Seventeen Moments of Spring
Encyclopedia
Seventeen Moments of Spring ( also Seventeen Instants of Spring) is a 1973 Soviet TV miniseries. It was filmed at Gorky Film Studio
, directed by Tatyana Lioznova
and based on the book of the same title by the novelist Yulian Semyonov
. The series comprises 12 episodes of 70 minutes each. It received the national RSFSR award in 1976.
The series portrays the life of a Soviet spy
Maksim Isaev operating in Nazi Germany
under the name Max Otto von Stirlitz
, played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov
. Other leading roles were played by Leonid Bronevoy
, Oleg Tabakov
, Yuri Vizbor
, Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev
, Rostislav Plyatt
, Vasily Lanovoy
, and Mikhail Zharkovsky.
In 2009 remastered version in color
was released.
, representing Walter Schellenberg
and Heinrich Himmler
, and American intelligence operative Allen Dulles in Bern, Switzerland
during the final months of World War II
. Dulles, portrayed in the show as acting without the authorization of the president, is interested in reaching a peace agreement with Nazi Germany that would leave many Nazi institutions in place to prevent the rise of Bolshevism in Western Europe. The negotiations are conducted in secret and behind the back of Hitler and, more importantly for Stirlitz
, the Soviet Union
.
Stirlitz's position is aggravated by the fact that right from the very beginning of the series, Obergruppenführer
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
instructs Gestapo chief Heinrich Müller
to launch an investigation of Stirlitz, having become suspicious of Stirlitz's apparent connection to the failed destruction of Krakow
, the delays the German atomic research program and his almost-too-impeccable record of loyalty and devotion to Hitler, even as other German officers had begun to grumble in private about the course of the war. While Müller (Bronevoy) is initially dismissive of his boss' suspicions, he soon develops doubts of his own and quickly turns into Stirlitz's arch-nemesis.
Near the end of the 12-part miniseries, Stirlitz's reports on the secret talks lead Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Martin Bormann
to recall Karl Wolff back to Berlin and to order his arrest upon landing. However, Wolff is saved in the nick of time when Schellenberg intervenes proceeds with his backup plan of passing the negotiations for a "masterful misinformation of the Soviets intended to disrupt the trust between the Allied forces".
and Operation Crossword
("Sunrise Crossword" in the film) and Soviet agents supplied information on them to the USSR
. One of them was Kim Philby
. Another agent of the Soviet Military Intelligence, dubbed as "a fantastic source, who received the first-class information from Germany" by Allen Dulles, was Rudolph Rassler, working in Switzerland
during secret negotiations.
Inventing the image of Isaev-Stirlitz, Yulian Semyonov worked with the biographies of well-known Soviet intelligence officers: Lev Manevich, Nikolai Kuznetsov
, Sandor Radó
. But no one of them became a prototype of the film's main character. Stirlitz is the collective image, in which the author embodied all the best features of the intelligence officer.
Stirlitz is sometimes referred to as a Russian James Bond
, even if the comparison is not entirely warranted. Although the show contains some relatively unbelievable elements (e.g., a Russian passing for a German for 20 years) and it may even have served a somewhat similar ideological role as the James Bond films did in the West, Seventeen Moments of Spring is based, even if only loosely, on actual historical events. Moreover, the show also strives for a much more realistic version of foreign espionage than the James Bond films do, with Stirlitz carefully playing on rivalries within the SD
and SS, cautiously seeking out friendly contacts, prudently developing alibis for his covert activities and very rarely resorting to force or gadgetry. It is notable that one hardly gets the impression that many of the Nazis were the incarnation of evil: While the show does remind the viewer of the horror of Nazi death camps through the use of some original footage, one nonetheless finds it hard not to take something of a liking for Heinrich Müller and some of Stirlitz' other adversaries. This is a contrast to the Bond films, where the Russian generals and leaders are either brute vodka-guzzling stereotypes, calculating evil geniuses, or just greedy people involved in schemes for money.
The music for the movie was written by Armenia
n-born composer Mikael Tariverdiev
.
- West German author Klaus Mehnert
, who investigated Soviet popular culture in the 1970s, reported that each episode was watched by between 50 and 80 million viewers on television, making it the most successful program of its time. It originated many popular phrases as well as an entire genre of anecdotes, the latter having seemingly taken a life of its own. The show is still frequently aired on Russian television. Plans were discussed to build a monument to Stirlitz in the city of Gorokhovets
, his birthplace in the series. It's been said that "for older generations, the series is little more than a factual retelling of an actual historical event — a behind-the-scenes look at a war painful to remember." "But for younger people raised from childhood on yearly showings — the film was shown one hour-long serial at a time, 12 days in a row — "Spring" became more famous for its quirky lines and surreal shots than its cinematic whole." "But "Spring's" most lasting claim to fame is the legion of anecdotes that have entered Stirlitz, Isayev and Tikhonov in the permanent annals of Russian folklore."
A Polish television series with a very similar theme, More Than Life at Stake (with Captain Kloss
being the analogous character to Stirlitz) was made in 1967-1968.
: Семнадцать мгновений весны. Кривое зеркало Третьего рейха) is dedicated to the analysis of all possible historical inaccuracies in the film. Regardless of the close attention to historical details by the directors and actors of the film, Zalessky had different personal opinions of the film, which cannot be corroborated or disproved by the late author of the novel, Y. Semenov.
and performed by Joseph Kobzon
.
Gorky Film Studio
Gorky Film Studio is a film studio in Moscow, Russian Federation. By the end of the Soviet Union, Gorky Film Studio had produced more than 1,000 films...
, directed by Tatyana Lioznova
Tatyana Lioznova
Tatyana Mikhailovna Lioznova was a Soviet film director best known for her TV series Seventeen Moments of Spring .-Film career:All of Lioznova's features - from Three Poplars at Plyushchikha Street , a cult film of the 1960s, to her last movie, The Carnival , - are distinguished by open...
and based on the book of the same title by the novelist Yulian Semyonov
Yulian Semyonov
Yulian Semyonovich Semyonov , pen-name of Yulian Semyonovich Lyandres , was a Soviet and Russian writer of spy fiction and crime fiction.-Career:...
. The series comprises 12 episodes of 70 minutes each. It received the national RSFSR award in 1976.
The series portrays the life of a Soviet spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
Maksim Isaev operating in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
under the name Max Otto von Stirlitz
Stirlitz
Max Otto von Stierlitz is the lead character in a popular Russian book series written in the 1960s by novelist Julian Semyonov and of the television adaptation Seventeen Moments of Spring, starring Vyacheslav Tikhonov, as well as in feature films, produced in the Soviet era, and in a number of...
, played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Tikhonov was a Soviet and Russian actor whose best known role was as Soviet spy Stirlitz in the television series Seventeen Moments of Spring. He was a recipient of numerous state awards, including the titles of People's Artist of the USSR and Hero of Socialist Labour .-...
. Other leading roles were played by Leonid Bronevoy
Leonid Bronevoy
Leonid Sergeyevich Bronevoy is a Nika Award-winning Soviet and Russian actor. Though primarily a stage actor, known for his work in the Lenkom Theatre, Bronevoy also makes occasional appearances in movies...
, Oleg Tabakov
Oleg Tabakov
Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov is a Soviet and Russian actor and the artistic director of the Moscow Art Theatre.-Theatre career:...
, Yuri Vizbor
Yuri Vizbor
Yuri Vizbor was a well-known Soviet bard and poet as well as a theatre and film actor.-Summary:...
, Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev
Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev
Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Yevstigneyev was a prominent Soviet movie and theater actor and one of the founders of Moscow's Sovremennik Theatre. People's Artist of the USSR ....
, Rostislav Plyatt
Rostislav Plyatt
Rostislav Plyatt is a famous Russian actor. He appeared in numerous films from 1939 to 1987 including Makes the Whole World Kin, Seventeen Moments of Spring, Going Inside a Storm, and Zoya. He won the People's Artist of the USSR in 1961 and State Prize winner of the USSR in 1982. He was born in...
, Vasily Lanovoy
Vasily Lanovoy
Vasily Semyonovich Lanovoy is a Soviet and Russian actor who works in the Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow. He is also known as the President of Artek Festival of Films for Children...
, and Mikhail Zharkovsky.
In 2009 remastered version in color
Film colorization
Film colorization is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia or monochrome moving-picture images. It may be done as a special effect, or to modernize black-and-white films, or to restore color films...
was released.
Plot
The plot is driven by Stirlitz's—ultimately successful—attempts at thwarting negotiations between SS General Karl WolffKarl Wolff
Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff was a high-ranking member of the Nazi Schutzstaffel , ultimately holding the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS. He became Chief of Personal Staff to the Reichsführer and SS Liaison Officer to Hitler until his replacement in 1943...
, representing Walter Schellenberg
Walter Schellenberg
Walther Friedrich Schellenberg was a German SS-Brigadeführer who rose through the ranks of the SS to become the head of foreign intelligence following the abolition of the Abwehr in 1944.-Biography:...
and Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, and American intelligence operative Allen Dulles in Bern, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
during the final months of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Dulles, portrayed in the show as acting without the authorization of the president, is interested in reaching a peace agreement with Nazi Germany that would leave many Nazi institutions in place to prevent the rise of Bolshevism in Western Europe. The negotiations are conducted in secret and behind the back of Hitler and, more importantly for Stirlitz
Stirlitz
Max Otto von Stierlitz is the lead character in a popular Russian book series written in the 1960s by novelist Julian Semyonov and of the television adaptation Seventeen Moments of Spring, starring Vyacheslav Tikhonov, as well as in feature films, produced in the Soviet era, and in a number of...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Stirlitz's position is aggravated by the fact that right from the very beginning of the series, Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian-born senior official of Nazi Germany during World War II. Between January 1943 and May 1945, he held the offices of Chief of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , President of Interpol and, as a Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS, he was the...
instructs Gestapo chief Heinrich Müller
Heinrich Müller
Heinrich Müller was a German police official under both the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He became chief of the Gestapo, the political secret state police of Nazi Germany, and was involved in the planning and execution of the Holocaust...
to launch an investigation of Stirlitz, having become suspicious of Stirlitz's apparent connection to the failed destruction of Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, the delays the German atomic research program and his almost-too-impeccable record of loyalty and devotion to Hitler, even as other German officers had begun to grumble in private about the course of the war. While Müller (Bronevoy) is initially dismissive of his boss' suspicions, he soon develops doubts of his own and quickly turns into Stirlitz's arch-nemesis.
Near the end of the 12-part miniseries, Stirlitz's reports on the secret talks lead Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
to recall Karl Wolff back to Berlin and to order his arrest upon landing. However, Wolff is saved in the nick of time when Schellenberg intervenes proceeds with his backup plan of passing the negotiations for a "masterful misinformation of the Soviets intended to disrupt the trust between the Allied forces".
Selected cast
- Vyacheslav TikhonovVyacheslav TikhonovVyacheslav Vasilyevich Tikhonov was a Soviet and Russian actor whose best known role was as Soviet spy Stirlitz in the television series Seventeen Moments of Spring. He was a recipient of numerous state awards, including the titles of People's Artist of the USSR and Hero of Socialist Labour .-...
— Max Otto von Stirlitz / Maxim Maximovich Isayev. - Valentin GaftValentin GaftValentin Yosifovich Gaft is a Russian and Soviet actor, People's Artist of Russia .-Biography:Valentin Gaft was born in Moscow to a family of a lawyer Iosif Romanovich Gaft and Gita Davydovna Gaft . The family moved to Moscow from Poltava, Ukraine...
— Gevernitz. - Rostislav PlyattRostislav PlyattRostislav Plyatt is a famous Russian actor. He appeared in numerous films from 1939 to 1987 including Makes the Whole World Kin, Seventeen Moments of Spring, Going Inside a Storm, and Zoya. He won the People's Artist of the USSR in 1961 and State Prize winner of the USSR in 1982. He was born in...
— Father Fritz Schlag. - Svetlana SvetlichnayaSvetlana SvetlichnayaSvetlana Afanasyevna Svetlichnaya is a Soviet and Russian actress most famous for her role in The Diamond Arm .-Biography:...
— Gabi Nabel. - Yuri VizborYuri VizborYuri Vizbor was a well-known Soviet bard and poet as well as a theatre and film actor.-Summary:...
— Martin BormannMartin BormannMartin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
. - Yekaterina GradovaYekaterina GradovaEkaterina Gradova is a popular Russian film actress who appeared in two Soviet blockbuster films "Seventeen Moments of Spring" and "The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed". Ekatherina Gradova played her first notable role in the beginning of 1966 in the drama Boris Yashin "Autumn Weddings". Later,...
— Katherin Kinn. - Nikolai GritsenkoNikolai GritsenkoNikolai Olimpievich Gritsenko was a Soviet actor of Russian-Ukrainian heritage. He appeared in 33 films between 1942 and 1978. Gritsenko also was member of the Vakhtangov Theatre company in Moscow, Russia. There he was designated Honorable actor of Russia and People's Actor of the USSR...
— General in the car. - Lev DurovLev DurovLev Konstantinovich Durov is a Soviet/Russian theatre and films actor since 1955, People's Artist of USSR.-Filmography:actor* I Step Through Moscow * All The King's Men - Sugar Boy* Stariki-razboyniki - driver...
— Klaus. - Yevgeniy YevstigneyevYevgeniy YevstigneyevYevgeniy Aleksandrovich Yevstigneyev was a prominent Soviet movie and theater actor and one of the founders of Moscow's Sovremennik Theatre. People's Artist of the USSR ....
— Professor Pleischner. - Leonid KuravlyovLeonid KuravlyovLeonid Vyacheslavovich Kuravlyov is a Soviet/Russian actor and People's Artist of the RSFSR .Leonid Kuravlyov was born in Moscow in 1936. He lost his father when he was still a little boy. In 1941, Kuravlyov's mother was falsely accused and exiled to the Russian North, where they would spend...
— Obersturmbannführer Kurt Eismann. - Vasily LanovoyVasily LanovoyVasily Semyonovich Lanovoy is a Soviet and Russian actor who works in the Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow. He is also known as the President of Artek Festival of Films for Children...
— Karl WolffKarl WolffKarl Friedrich Otto Wolff was a high-ranking member of the Nazi Schutzstaffel , ultimately holding the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS. He became Chief of Personal Staff to the Reichsführer and SS Liaison Officer to Hitler until his replacement in 1943... - Leonid BronevoyLeonid BronevoyLeonid Sergeyevich Bronevoy is a Nika Award-winning Soviet and Russian actor. Though primarily a stage actor, known for his work in the Lenkom Theatre, Bronevoy also makes occasional appearances in movies...
— Heinrich Müller. - Wilhelm Burmeier — Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
. - Oleg TabakovOleg TabakovOleg Pavlovich Tabakov is a Soviet and Russian actor and the artistic director of the Moscow Art Theatre.-Theatre career:...
— Walter SchellenbergWalter SchellenbergWalther Friedrich Schellenberg was a German SS-Brigadeführer who rose through the ranks of the SS to become the head of foreign intelligence following the abolition of the Abwehr in 1944.-Biography:...
. - Vyacheslav Salevich — Allen Dulles.
- Nikolai Propkovich — Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. - Yevgenyi Kuznetsov — Friedrich Krüger.
- Mikhail Zharkovsky — Ernst KaltenbrunnerErnst KaltenbrunnerErnst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian-born senior official of Nazi Germany during World War II. Between January 1943 and May 1945, he held the offices of Chief of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , President of Interpol and, as a Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS, he was the...
. - Vladimir Emelyanov — Wilhelm KeitelWilhelm KeitelWilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
. - Andro Kobaladze — Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. - Fritz DiezFritz DiezNot to be confused with the West German industrialist Fritz Dietz.Fritz Diez was a German actor, producer, director and theater manager.-Early life:...
— Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
Historical background
The negotiations between Dulles and Wolff did take place in reality on March 8, 1945, codenamed both Operation SunriseOperation Sunrise
Operation Sunrise may refer to:*Operation Sunrise , a 1962 test of the Strategic Hamlet Program*Operation Crossword or Operation Sunrise, a series of secret negotiations conducted in March 1945 in Switzerland...
and Operation Crossword
Operation Crossword
During World War II, Operation Crossword or Operation Sunrise was a series of secret negotiations conducted in March 1945 in Switzerland between representatives of Nazi Germany and the Western Allies to arrange a local surrender of German forces in northern Italy...
("Sunrise Crossword" in the film) and Soviet agents supplied information on them to the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. One of them was Kim Philby
Kim Philby
Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
. Another agent of the Soviet Military Intelligence, dubbed as "a fantastic source, who received the first-class information from Germany" by Allen Dulles, was Rudolph Rassler, working in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
during secret negotiations.
Inventing the image of Isaev-Stirlitz, Yulian Semyonov worked with the biographies of well-known Soviet intelligence officers: Lev Manevich, Nikolai Kuznetsov
Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov
Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov was a Soviet intelligence agent and partisan who operated in Nazi-occupied Ukraine during World War II. He used several pseudonyms during his intelligence operations: e.g...
, Sandor Radó
Alexander Rado
Alexander Radó, born as Sándor Radó and also known as Alexander Radolfi , was a Hungarian cartographer and a Soviet military intelligence agent in World War II.-Life:...
. But no one of them became a prototype of the film's main character. Stirlitz is the collective image, in which the author embodied all the best features of the intelligence officer.
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, even if the comparison is not entirely warranted. Although the show contains some relatively unbelievable elements (e.g., a Russian passing for a German for 20 years) and it may even have served a somewhat similar ideological role as the James Bond films did in the West, Seventeen Moments of Spring is based, even if only loosely, on actual historical events. Moreover, the show also strives for a much more realistic version of foreign espionage than the James Bond films do, with Stirlitz carefully playing on rivalries within the SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
and SS, cautiously seeking out friendly contacts, prudently developing alibis for his covert activities and very rarely resorting to force or gadgetry. It is notable that one hardly gets the impression that many of the Nazis were the incarnation of evil: While the show does remind the viewer of the horror of Nazi death camps through the use of some original footage, one nonetheless finds it hard not to take something of a liking for Heinrich Müller and some of Stirlitz' other adversaries. This is a contrast to the Bond films, where the Russian generals and leaders are either brute vodka-guzzling stereotypes, calculating evil geniuses, or just greedy people involved in schemes for money.
The music for the movie was written by Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n-born composer Mikael Tariverdiev
Mikael Tariverdiev
Mikael Tariverdiev |Georgia]] - 24 June 1996, Sochi, Russia) was a prominent Soviet composer of Armenian descent. He headed the Composers' Guild of Soviet Cinematographers' Union from its inception.-Biography:...
.
Broadcasts
The series was immensely popular in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
- West German author Klaus Mehnert
Klaus Mehnert
Klaus Mehnert was a globetrotting German political scientist and a journalist. As a scholar, he was a prolific author; as a journalist, he practiced in the USSR as a correspondent, in China as a publisher, and in Germany. He was a professor at two American universities before World War II...
, who investigated Soviet popular culture in the 1970s, reported that each episode was watched by between 50 and 80 million viewers on television, making it the most successful program of its time. It originated many popular phrases as well as an entire genre of anecdotes, the latter having seemingly taken a life of its own. The show is still frequently aired on Russian television. Plans were discussed to build a monument to Stirlitz in the city of Gorokhovets
Gorokhovets
Gorokhovets is a town and the administrative center of Gorokhovetsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the highway from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod. It also serves as a river port on the Klyazma River...
, his birthplace in the series. It's been said that "for older generations, the series is little more than a factual retelling of an actual historical event — a behind-the-scenes look at a war painful to remember." "But for younger people raised from childhood on yearly showings — the film was shown one hour-long serial at a time, 12 days in a row — "Spring" became more famous for its quirky lines and surreal shots than its cinematic whole." "But "Spring's" most lasting claim to fame is the legion of anecdotes that have entered Stirlitz, Isayev and Tikhonov in the permanent annals of Russian folklore."
A Polish television series with a very similar theme, More Than Life at Stake (with Captain Kloss
Captain Kloss
Captain Kloss is a fictional World War II secret agent appearing in the 18-episode 1967-1968 Polish television series Stawka większa niż życie , following earlier live television theater plays...
being the analogous character to Stirlitz) was made in 1967-1968.
Technical data
Seventeen Moments of Spring was filmed in black and white. It consists of 12 episodes, each between 65 and 79 minutes in length. The film uses a large amount of clips from war archives.| Episode | Length in the original 1972 version | Length in the 2009 color version |
Material lost (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01:08:42 | 51:21 | ~25 % |
| 02 | 01:09:01 | 51:37 | ~26 % |
| 03 | 01:06:10 | 51:20 | ~22 % |
| 04 | 01:15:20 | 51:50 | ~32 % |
| 05 | 01:05:32 | 51:58 | ~21 % |
| 06 | 01:12:15 | 52:22 | ~27 % |
| 07 | 01:10:29 | 51:13 | ~27 % |
| 08 | 01:05:13 | 51:24 | ~21 % |
| 09 | 01:18:49 | 52:32 | ~33 % |
| 10 | 01:07:38 | 51:39 | ~24 % |
| 11 | 01:04:50 | 51:12 | ~21 % |
| 12 | 01:06:11 | 51:56 | ~22 % |
Inaccuracies in the movie
The historian K. Zalessky proposes that the image of Nazi Germany as portrayed in the film is in fact more similar to the USSR. In his opinion, "this is a myth, the [Third Reich] shown in this movie, it did not exist... The spirit, all the interactions between characters, they have nothing in common with reality. The Third Reich was different. It was, so to say, not worse, not better, it was just different. And here, repeating once more, this is more similar to our country." His 2006 book Seventeen Moments of Spring: The Curved Mirror of the Third Reich (RussianRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Семнадцать мгновений весны. Кривое зеркало Третьего рейха) is dedicated to the analysis of all possible historical inaccuracies in the film. Regardless of the close attention to historical details by the directors and actors of the film, Zalessky had different personal opinions of the film, which cannot be corroborated or disproved by the late author of the novel, Y. Semenov.
Historical inaccuracies and anachronisms
- In the personal files on GoebbelsGoebbelsGoebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...
, Goering, and Himmler, it is said that they each have a "secondary education." In reality:- Goebbels was a Doctor of PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Heidelberg University. During his education, owing to the sponsorship of the Catholic society of A. Magnus, he attended lecture series from the best German professors at the universities at Bonn, Freiburg, Wurzburg, Cologne, and Munich. - Goering graduated from the Army academy in KarlsruheKarlsruheThe City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and later from the Prussian Military Academy in LichterfieldLichterfelde (Berlin)Lichterfelde is a locality in the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin, Germany. Until 2001 it was part, with Steglitz and Lankwitz of the former Steglitz borough.-History:...
, Berlin with the highest possible grades, for which he was personally congratulated by Kaiser WilhelmKaiser WilhelmKaiser Wilhelm is a common reference to two German emperors:* Wilhelm I, German Emperor , King of Prussia; became the first Kaiser of a united Germany...
. - Himmler studied at the agricultural department of the Munich Polytechnical Institute with a specialty in "agrarian economy."
- Goebbels was a Doctor of Philosophy
- Goebbels was appointed as GauleiterGauleiterA Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
of Berlin not in 1944, as said in the film, but in 1926. He did not have the rank of Obergruppenführer. In the second episode it is said that "the Führer visited Goebbels's home in January 1945 for a birthday party." However, Goebbels was born on October 29, and his wife on November 11; none of Goebbels's six children were born in January either. - On his trip with Pastor Schlag, Stirlitz listens to "Non, je ne regrette rienNon, je ne regrette rien"Non, je ne regrette rien" , meaning "No, I'm not sorry for anything", is a French song composed by Charles Dumont, with lyrics by Michel Vaucaire. It was written in 1956, and is best known through its 1960 recording by Édith Piaf....
" by Edith PiafÉdith PiafÉdith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
, written in the 1950s1950sThe 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
. - Women did not serve in the SS, with the exception of so-called Women's Auxiliary Divisions, which had their own system of ranks. Thus, Unterscharführer could not have had a real-life prototype.
- Stirlitz (as well as many of his colleagues) smokes at work, which contradicts the Third Reich's anti-smoking policies. In 1939 the NSDAP issued a ban on smoking in all of its facilities, and Himmler forbade SS officers and police to smoke during work hours (see Anti-tobacco movement in Nazi GermanyAnti-tobacco movement in Nazi GermanyAfter German doctors became the first to identify the link between smoking and lung cancer, Nazi Germany initiated a strong anti-tobacco movement and led the first public anti-smoking campaign in modern history...
). - In the first episode, when listing the countries under German control in February 1945, Hitler speaks of Austria, Germany, and the Czech and Bohemian Protectorates. But Hitler could not have spoken of Austria as a country separate from the Reich, and the "Czech and BohemiaBohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n Protectorate" is nonsense, since it was actually called the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. (This mistake was present in the novel as well as the film.) - In the information on Himmler it is said that he worked for Robert LeyRobert LeyRobert Ley was a Nazi politician and head of the German Labour Front from 1933 to 1945. He committed suicide while awaiting trial for war crimes.- Early life :...
. However, the photo shown is of Julius StreicherJulius StreicherJulius Streicher was a prominent Nazi prior to World War II. He was the founder and publisher of Der Stürmer newspaper, which became a central element of the Nazi propaganda machine...
. - In the 12th episode, Stirlitz sends three telegrams from Bern, naming the city of destination as "Constantinopole," which had been renamed to IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 1930. - In the first episode, Kaltenbrunner reprimands Friedrich Wilhelm KrügerFriedrich Wilhelm KrügerFriedrich-Wilhelm Krüger was a Nazi official and high-ranking member of the SA and SS. Between 1939 and 1943 he was SS and Police Leader in the General Government in German-occupied Poland and in that capacity he organized and supervised numerous acts of war crimes.- Early life :Krüger was born...
for the failure of the operation to destroy KrakowKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. Krüger was in fact the director of the SS and police, but only until 1943; thus, he could not have had anything to do with destroying Krakow.
Plot inconsistencies
- The GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
officers went to Stirlitz's home to set up an ambushAmbushAn ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
arrive openly, without disguise, leaving their cars by the entrance. - Rolf, when speaking on the telephone in the ninth episode, introduces himself as Kühn. The same last name is mentioned in the seventh episode by Barbara Krein, when Stirlitz visits: "...Obersturmbannführer Kühn has brought some nice tea..."
- Schlag is called a "CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest", despite being a "pastorPastorThe word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
" (i.e., from a Lutheran church); he also dresses as a Protestant priest and is the minister of a Kirche (a Lutheran, not a Catholic, church). - When in the ninth episode Rolf tries to get Kat to state the name of the spy, a car with SS observer is standing in front of the building. Rolf's conversation with Kat is recorded on a tape recorder also operated by a SS officer. But after Rolf and Barbara are killed, Kat and Hellmut leave the building without interference from the Gestapo agents, nor was Müller notified. Müller realized that something had happened only after he was told that nobody was answering the phone in the apartment.
- Müller makes a connection between his intercepted message and the coded message taken from Pleischner based on identical numbers at the beginning and of the message. If the code can have such similarities between messages, its security is quite low and it can be cracked by frequency analysisFrequency analysisIn cryptanalysis, frequency analysis is the study of the frequency of letters or groups of letters in a ciphertext. The method is used as an aid to breaking classical ciphers....
. Nevertheless, not a single one of Stirlitz's coded reports were deciphered by the Germans.
Technical and animation errors
- When Stirlitz is sending telegrams, it can be seen that they are written on "USSR International Telegram" blanks with the seal blotted out with ink. In the corner the Russian words "Paid: __ rubleRubleThe ruble or rouble is a unit of currency. Currently, the currency units of Belarus, Russia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria, and, in the past, the currency units of several other countries, notably countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union, are named rubles, though they all are...
s __ kopecks" are clearly visible. The text of the telegram is written in Russian (Cyrillic), but the city of origin is written by the operator as "Bern," in the Latin script. - The courier pilot sent by General Wolff gets into a Soviet Yakovlev Yak-12Yakovlev Yak-12The Yakovlev Yak-12 is a light multirole STOL aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force, Soviet civilian aviation and other countries from 1947 onwards.-Design and development:...
, which looks quite similar to a German Fieseler Fi 156Fieseler Fi 156The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market...
. But then, a clip is shown of a completely different fighter plane taking off: the Messerschmitt Bf 109Messerschmitt Bf 109The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
. Furthermore, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190Focke-Wulf Fw 190The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
is shown taking off. The SwastikaSwastikaThe swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
on the Yak-12 is different form the standard form used in Nazi Germany. - When Schellenberg meets Wolff at the airport, an Antonov An-2Antonov An-2The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...
is shown, but that airplane was only produced starting in 1947. - The SiemensSiemensSiemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
dictophone used by Stirlitz is actually a Soviet "Electron 52D" from 1969; even further, it is a transistorTransistorA transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
device; the first transistor was made on 1947. It cannot record more than 10 minutes and does not have a built-in speaker. - In the Dulles's Bern headquarters, there is an Italian GelosoGelosoGeloso, founded in 1931 by John Geloso, was an Italian manufacturer of radios, televisions, amplifiers, amateur receivers, audio equipment and component electronics, that had headquarters in Milan, Viale Brenta 29....
magnetophoneMagnetophoneMagnétophone are an electronic / art-rock band originating from Birmingham UK, composed of Matt Saunders and John Hanson...
made in the early 1960s. On the walls, Soviet power outlets can be seen, and a Soviet-made fan is shown being turned on. - The plumbing briefly shown in the film is obviously made after 1945 and not in Germany.
- In Müller's office is a Soviet "Slava" clock, produced in the 1970s.
- When Stirlitz takes Kat to the train in Bern, the writing on the train car reads "38 Platze," which should be written with an umlaut ("38 Plätze"). The Russian "TAPA 58 T" is quite poorly blotted out. The train cars themselves, though produced in Germany, were used only in the USSR and never in Switzerland. They were made at the Amendorf factory in Galle, DDR between 1948 and 1996. The cars shown in the film were made no later than the end of the 1960s.
- Two different cars with small, but noticeable, discrepancies are portrayed as Stirlitz's Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
in the film: the differences are in the color of the steering wheel and a transparent protrusion on the front side window trim. - Stirlitz sketches the Nazi leaders with a marker. Markers were invented in Germany, but only in 1960.
- The marble gourami in Müller's aquarium appeared only in 1956.
- Stirlitz places Klaus's letter in a Soviet-type envelope (a 4-pointed star), not the "pocket" type used in Germany.
- The handcuffs placed on Kat and several others in the Film are "Vopo" handcuffs used by the East German police in the 1950s.
- When Müller inspects the cases from Hellmut's gun, Gestapo expert declares, "Parabellum." The case is bottle-shaped, not cylindrical, and are noticeably longer than the 9x19mm Parabellum.
- When Stirlitz throws his gun in the lake after killing Klaus, he is not actually throwing anything. The object that falls in the water does not at all resemble a pistol.
- When in the Gestapo underground torture chamber, Stirlitz makes a lion's head out of matches, using 94 matches and leaving 4 unused next to empty matchbox. But that type of matchbox at the time held no more than 60 matches.
- There is a "Saratov" refrigerator in Stirlitz's kitchen, produced in Russia only from 1952 onwards.
Costumes
- Gestapo and SD employees wear black SS uniforms of the 1934 type; this uniform was out of use by 1939 and was replaced with green-gray WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
-type uniforms. - The stripes on Sturmbannführer Rolf's uniform indicate the rank of Obersturmbannführer.
- In many episodes, Stirlitz and other RSHA members wear Soviet-made boots and were used only by the RSHA higher command.
- Müller and Stirlitz have chevrons on their right sleeves. This is a sign worn by people who were members of the NSDAP before 1933 (Honour Chevron for the Old GuardHonour Chevron for the Old GuardThe Honour Chevron for the Old Guard, or in German Ehrenwinkel für Alte Kämpfer, was a political decoration of the Nazi Party in Germany. It was authorised in February 1934, as a silver chevron to be worn on the upper right arm, by all members of the SS, who had joined the SS, NSDAP or any other...
); however, Müller joined the party only in 1939. - General Wolff wears a Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, an award which he did not actually have; however, he did have First and Second Order Iron Crosses. (see Karl WolffKarl WolffKarl Friedrich Otto Wolff was a high-ranking member of the Nazi Schutzstaffel , ultimately holding the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS. He became Chief of Personal Staff to the Reichsführer and SS Liaison Officer to Hitler until his replacement in 1943...
) - Though Hellmut was seriously wounded near VitebskVitebskVitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
, he does not have a corresponding mark on his uniform.
Geography
- When the insurance agent asks Kat where her property was insured, she replies, "On the corner of Kurfürstendamm and Kantstrasse." These streets do not intersect; if extended, they would meet at the place were the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial ChurchKaiser Wilhelm Memorial ChurchThe Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is located in Berlin on the Kurfürstendamm in the centre of the Breitscheidplatz. The original church on the site was built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943...
stands. - There is not and never was a Blümenstrasse (Flower Street) in Bern. Even if there were, it would be spelled Blumenstraße, without the umlaut. The filming in this street took place at Jauniela in the old town of Riga. Also, the Eszett had not been used in Switzerland since 1906. However, this is a common street name in Germany.
- The employees of the RSHARSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacities as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
4th and 6th divisions (Gestapo and SD, respectively) could not have met, as their headquarters were in different parts of Berlin; also, the Gestapo building at Prinz-Albrechtstrasse 8 was bombed by the British in early 1945. - To reach Erwin&Kinn, Stirlitz drove on Köpenickerstrasse via Bayreutherstrasse. In reality the streets are not even close to each other.
Other mistakes
- In the scene where Stirlitz sketches the Nazi leaders, light pencil sketches can be seen on the paper.
- A Soviet ZIL-130ZIL-130ZIL-130 is a Soviet/Russian truck designed and developed by ZIL, Moscow, Russia. It replaced the older ZIL-164. First prototypes were built in 1958. Produced since 1962, mass produced since 1964. Was one of the most popular cargo trucks in the USSR and Russia, in total ZIL made 3,380,000 up to 1994...
truck and a ZhiguliVAZ-2101The VAZ-2101 is a compact car, sedan, produced by VAZ and introduced in 1970. VAZ had been founded in the mid-1960s as a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet government, and the 2101 was its first product...
can be seen when Stirlitz is sitting on the grass in the 12th episode. When Stirlitz is sleeping in his car, a ZIL 130 also drives by. - When exiting the train that is taking Pleischner to Bern, Stirlitz goes to a kiosk with the sign "Zeitschrifte" (magazines), while the correct plural would be "Zeitschriften."
- In the 9th episode a box of bird food is labeled as "Fögel" rather than "Vögel."
- In the 12th episode, Stirlitz is seen walking at night around Bern, but he is actually being filmed in RigaRigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
: he passes the store "Centrs," in the window of which is the sign in Latvian: "Apavi katram gadalaikam" ("Shoes for every season"). In the next window is a Russian sign. - In the fifth episode, when Stirlitz exits the cafe, the camera operator and assistant can be seen in the car window: a woman wearing a sweater with a large bracelet on the right hand.
- When Stirlitz meets his wife, the time shown on the clock on the wall does not match the time in the plot.
- In the tenth episode, as soon as Hellmut fires his first shot, three holes appear in the windshield of the Gestapo car.
- In the fourth episode, when Stirlitz decides to take a day off because of the Soviet holiday of February 23 (which only became a public holidayDefender of the Fatherland DayDefender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Belarus and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23.-History:...
in post-Soviet Russia in 2002), Eismann is seen closing the window blinds for some reason—but outside it is dark. - When Stirlitz visits the museum before meeting Bormann, modern cars and buses are seen out the window, clearly on the first floor. Later in the same scene, Stirlitz looks out the window from a height of at least the second floor.
- In the scene where Stirlitz takes Klaus to Schlag's church, a cache-nez suddenly appears on Stirlitz.
- The sign on the doors of the Elefant cafe is written as to be read from the inside, for the viewer of the film, though the sign would have been written to be read by passers-by.
- In the fifth episode, when escaping a car following his own, Stirlitz turns the steering wheel to the left, and the objects in the window can be seen moving to the right. However, his car turns to the left in the next frames.
- When Rolf and Barbara are killed, "16 March 1945, 13:45," the clock on the wall shows 15:53. 95 seconds later, the time has not changed.
- In the fifth episode, Wolff comments to Dulles that the aria from The Marriage of Figaro playing is an "excellent contralto." However, the music is sung in soprano.
- In the first episode, Hitler's secretary is blonde and is waiting for Hitler to begin speaking. In the close-up frames that follow, she has dark hair and is writing quickly. Later, her hair turns light again.
- Stirlitz could not have left his fingerprints on the suitcase with Kat's radio equipment because he was wearing gloves the whole time while handling the suitcase.
- He also could not have left his fingerprints on the suitcases and stroller of the woman he used as alibi, since the SS winter uniform included leather gloves.
- When Müller and Stirlitz enter the Gestapo basement, Müller gives his pistol to the guard. When he leaves, the pistol cannot be seen on him.
- In the sixth episode, Stirlitz presents his identification to an SS officer, who looks Asian and would not have been permitted to be a member of the SS.
- The heading of Holtoff's file reads "Reichssicherheitshauptumt," which is correctly spelled Reichssicherheitshauptamt.
Soundtrack
The main musical theme to the movie, titled "Mgnovenia" ("Moments"), was composed by Mikael TariverdievMikael Tariverdiev
Mikael Tariverdiev |Georgia]] - 24 June 1996, Sochi, Russia) was a prominent Soviet composer of Armenian descent. He headed the Composers' Guild of Soviet Cinematographers' Union from its inception.-Biography:...
and performed by Joseph Kobzon
Joseph Kobzon
Iosif Davydovich Kobzon is a Soviet and Russian singer, known for his crooner style.-Early life:Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donbass region of Ukraine....
.