who resided in East Germany, even wrote the actor a letter appreciating his work; at the same time, the producers lacked any photograph of Heinrich Müller, and thus chose Leonid Bronevoy, who was very different in appearance.
Filming
Lioznova began photographing in March 1971; the first part of the shooting took place in East Germany, mainly in Berlin. The crew remained there until the end of the summer. The scenes taking place in Bern were shot in Meissen. The crew returned to Moscow to work further in the Gorky Film Studio. In early 1972, they set out for the Georgian SSR, using the mountains near Tbilisi as a substitute for the Swiss Alps featured in the series. After returning to Moscow to complete several further sessions, the filming ended in autumn 1972.
The production crew encountered several problems: actor Lev Durov had mocked the members of the travel permit committee, resulting in a refusal to allow him to leave the USSR. The scenes involving his character had to be filmed in Moscow rather than in East Germany, as planned. In Berlin, Tikhonov had donned his costume prior to leaving his hotel; he was nearly arrested by the People's Police. Actor Lavrenty Masokha, who played Müller's chief adjutant Scholz, died of a heart attack on 20 June 1971, before the work on the series has been completed.
Music
Mikael Tariverdiev, the head of the Composers Guild in the Soviet Cinematographers' Association, had at first refused to write the series' score, but changed his mind after reading the script. He authored lyrics for ten different songs to be featured in the soundtrack; since it was later decided to base it mainly on instrumental music, only two of those were included in the final version – Somewhere Far Away and Moments. The first singer invited to vocalize them was Vadim Mulerman, but he was blacklisted and banned from performing in public in 1971, after including a Yiddish song in his repertoire, a move that was frowned upon by the authorities in the wake of the Six-Day War. After Mulerman's disqualification, Muslim Magomayev was considered for the role and recorded his own version of the text; however, the producers decided that his voice was not suited for the atmosphere of series' plot, and chose Joseph Kobzon. Although he was allowed to perform the songs, the latter was also subject to the establishment's anti-Jewish campaign; therefore, he was not mentioned in the credits. In spite of this, Kobzon subsequently met great acclaim for singing the series' score.
Approval
During early 1972, after undergoing editing, a demonstration of Lioznova's materials was held for a committee of high-ranking television officials. The series was met with much criticism; many of those present were indignant, claiming it made the impression that the Second World War was won "by a few spies". To accommodate their demands, the director added a great amount of wartime newsreel footage about the fighting of the Red Army.
Another screening was held for Yuri Andropov. The chairman made two requests: to remove the names of the KGB consultants who were on active service from the credits and replace them with pseudonyms – Tzvigun, for example, became 'General S.K. Mishin'. He also asked to make a mention of the German communist movement and its leader, Ernst Thälmann. A short scene in which Stierlitz recalls seeing Thälmann and being impressed with the fervor of the Red Front Fighters' Association was added.
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