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''Archangel'' is a television adaptation of the 1998
novel of the same name by
Robert Harris. Made by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
in 2005, it was filmed in the city of
Riga.
Plot
Part 1
Dr. Christopher 'Fluke' Kelso, a British professor of
Soviet history
The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
, attends a conference in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
where his lecture is interrupted by protestors from 'Aurora', a faction of
Communist hardliners. He is approached by elderly Papu Rapava, who explains that as a young soldier in 1953, he escorted
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria (; rus, Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия, Lavréntiy Pávlovich Bériya, p=ˈbʲerʲiə; ka, ლავრენტი ბერია, tr, ; – 23 December 1953) was a Georgian Bolsheviks ...
to
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
's deathbed at his
Kuntsevo Dacha. Rapava witnessed Beria steal a key from the dying Stalin, using it to retrieve a notebook from Stalin's private safe. Burying the notebook inside a toolbox in Beria's yard, Rapava was sworn to secrecy.
Kelso is determined to find the notebook, and a librarian directs him to Beria's old address. He questions powerful politician Vladimir Mamantov, Aurora's leader and a former
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
agent; this brings Kelso to the attention of
FSB Major Suvorin, who has him followed. Sneaking into Beria's derelict mansion, Kelso discovers that the toolbox has already been dug up. Aware he is being tailed, Kelso slips away from Suvorin's plainclothes officer at the
Hotel Ukraina, and finds Rapava's estranged daughter Zinaida at the club where she works. She reluctantly drives him to her father's apartment, where he finds Rapava murdered in the bathtub.
While calling the police, Kelso is mugged and then detained at the police station, but Suvorin has him released. Already investigating Mamantov for corruption, Suvorin suggests that Kelso's interest in the notebook led Mamantov to have Rapava killed. As Kelso prepares to be deported, American TV reporter A.J. O'Brian takes an interest in his search for the notebook. Zinaida finds Kelso, having received a note from her father. Informing Zinaida of her father's death, Kelso takes her to identify the body and explains that Mamantov may be responsible.
Part 2
Zinaida brings Kelso to her father's garage, where he finds a
Makarov pistol
The Makarov pistol or PM ( rus, Пистоле́т Мака́рова, r=Pistolét Makárova, p=pʲɪstɐˈlʲet mɐˈkarəvə, t=Makarov's Pistol) is a Soviet semi-automatic pistol. Under the project leadership of Nikolay Fyodorovich Makarov, it ...
and the missing toolbox. They are interrupted by O'Brian, who is eager to cover their discovery. Inside the toolbox, the notebook is revealed to be the journal of Anna, a young woman from
Archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
selected to work for high-ranking officials in Moscow under Stalin. At O'Brian's office, Zinaida translates the journal: Anna cared for Stalin, observing his cruelty when he forced officials to dance for him, and he brought her to his room to dance herself when she was ovulating. Though the journal's last pages have been torn out, an
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
report on Anna's medical history leads Kelso to conclude that she may have mothered an heir of Stalin.
Stealing O'Brian's car, Zinaida and Kelso return to her apartment, where she subdues one of Mamantov's henchmen and recovers her stash of money before they drive to Archangel. Aware of where they are headed, Mamantov is confronted by Suvorin about Rapava's murder. O'Brian airs a report linking the murder to the notebook, and his colleague Louise charters him a plane to Archangel. Bribing their way past a roadblock, Zinaida and Kelso reach Archangel and visit the local Communist Party records office. They learn that Anna's mother still lives in town, and flee from a pair of
policemen
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
, who are shot dead by Mamantov's henchman. O'Brian arrives, demanding to join their search.
The three learn from Anna's mother that Anna returned home pregnant, and died two days after giving birth to a son, who was adopted by a couple living in the forest. Suvorin questions Louise, learning about the search for Anna, and his superior orders him to recover the notebook. Kelso becomes suspicious of O'Brian's mysterious sources, and Zinaida realizes that both Anna and Anna's father were killed to protect the secret of her son's birth.
Part 3
Kelso and O'Brian investigate the forest, but their car is caught in an
anti-tank trench
Anti-tank trenches, also called anti-tank ditches, are ditches dug into and around fortified positions to hold up the advance of enemy tanks. Anti-tank ditches were first used in World War I by Germany in an effort to protect their trenches again ...
. They encounter Josef, who announces himself as the man they are looking for: the son of Anna and Stalin. Zinaida hides her money and her father's pistol as she is arrested for the policemen's murder, but Suvorin comes to her aid. At his remote cabin, Josef presents Kelso and O'Brian with a suitcase of Stalin's belongings, and the passports and bloody written "confessions" from previous visitors he believed to be spies. Kelso and O'Brian fear they will meet the same fate, as a menacing Josef forces them to dance for him.
Awaking to find Josef gone, Kelso takes O'Brian to retrieve his satellite phone, and tries to stop him from broadcasting his footage of Josef. Suvorin reluctantly accompanies a
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .)
Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the S ...
squad led by Major Kretov to the cabin, realizing too late that their orders are to kill everyone there. As they prepare to execute Kelso and O'Brian, Suvorin holds Kretov at gunpoint, and the soldiers come under fire from Josef. Kretov shoots Suvorin in the back, and O'Brian is wounded by a bear trap and killed by Kretov, who is shot by Josef. Allowing Kelso to escape, Josef shaves and dresses in Stalin's clothes, bearing a striking resemblance to his father, as a helicopter arrives for him.
Retrieving Zinaida's money and pistol from Anna's mother, Kelso pays for Zinaida's release. Fleeing by train, they learn that O'Brian's broadcast has revealed Josef's existence to the world. Kelso realizes that he was manipulated into confirming Josef as Stalin's heir, and is confronted by Mamantov. Having orchestrated Kelso's "discovery" of the notebook—from arranging the Moscow conference to buying Beria's house to tipping off O'Brian—Mamantov admits that Rapava's theft of the notebook and the military's interference were an unexpected "glitch" in his plan. They are joined by Josef, Mamantov's ultimate tool to seize power and usher in a new era of
Stalinism.
Arriving at
Vologda
Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population:
The city serves as a major transport hu ...
, Mamantov introduces Josef to a cheering crowd, while Kelso finds Louise and her cameraman, convincing them to film him as he explains the truth about Mamantov's scheme. He is interrupted and beaten by Mamantov's men, until Zinaida draws the Makarov and shoots Josef dead, avenging her father.
Cast
DVD credits order
*
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...
as Professor Christopher Kelso
*
Yekaterina Rednikova
Yekaterina Valerevna Rednikova (also Ekaterina Rednikova: russian: Екатерина Валерьевна Редникова, born May 17, 1973) is a Russian theatre and film actress, best known for her roles in films including '' The Thief'' an ...
as Zinaida Rapava
*
Gabriel Macht
Gabriel Swann Macht (born January 22, 1972) is an American actor and film producer, known for portraying Harvey Specter in the USA Network series '' Suits'' (2011–2019) and the title character in the 2008 superhero film ''The Spirit''.
Earl ...
as R.J. O'Brien
*
Konstantin Lavronenko
Konstantin Nikolaevich Lavronenko (russian: Константи́н Никола́евич Лавро́ненко; born 20 April 1961) is a Soviet and Russian actor most commonly accredited for his performance as the mysterious father of two boys ...
as Josef
*
Lev Prygunov
Lev Georgievich Prygunov (russian: Лев Гео́ргиевич Прыгуно́в; born 23 April 1939, Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR) is a Russian actor, painter, People's Artist of Russia (2013). His son is a Russian film director .
After graduation ...
as Vladimir Mamantov
* Alexey Diakov as Suvorin
* Ludmila Golubeva as Vavara
* Igor Filipov as Major Kretov
* Claudia Harrison as Louise
* Valery Chernyak as Old Papu
* Igor Chernawsky as Yakov
* Leonīds Lencs as Militia Captain
* Āris Rozentāls as Gregor
* Jelena Soldatova as Masha
* Kristina Brize as Young Zinaida
* Anatoly Putnya as Zinaida's brother
* Jonas Tamulevičius as Commando #1
* Stanislav Samuchov as Commando #2
* Leonidas Kotikas as Commando #3
* Andrei Riabokon as Commando #4
Reviews
Brian Gallagher wrote on
MovieWeb
MovieWeb is an entertainment news website and video brand.
Overview
MovieWeb reports on entertainment news through their long-running website and related social media and video platforms. The site also maintains a searchable database of films.
H ...
: "the thriller has something for everyone: The game of Craig, a mysterious story, lively dialogues, some action and romance."
MovieWeb.com
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, id =0426911, title =Archangel
Films based on British novels
Films based on thriller novels
British thriller films
Television shows based on British novels
Films set in Moscow
Films about Joseph Stalin
Films directed by Jon Jones (director)
Films about the Federal Security Service
Films with screenplays by Dick Clement
Films with screenplays by Ian La Frenais
2005 films
2005 television films
2005 thriller films
2000s British films