''The White Guard'' () is a Russian television series that based on

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( ; rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪdʑ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright. His novel ''The M ...

's novel, ''

The White Guard ''The White Guard'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, first published in 1925 in the literary journal ''Rossiya''. It was not reprinted in the Soviet Union until 1966. Background ''The White Guard'' first appeared in serial form in the Sovi ...

''.

Plot

The film tells about the arduous years of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

and portrays the fate of the Turbin family, which falls into a cycle of sad events of the winter of 1918-1919 in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. The historical background of the film is the fall from power of Ukrainian Hetman Skoropadsky, the capture of Kiev by

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

troops, and their subsequent flight under the blows of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. The protagonist Alexei Turbin is a military physician and has seen and experienced a lot during the three years of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Like tens of thousands of other Russian officers after the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, he finds himself in a situation of complete uncertainty in both political and private life. Many of them go to the service of

Hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

Skoropadsky and his moderate regime under the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

protectorate since they consider it a lesser evil to the

Red Terror The Red Terror () was a campaign of political repression and Mass killing, executions in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia which was carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police ...

that has been noted in Kiev against the officers and the intelligentsia by the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

. However, Germany loses the war, Skoropadsky flees with the Germans, and a few Russian officers and

junker Junker (, , , , , , ka, იუნკერი, ) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German , meaning 'young nobleman'Duden; Meaning of Junker, in German/ref> or otherwise 'young lord' (derivation of and ). The term is traditionally ...

(cadets) remain the only force that can stand in the way of

Symon Petliura Symon Vasyliovych Petliura (; – 25 May 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He was the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian People's Army (UNA) and led the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian War of Independence, a pa ...

's followers from coming to Kiev.

Cast

Konstantin Khabensky Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, People's Artist of Russia, PAR (; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist. From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersburg Lensoviet Theatre cast until 2000, after whi ...

as Alexei Vasilievich Turbin, military doctor. *

Mikhail Porechenkov Mikhail Yevgenyevich Porechenkov (; born 2 March 1969) is a Russian film actor, producer, director. He became famous after his lead role as FSB Agent Alexey Nikolayev in the TV series ''National Security Agent'' (1999–2005). In 2008, Porechenko ...

as Victor Myshlaevsky, artillery lieutenant *Yevgeny Dyatlov as Leonid Shervinsky *

Andrei Zibrov Andrei Yurievich Zibrov (; 5 July 1973, Leningrad, USSR) is a Russian actor. He has acted on stage on Lensovet Theatre. On the night of Friday, April 23 to Saturday, April 24, 2010, at the house No. 11 on Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, Zibrov wa ...

as Alexander Bronislavovich Studzinsky *

Yanina Studilina Yanina Sergeevna Studilina (; born 6 August 1985) is a Russian theater and film actress, fashion model, TV presenter. Biography Yanina Studilina was born in Omsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. In 2000, she graduated from the theater and music s ...

as Anna *Sergei Brune as Lariosik *Nikolay Yefremov as Nikolay Turbin *

Kseniya Rappoport Kseniya Aleksandrovna Rappoport (; born 25 March 1974) is a Russian actress. She graduated in 2000 from Saint Petersburg Academy of Theatrical Arts and was immediately invited to join the Maly Drama Theatre. She played Nina Zarechnaya in ''The ...

as Elena Thalberg *

Sergei Garmash Sergei Leonidovich Garmash (; born 1 September 1958) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor. He is a People's Artist of Russia. In 2013 he was a member of the jury at the 35th Moscow International Film Festival. Biography Early life and edu ...

as Kozyr-Leshko, colonel of the Petlyura forces *Yuri Itskov as Vasilisa (Lisovich), a neighbor of Turbin family *

Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk ( ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, producer and TV host. He is also the founder of Art Pictures Studio, a production company. He specializes in action movies, war movies, and science fiction ...

as Shpolyansky, ensign futurist * Alexei Serebryakov as Felix Nay-Tours, colonel of the Hussars *

Mariya Lugovaya Mariya Aleksandrovna Lugovaya (; born July 23, 1987) is a Russian actress and theater star, best known for playing Tasya Lapina in 2008 television series ''Ginger'', and her lead role as Marusya Klimova in the 2017 television series ''Murka'' ( ...

as Irina Nay-Tours *

Yevgeny Stychkin Yevgeny Alekseevich Stychkin (; born 10 June 1974) is a Russian actor and director known for his roles in ''God Loves Caviar'' and ''Trotsky (TV series), Trotsky''. Biography Yevgeny Stychkin was born in Moscow. He graduated from the English spec ...

as second lieutenant of Artillery Stepanov (Karas) *

Sergei Shakurov Sergey Kayumovich Shakurov (, ; born 1 January 1942) is a Soviet and Russian actor of theater. He has appeared in more than ninety films since 1967. Life and career Sergey Shakurov was born in Russian-Tatar family in Moscow. His father was Mis ...

as Hetman Skoropadsky *Sergei Barkovsky as Father Alexander, priest *

Kirill Zhandarov Kirill Valeryevich Zhandarov (; born 29 March 1983) is a Russian actor of theater, cinema and TV. He is a best known for roles in television series ''The White Guard'' (as Strashkevich) and '' Brief Guide To A Happy Life'' (as Sergey). Biograph ...

as Strashkevich, ensign *

Artur Smolyaninov Artur Sergeyevich Smolyaninov (; born 27 October 1983) is a Russian actor. Biography Smolyaninov was born on October 27, 1983, in Moscow. His mother Maria Vladimirovna is an art teacher. The godfather of Artur is Ivan Okhlobystin. He spent his c ...

as Adjutant Boyko *

Ekaterina Vilkova Ekaterina Nikolaevna Vilkova (; born 11 July 1984) is a Russian actress. She is known for her roles in ''Black Lightning (2009 film), Black Lightning'' (2009), ''Stilyagi (film), Hipsters'' (2008), ''The PyraMMMid'' (2011), and Disney's Last Kni ...

as Julia Reiss *Yevgeny Yefremov as Wolf *

Vladimir Vdovichenkov Vladimir Vladimirovich Vdovichenkov (; born 13 August 1971) is a Russian theater and screen actor known for his roles in ''Brigada'' (2002), ''Leviathan'' (2014), '' Bummer'' (2003) and Salyut 7 (2017). Early life and education Vdovichenkov was ...

as Pleshko, captain * Yuri Stoyanov as Blokhin, major-general *

Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya Yevgenia Vladimirovna Dobrovolskaya (; 26 December 1964 – 10 January 2025) was a Soviet and Russian actress of theatre and cinema, People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2005), a laureate of the Nika Award (2001) and Golden Eagle Award ...

as Vanda *

Aleksei Guskov Aleksei Gennadyevich Guskov (, born 20 May 1958) is a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian actor and producer. He was awarded People's Artist of Russia in 2007. Early life Aleksei Guskov was born to Russian parents on 20 May 1958 in Brzeg, Pola ...

as Malyshev, colonel and commander of mortar squadron *

Ivan I. Krasko Ivan Ivanovich Krasko (; born September 23, 1930) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and writer. He was named a People's Artist of Russia (1992). Biography He studied acting at Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, graduating in ...

as Maxim *Arthur Vakha as Zamansky *

Igor Vernik Igor Emilievich Vernik (; born October 11, 1963) is a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor, producer, television and radio host. Biography Igor was born in 1963 in family of Emil Vernik (1924 — 2021), director of the All-Union Radio, ...

as Shchur *Sergey Trifonov as Bourgeois *Igor Chernevich as Sergey Thalberg *Dennis Reyshahrit as cashier in the cinema It was written by Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko, and Sergey Snezhkin. It was directed by Sergei Snezhkin. The screenplay was by Sergei Machilskiy. The film was shot in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

and

Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

, with the help of

Lenfilm Lenfilm (, acronym of Leningrad Films) is a Russian production and distribution company with its own film studio located in Saint Petersburg (the city was called Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, thus the name). It is a corporation with its stakes s ...

studios.

Reception

The series has received negative comments from all sides, with the alterations of Bulgakov's novel and the actors' acting skills being particularly criticized. The Ukrainian Culture Ministry decided not to issue distribution licenses for the series and considered it to "show contempt for the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first language, first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Written Ukrainian uses the Ukrainian alphabet, a variant of t ...

, people and the state," and "some facts are distorted to benefit Russia." Moscow Times
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White Guard Russia-1 original programming 2012 Russian television series debuts 2012 Russian television series endings Russian drama television series Television shows based on works by Mikhail Bulgakov Television shows based on Russian novels

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References