More than forty years have passed since the premiere of “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” a film that became a legend immediately after its release.
We invite you to get acquainted with amazing facts, which became part of the history of the creation of this tape.
1. Presence effect
Many viewers wondered why “Seventeen Moments of Spring” was released in black and white, because in 1973 color films were actively produced, although not everyone had televisions with color reproduction. Tatyana Lioznova deliberately sought to resemble a documentary, so the film used a lot of materials with war chronicles, which by default could not be in color. If the fragments filmed by the film crew differed in atmosphere from the documentary, it would deprive the film of the effect of presence. 
2. Without “Glory”
When Stirlitz lays out matches on the table, the hands of the artist Felix Rostotsky actually appear in the frame. The whole point is that back side Vyacheslav Tikhonov’s brush featured a large ink tattoo “GLORY” – greetings from his youth. It’s clear that Stirlitz couldn’t have had such a mark, but not a single makeup could hide it. By the way, Rostotsky also wrote encryption for Professor Pleischner. No, Evgeny Evstigneev did not have a “ZHENYA” tattoo on his arm - the actor’s disgusting handwriting is to blame for everything. 
3. Under the gaze from Lubyanka
When making a film Special attention historical accuracy was emphasized, so real Lubyanka employees were hired as consultants. At the request of Yuri Andropov, then the head of the KGB, their names were cut out from the credits. 
After watching the final version of the film, consultants found contradictions in the actions of the film’s characters. job description NKVD, however, the decision of the censorship was to leave controversial issues, because Stirlitz was supposed to become the idol of Soviet citizens.
4. Non-standard SS warriors
In pursuit of historical accuracy, the film's curators revealed an almost anecdotal error. While watching filmed episodes of the German army, one of the consultants noticed that all the SS soldiers from the crowd were played by actors with a typically Jewish appearance. A scandal broke out, and several dozen border guard cadets were urgently sent from Estonia, as if to recruit blue-eyed and blond-haired people. 
5. Made in the USSR
Each outfit was sewn only after the approval of a clothing consultant - former intelligence officer Colonel Brown, who knew the specifics of the German uniform down to the smallest subtleties. And here German artist In terms of costumes, he failed to cope with the task and dressed the extras in a uniform that was absolutely contrary to historical accuracy. Then 60 boxes with uniforms from Soviet tailors were sent from the USSR. When the extras dressed in it walked onto the set, the Germans themselves were stunned - even the most meticulous specialist would not have found any differences from the original SS costumes. 
6. Unexpected shot
Scene with Stirlitz and the dog - clean water improvisation. When Tikhonov was parking the Mercedes in the courtyard, a dog that was walking nearby with its owner came running and sat down next to the actor. He was not at a loss and began working with the mongrel under the guns of the cameras: “Whose are you, you fool?” The dog himself came up and affectionately nuzzled his nose into his palms. The scene seemed very successful to the director, and it was included in the script. 
7. Film screening for the Cuban government
It is said that Fidel Castro was a big fan of this series. Once, for several days in a row, a number of key officials did not appear at evening meetings of the Cuban government. It turned out that ministers were sneaking out of office like schoolchildren to watch the new episode of Moments. Being a wise leader, Fidel did not punish his subordinates, but instead organized a collective screening of the film for the government, which took 14 hours. 
8. Why Tikhonov was almost arrested
It turns out that Vyacheslav Tikhonov could have been arrested during filming in the GDR. One day, the actor either forgot or was too lazy to change clothes and went to the set in an SS uniform. Residents of East Berlin, indignant, almost turned Stirlitz over to the police, but members of the film crew came running in response to the noise and explained the situation to the alarmed public. 
9. How the “Jolly Roger” prevented Durov from going abroad
Filming of the scene with the murder of the Gestapo man Klaus was supposed to take place in the GDR, but the actor who played the role, Lev Durov, was refused to be released abroad. He needed to get the consent of the visiting commission, but the actor failed the “exam”: when asked to describe the Soviet flag, he began to talk about the pirate “Jolly Roger”, and after a question about the capitals of the union republics, he listed cities that had nothing to do with them. As a result, the commission rejected Durov’s request with the wording “for bad behavior,” and Klaus had to die somewhere in the forests of the Moscow region. 
10. 20 quiet evenings
According to State Television and Radio Broadcasting, the premiere of “Seventeen Moments of Spring” was watched by more than 200 million viewers. Over the course of twelve evenings, the streets of the cities of the USSR became sharply empty, water consumption decreased, even the crime rate fell - all people were glued to their screens. 
11. Kobzon’s unusual voice
When Mikael Tariverdiev wrote musical accompaniment for the film, Lioznova was faced with the question of who to choose as a performer. Muslim Magomaev, Valentina Tolkunova and Valery Obodzinsky offered their versions of the compositions - the director rejected them all. Someone advised Tatyana about the candidacy of Joseph Kobzon, but she sharply replied: “Kobzon should not be even close to being in the film!” The singer was offended, but later it turned out that Lioznova did not intend to insult his talent, it was just that Kobzonov’s signature style of performance was not suitable for the film. That’s why in the cult “Don’t think down on seconds” and other compositions from the film, the voice sounds so different from Kobzon’s usual timbre - the singer offered a dozen options in different performances. 
12. 100 white shirts for Stirlitz
Speaking of clothes: Stirlitz had to take a hundred white shirts for filming in the GDR. The costume designer was not invited abroad in order to save the budget, and there was no one to do the laundry, so Tikhonov started each shooting day in a brand new shirt. 
13. Persuasive Muller
The audition for the role of Muller ended after listening to Leonid Bronevoy, who at that time was known as a theater actor and did not have the slightest idea about the intricacies of film work: advantageous angles, spectacular turns. He was simply given a role, which he ended up doing brilliantly. Before this, he auditioned for the role of Hitler, but, as the actor himself admitted, “I couldn’t handle this Antichrist, my very nature was against it.” 
Lioznova was delighted with her choice, especially admired by Bronevoy’s ability to emphasize the nervous character of the Gestapo chief - from time to time he jerked his neck in a strange way. Then it turned out that Muller’s nervous tic was not the actor’s original invention at all; the collar of his shirt was simply too tight and uncomfortable. This inconspicuous detail fit into the image so much that Muller nevertheless became a neurasthenic, although Bronevoy was still given a looser shirt.
The editors recommend that you read the article about front-line actors who defended the freedom of our country with a machine gun in their hands.
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Everyone knows that the creator of Stirlitz was the writer Yulian Semenov. But not everyone knows that several novels led to the image of the Soviet intelligence officer. First, in 1966, Semenov published the first one: “No password needed.” It was there that the Soviet intelligence officer Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov (pseudonym - Maxim Maksimovich Isaev) first became known to the reader. The novel was a success and in the same year it was filmed by director Boris Grigoriev (by the way, a good friend of the writer) at the Gorky Film Studio under the same name.
Then, in 1967, Semenov continued the theme and published the novel “Major Whirlwind,” which immediately became a bestseller, and again Vladimirov appeared among the heroes of this book. A film was made based on the book again, and all the boys of the USSR played Major Whirlwind. Let us only note that Vladimirov-Isaev was not the main character of either the novel or the film.
And then 1970 came, and Semenov released “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” where Isaev (now Stirlitz) took revenge and became the main character. According to the plot, Semenov threw him into Nazi Germany, where Vladimirov-Isaev rose to the rank of SS Standartenführer and served under Walter Schelenberg himself in foreign intelligence. In fact, there was no trace of anything like this - Soviet intelligence officers did not come so close to the Nazi leaders.
2. Not only readers and film directors were eagerly awaiting the release of Yulian Semenov’s new novel
The KGB of the USSR also made plans for Stirlitz. It was the security officers who initiated the launch of a 13-episode film about the Soviet intelligence officer Isaev.
3. Initially, it was not Tatyana Lioznova who was supposed to film “Seventeen Moments of Spring”
At first, no one considered her for the position of director of a “spy” film. After all, by that time, although it was one of the highest grossing and famous directors Soviet cinema, but she shot melodramas: “Evdokia”, “Three Poplars on Plyushchikha”. However, Tatyana Lioznova began to fight for the right to make this film and won.
4. Legends say that when starting filming, Lioznova already knew all the performers and there weren’t even screen tests
However, the Goskino collections still contain samples for the role of Isaev-Stirlitz. The cult intelligence officer could be played by Innokenty Smoktunovsky or... Archil Gomiashvili. But the first was not satisfied with the forced move from Leningrad to Moscow (the film was shot for two years), and the second was offered the role of Ostap Bender. Fortunately for the viewer.
On the set of "Seventeen Moments of Spring"
5. Muller, no less beloved by the people, was to be played by someone other than Leonid Bronevoy - he auditioned for the role of Hitler
However, he turned out to be unconvincing. Vsevolod Sanaev, who was offered to play the Gruppenführer, refused for ideological reasons: he was a party organizer at Mosfilm. Then Lioznova reshuffled the actors and the role went to Bronevoy. Interestingly, the actor’s father served in the KGB all his life.
The actors were not surprised by my choice, because they had rehearsed for a very long time beforehand. With different partners... The whole choice is my secret inner life. And endless immersion in the scenes of the future film. Playing out the whole picture in your mind with different combinations of actors
Tatyana Lioznova
6. Songs from the cult film also became popular hits and are not forgotten even now
The music for them was written by composer Mikael Tariverdiev, who at first ... refused to work in the film. It turns out that shortly before the moment when Tatyana Lioznova invited him to work, the composer also wrote music for the “spy” film “Resident Mistake”, and he did not like the result - neither the film nor his own music. Tariverdiev rashly refused the director of the no less famous “Dead Season” (which he later regretted), and was going to refuse Lioznova. However, he changed his mind after reading the script.
7. While working on the music, Tariverdiev wrote ten songs, but only two of them were included in the film
“Somewhere far away...” and “Moments.” Eight others had to be thrown out because there was nowhere to put them.
8. The performers of the songs in the film were also not immediately found.
At first, Tatyana Lioznova planned to work with the then famous pop singer Vadim Mulerman, but his candidacy was killed by the studio management. Then the director turned to Muslim Magomayev, and he even recorded both songs. However, Lioznova did not like the performance. “No,” she said simply. That’s when Joseph Kobzon appeared and sang the songs the way the director wanted.
9. The first filming took place in the GDR (East Germany)
There they had to film all the scenes of Stirlitz in Berlin, as well as his murder of the Gestapo provocateur Klaus. And suddenly - the authorities refused to let actor Lev Durov - Klaus - go abroad. For what? It turned out that the ironic Durov laughed at the Soviet flag during the selection committee, which decided whether or not Durov was worthy of the honor of going abroad. Members of this commission asked Durov what the USSR flag looked like. Not wanting to look like an idiot, the actor immediately replied: “It looks very simple: a black background, a white skull on it and two crossed shin bones. It's called the Jolly Roger flag. As a result, the murder of Klaus by Stirlitz was filmed a little later, and not in a forest near Berlin, but in a forest near Moscow. And after this incident, Durov was firmly assigned a nickname, which he was very proud of - “the main bandit of the republic.”
10. In the GDR, Stirlitz’s Mercedes car (from the garage of the Gorky Studio) stalled
The group was rescued by sound engineer Leonard Bukhov, who found his front-line friend Gunther Kliebenstein, who collected old cars. From his collection, a car was rented for Stirlitz, in excellent condition.
11. One of the funniest incidents of filming in the GDR was associated with Vyacheslav Tikhonov
The actor decided to walk from the set to the hotel in his uniform and makeup. But vigilant Berliners suspected that this a strange man- a propagandist of fascism and decided to arrest him and hand him over to the police station. Tikhonov did not speak German, and for little reason he did not end up with the police - Lioznova fought him off from the crowd.
12. Filming took place in different parts of the USSR and abroad
Undestroyed Berlin was filmed in the capital of the GDR, more precisely in its eastern sector. Pastor Schlag crossed the Swiss border while filming in Georgia. And the appearance of the Soviet intelligence officer in Bern on Flower Street was “failed” in Riga, where it is still shown as one of the most interesting places in the capital of Latvia. The Zoological Museum (Museum of Nature), where Stirlitz was waiting for Bormann, was filmed in Leningrad. And the murder of the scoundrel Klaus (then actor Lev Durov) took place in a forest near Moscow.
13. Professor Pleischner was especially geographically incontinent
After editing, it turned out that a few hours before the failure, Evstigneev begins to walk in Mains (correctly: Meissen) in Germany, then looks at the bear cubs in the Tbilisi Zoo, reaches Blumenstrasse and throws himself out of a window in Riga.
Still from the film "Seventeen Moments of Spring"
14. The director of the film was Efim Lebedinsky, who invited his friends, and entirely Jews, to play the role of extras - the same SS men guarding the headquarters of the RSHA
A consultant from the KGB, who once came to the set and saw these extras, suddenly became indignant: how is it possible that Jews are being cast as SS men?!
- What are you, an anti-Semite? — Lioznova was surprised.
- No, but you yourself know what kind of relations we have with Israel. So it turns out that in our film we will show that Jews were exterminated by the same Jews, only in Gestapo uniform. Lioznova understood the hint. She called Lebedinsky and ordered the extras to be changed.
15. As often happens in movies, there were substitutions in Seventeen Moments
The most famous of them are the hands of Stirlitz. For example, in the frame where they showed Stirlitz’s hands (when he draws the bonze of the Reich and lays out figures of animals from matches), the hands of... the film’s artist, Felix Rostotsky, were filmed. It turns out that Tikhonov has right hand There was a tattoo made in my youth - “Glory”. And no matter how hard the make-up artists tried to cover it up, it still showed up in close-ups. It was he, Rostotsky, who wrote the codes for Pleischner-Evstigneev. But there the reason was different: the actor’s handwriting was too bad to show it close-up.
16. During the filming of the film, in June 1971, Ekaterina Gradova, who played radio operator Katherine, began an affair with her future husband Andrei Mironov, with whom she worked in the same group - the Satire Theater
17. During these same days, Gradova starred in one of the most dramatic episodes of the film - in it, the SS men tortured her infant child.
Not one actor played the role of a baby, but several at once - about two dozen newborns from the nearest orphanage. They were constantly changing, since they could only be removed for no more than two hours a day at intervals of at least fifteen minutes for swaddling and feeding.
But don’t think that the filmmakers actually tormented the kids with cold and drafts (as in the plot). In fact, the shooting took place in the studio and there was not even the slightest draft in it. Moreover, it was so hot there from the spotlights that the children flatly refused to cry, but stretched sweetly and smiled at the camera. In the end, the sound engineer had to go to the maternity hospital and record the crying on film. This recording was later included in the film.
On August 11, 1973, the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” began showing in the USSR. 12-episode Soviet film, directed by Tatyana Lioznova, was filmed based on novel of the same name Yuliana Semenova. Already during its premiere, the war drama gained enormous popularity in the Soviet Union. And three years after the release of the first episode, the film was awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR.
One of the country's most beloved spy series has been dismantled into quotes, and Mikael Tariverdiev's magnificent music in the opening credits still touches the heart and soul.
We present to you 17 facts about the cult film that we tried not to talk too much about.
Stirlitz was a Gestapo rake
Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Wilhelm Lehmann
Stirlitz had a real prototype - Gestapo man Wilhelm Lehmann, who was recruited by Soviet intelligence. True, he agreed to cooperate not for ideological, but for mercantile reasons. And he had nothing in common with the image invented by Yulian Semyonov. Both externally (Vyacheslav Tikhonov clearly does not have an Aryan type of face), and in content. In the film, Tikhonov’s character leads a modest, almost reclusive lifestyle. Lehman was the complete opposite - he gambled at the races, got into debt and changed young mistresses like gloves.
Doesn't look like the real Muller and Bronevoy. In fact, the Gestapo chief was much younger than his film character - in 1945 he was 45 years old. But the descendants of Schelenberg, played by Oleg Tabakov, enjoy watching “17 Moments” because the actor turned out to be very similar to him. They even wrote a letter to Oleg Pavlovich, saying that when we want to look at “Uncle Walter,” we watch a film.
Leonid Kuravlev turned out to be an unconvincing Hitler
Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Oleg Strizhenov and Archil Gomiashvili auditioned for the role of Stirlitz. The candidacy of the latter, who became famous as Ostap Bender in “12 Chairs,” was defended by the author of the novel, Yulian Semyonov. But, they say, on the eve of filming, Archil broke up with director Tatyana Lioznova. Strizhenov turned out to be busy, and Smoktunovsky was not happy that filming could last for two years. Vsevolod Sanaev was considered for the role of Muller. But he refused: “I won’t play a fascist!”
They searched for Hitler for a long time. Leonid Kuravlev auditioned. Unconvincing. They took a German and gave him the role of the one-eyed SS man Eisman. As Kuravlev told us, he was not averse to playing the Fuhrer: “But failure! Well, even brilliant artists fail. Lioznova always had her own opinion.” The main competitor of Ekaterina Gradova, who played radio operator Kat, was Irina Alferova, but she was abroad at that moment.
Svetlichnaya wanted to justify Isaev’s love of love 
Svetlana Svetlichnaya, Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Svetlana Svetlichnaya (Gabi Nabel) admitted to us that she wanted to play two roles at once: “I told Lioznova that it would be nice if one actress played both Gabi and Stirlitz’s wife. So that this is one woman's style. This would then justify why Colonel Isaev, far from his homeland, became interested in Gabi. Lioznova liked the idea, but I voiced it late - Eleonora Shashkova had already been approved for this role. And if my idea were implemented, it would be very interesting. I won't say that I was upset. But it would be tactless for the director to refuse an actress who has already been cast.
According to the script, my heroine was in love with Stirlitz. Tikhonov was then sympathized with by all the women of the USSR. If they gave me an old, worthless actor as my partner, I would have to fantasize. But in in this case Neither Vyacheslav Vasilyevich nor I fantasized. We had a pleasant relationship, and I'm sure he felt the same. That's why we had such a perfect scene where we dance in his house. She is unique! There are no explanations, no kisses, but only an incredible craving for each other. Everything is said there with his eyes: Gabi adores Stirlitz, but he, alas, as a scout could not have a beloved woman in Germany. Even the legendary Sergei Gerasimov said: “This scene should be shown to VGIK students.”
Tikhonov tattooed “Slava” on himself and hid it
There is a legend that Vyacheslav Tikhonov had a “Glory” tattoo on his left hand, made in his youth. Naturally, Stirlitz could not have such a thing. And when it was necessary to show Stirlitz’s hands in close-up, these were the hands of the understudy - the artist’s assistant Felix Rostotsky. This fact was confirmed to us by “Stirlitz’s wife” - the actress of the Theater. Vakhtangova Eleonora Shashkova: “Yes, in his youth Tikhonov got such a tattoo. It was a mistake of youth, so even Prince Bolkonsky he played with gloves. But Slava inked himself with “fame” for the rest of his life - he prophesied it. But Lioznova adored Tikhonov and did not want even the slightest blackness in his biography, so everyone was silent about the tattoo.”
Bronevoy-Muller twitched because of the suit 
Leonid Bronevoy
Many viewers remembered Leonid Bronevoy in the role of Muller, including nervous twitching of his head during tense moments. But this gesticulation arose because Bronevoy was sewn a uniform two sizes too small and the collar was constantly cutting into his neck! Seeing such a gesture, the director suggested leaving it, deciding that such a nervous tic would only add color to Muller’s figure.
There was barely enough money for the last episode 
“17 Moments” is considered the most expensive Soviet series, although the real budget of the film is a mystery shrouded in darkness. But modern film producers told us that if a film on the same scale were being made now, the cost of each episode would cost at least 100 thousand dollars.
Moreover: so much money was spent on filming that Lioznova did not have enough money to complete the film. Of course, since filming lasted two years in different cities and countries. It's no joke, 100 shirts were sewn just for Tikhonov! What can we say about those built at the studio named after. Gorky's scenery - the corridors of the Reich Chancellery, Muller's office, Stirlitz's apartment and much more. Add to this shooting on location - the film was shot in Germany, the Baltic states and Georgia. True, the fact that Bern's Flower Street is actually located in Riga, and Pastor Schlag crosses the Swiss border in the Caucasus, allowed us to save the budget.
Tikhonov asked for “eyes” 
Eleonora Shashkova
One of the most romantic episodes of the film is the meeting of Colonel Isaev with his wife at the Elefant cafe in Germany. Although there was no scene of a date in a cafe in Semenov’s novel. Tikhonov suggested inserting it after communicating with one of the intelligence officers. It turns out that many of our residents had such non-contact meetings with their relatives.
“Isaev’s wife” Eleonora Shashkova told us how it was: “One of the acting assistants with whom we worked on the set of “Two Lives” brought me to the set. It was in that film that I first saw Vyacheslav Vasilyevich, who played one of the main roles there. He made a strong impression on me, then a second-year student at a theater university who was acting as an extra! Although I handsome men I don’t perceive it. For the role of Isaev’s wife, I was younger than the age of my heroine, and they grew me up. I am not surprised that it was the scene of Stirlitz’s short meeting with his wife that became the most striking in the film. Remember the shot when he looked up. They were filled with soul, and in my eyes it was read: “I suffer in separation, I love you very much and I’m very worried, how do you live here without me?” In the last close-up my heroine's eyes said: “Maybe I see you last time in life…"
But in fact, we filmed with Tikhonov separately. What you saw in the frame was editing. Previously, they filmed with just one camera and film, two scenes a day. Everything was rehearsed and thought out. It's a complete conveyor belt now! That day, Vyacheslav Vasilyevich came to the set completely unexpectedly. It was his first day off in six months of work, but he didn’t sit at home and wanted to look into the eyes of his on-screen wife and find out who she was. He came and sat down by the camera, at table level. We played in complete silence... And everything worked out in just an hour. With such a great actor as Tikhonov, it couldn’t be otherwise! And the next day there was his shooting without me. But he told Lioznova: “Come on, bring me these eyes. I can’t act without them.” And I was immediately taken to the set and sat next to the camera. I tried to do everything the same as the day before. That’s probably why Vyacheslav Vasilyevich played so brilliantly, looking into my filled eyes.”
Let's go to Germany with our Mercedes 
They say that they don’t go to someone else’s monastery with their own rules. However, the film crew went to Berlin with their Mercedes for Stirlitz. On the first day of filming, the car stalled and it was no longer possible to start it. The group was rescued by sound engineer Leonard Bukhov, who found his friend Gunther Kliebenstein, who collected vintage cars. A car was rented for Stirlitz from his collection. However, the Mercedes sedan model that went to the “Standarten Fuhrer” is in fact too ordinary for such a title. Although in Semenov’s novel there is an even more significant blunder - Stirlitz drives around in a Horch VKR-821 car. In fact, in those days, members of the government drove such a car, and there were no three-letter numbers.
The children smiled during the torture 
In the episode where radio operator Kat's baby is unswaddled open window(it’s cold outside, and the Germans hope that the mother’s heart will tremble and she will hand over Stirlitz), the baby must cry because he is freezing. In fact, the children (in the torture scene of one baby, 18 children played at once, since the filming took a long time, and the baby was allowed to be on the set for no more than two hours in the presence of the mother) were warm, so they smiled and snored. It was not possible to record the child's cry, so the sound engineer had to go to the children's hospital to record the cry there.
Bloopers: Makarov pistol and Soviet carriages 
In the episode where Stirlitz kills the provocateur Klaus (played by Lev Durov), for some reason our intelligence officer is holding a Makarov pistol, which by definition could not be in service with the German army. And praising the song “Milord” performed by Edith Piaf, which appeared only in 1958, is a clear leap into the future. But in the episode where Kat says goodbye to Stirlitz at the station, on the carriage it was written in Russian: “56 tons.” And in the scene of sending telegrams, you can see that they are written on the forms “International Telegram of the USSR” with the coat of arms smeared with ink.
In Germany, Tikhonov was almost beaten
The walk from the hotel to the film set almost cost Tikhonov charges of promoting fascism. The fact is that he went out into the street in the uniform of the SS Standarten Fuhrer, for which he was immediately detained by the Berliners. They considered him a Nazi and started a showdown. Fortunately, the filmmakers heard the commotion and fought off the artist.
Lioznova stripped the composer of his title
Lioznova wanted her to be credited as a director and as a co-author of the script, since she came up with some scenes, but Semyonov was against it. A scandal broke out, and the composer of “Moments” Mikael Tariverdiev was called in as a judge. He decided that Lioznova was wrong. And he did not receive the State Prize of the RSFSR (and therefore the title and a large sum), which in 1976 went to Lioznova, Semenov, Tikhonov and cameraman Pyotr Kataev for the film. He was removed from the list of recipients.
Cordons with informers were set up because of Kobzon
Mikael Tariverdiev refused to be the composer of the film, saying he does not write for films in which Stalin is filmed. As a result, he created 18 melodies, but only two were included. And immediately there was talk that his “Don’t Think Down on Seconds” was similar to Legrand’s “Love Story”. There was also a scandal with the performers. We listened to Leshchenko, Obodzinsky, Magomayev, but settled on Kobzon. Although Tariverdiev was against it: they quarreled. And when Kobzon was recording, the director had to set up cordons that notified the composer’s approach!
Kat gave birth in the clinic that examined Tymoshenko 
Clinic in the film “17 Moments of Spring”
In the scene where Stirlitz and radio operator Kat with a newborn in her arms leave the maternity hospital, the real Charite university clinic in Berlin is involved. Much time has passed since then: the tall tree in front of the building is no longer there, the paths have been redone and the lamps on the poles are different.
The Charite Clinic was founded in 1710, is one of the oldest medical institutions in Germany and is one of the oldest university hospitals in Europe. Today, almost every Ukrainian has heard about this institution in connection with ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was examined by doctors from this clinic. By the way, Maria Mironova (daughter of actors Ekaterina Gradova and Andrei Mironov) starred in the role of the newborn child of radio operator Kat. But besides her, five other babies were cast in this role in the film. 
Clinic now
Durov filmed in the forest because of his language 
Lev Durov
The scene in which Stirlitz kills Klaus (Lev Durov) was supposed to be filmed near Berlin. But, as Lev Konstantinovich told us, the trip to Germany did not work out, because he was not released from Soviet Union, and all because of the artist’s sense of humor: “Before going abroad, I, like everyone else going abroad, had to pass an interview with the exit committee. I was asked to describe the flag of the Soviet Union. I suddenly said, well, somehow, a black background, on it a white skull and two crossed shin bones. It's called the Jolly Roger flag. They wrapped me up and filmed me in the forest near Moscow.”
We wanted to congratulate the actor on the film’s anniversary, but a misfortune happened to 81-year-old Lev Konstantinovich. As his friends told us, he fell in his apartment and suffered a fracture of the femoral neck: “Lev Konstantinovich - in in serious condition, he is in the Botkin Hospital in Moscow. The actor is being prepared for joint replacement surgery, after which he will remain in the hospital for at least a month.”
Gaft got the role of the American blindly
Valentin Gaft (played the American Gaevernitz, who participated in the negotiations on the surrender of Germany) told us: “I was supposed to go on vacation, but I needed money. And then Oleg Tabakov invited me. I was on my way to filming and didn’t know what character I would have to play. There I met Lioznova. She took even the slightest episode extremely seriously. We discussed mine all day. Can’t compare with today’s filming process!”
Lanovoy did not want to be an enemy 
Vasily Lanovoy
Vasily Lanovoy, who at that time fell in love with the audience in the film “Officers,” admitted to us that Lioznova barely persuaded him to become SS Obergruppenführer Karl Wolf: “Tatyana Mikhailovna came to my theater twice, inviting me to star in the film. But I was busy in the theater and in another film, so I stubbornly refused. Lioznova did not back down, because she saw only me in this role. I gave up after hearing her amazing phrase about my hero Wolf: “He is not an enemy, he is your opponent - powerful and smart.”
I really liked her words, because I thought that playing enemies of the Motherland was a monkey’s work. But I am extremely upset that the film was made in color. It's horrible! After all, this is a documentary. I’d tear my head off for something like that!” And Vasily Semenovich called the most successful scene when his Wolf arrives on a plane and he is arrested: “In it, Lanovoy’s actor was the most accurate, it seems to me.”
We did some work to find the filming locations of this popular series. Last year in my LiveJournal there was a series “Places of military glory of Standartenführer von Stirlitz in Riga”, according to various reasons unfinished, but now we decided to somewhat expand the format of the story and redo the old posts. ipaat provides stills from the film, I track down filming locations today and talk about them. We ask everyone who is interested in this topic to comment here. It also really needs someone who is very familiar with the species of real Berlin to help identify several species - is there one among you?
In this part I will provide several quotes and links to resources about filming in general - where it took place, and real prototypes heroes, in the following we plan to dwell in detail on each place separately.
FILMING IN THE GDR: DUROV WAS NOT RELEASED, BUT TIKHONOV NEARLY WAS ARRESTED
Lev Durov as Klaus
Filming began in March 1971 with an expedition to the GDR. There they had to film all the scenes of Stirlitz in Berlin, as well as his murder of the Gestapo provocateur Klaus. However last episode It will not be possible to film it on German soil, since our authorities categorically refused to let actor Lev Durov go even to a country friendly to the USSR. Reason: bad behavior of the actor on the visiting committee. What it is? In accordance with the situation that existed then, every citizen of the USSR traveling abroad had to first go through the filter of the exit commission. It usually included the most zealous servants of the party, who saw in each departing person, at worst, a potential traitor to the motherland, at best, a fool. So they greeted Durov accordingly. For example, they immediately asked: “Describe to us what the flag of the Soviet Union looks like.” Having heard such a question, the actor answered it in accordance with the situation: “It looks very simple: a black background, on it is a white skull and two crossed shin bones. It's called the Jolly Roger flag. What started here! The women screamed, the men waved their hands: how dare you! Shame on you!
However, the survey continued, but this could no longer lead to anything good. A certain lady asked: “Name the capitals of the Union republics.” Durov, without blinking an eye, listed: “Kalinin, Tambov, Magnitogorsk, Tula, Malakhovka.” They didn’t ask him anything else and crossed him off the list of those leaving. Of course, Durov greatly let down the entire film crew, but he simply could not do otherwise - he did not want to look like an even bigger idiot in the eyes of idiots. Fortunately, Lioznova will find a way out of this situation: the murder of Klaus by Stirlitz will be filmed a little later in a forest near Moscow. And after this incident, Durov was firmly assigned a nickname, which he was very proud of - “the main bandit of the republic.”
Mercedes Stirlitz
In the GDR, the filmmakers took almost all of their props, which included Stirlitz’s Mercedes car (from the garage of the Gorky Studio). However, German craftsmen who examined this wartime Mercedes said that it was unlikely to be able to work: the condition was, they say, disgusting. Our people just laughed at this statement. But on the very first day of filming, the Mercedes actually stalled. The group was rescued by sound engineer Leonard Bukhov, who found his front-line friend Gunther Kliebenstein, who collected old cars. From his collection, a car was rented for Stirlitz in very excellent condition.
There were other curious cases on German soil. For example, once Vyacheslav Tikhonov was almost arrested. He decided to march from the hotel to the film set (fortunately it was not far) in the uniform of an SS Standartenführer, for which he was immediately detained by the Berliners. They considered him a supporter of fascism and were about to take him to the police station. Fortunately, members of the film crew heard this noise, rushed to the scene of the scandal and recaptured the artist from the Berliners.
F. Razzakov. Chapters from the book "Our Favorite Movie. Intrigues Behind the Scenes" Algorithm 2004
http://www.levdurov.ru/show_arhive.php?id=1004
Quotes about filming locations (from each other quotes from different sources separated by pictures):
You know for sure, reader, that the most popular Soviet television film “17 Moments of Spring” based on the story by Yulian Semenov was filmed in Riga. According to the script, its action begins somewhere in these same days of March, but exactly 60 years ago, and in a completely different country - not in Latvia, but in Nazi Germany.
The Third Reich is already smoking with all its might with the ruins of cities and factories, but fascism is still resisting. Hitler is still raging at his headquarters. And on the outskirts of Berlin everything is quite calm, only the spring wind sways the still bare branches of the trees over the neat cottage village. Standartenführer Stirlitz, aka Mr. Bolzen, aka Soviet intelligence officer Colonel Isaev, lives quietly there in his mansion.
A lot has been said, written and shown about the series directed by T. Lioznova. There are large press publications, there is a whole series of TV shows by L. Parfenov. About the script, actors, filming... Let's come from the other end - let's start, as they say, from the local texture. There is enough of it in Riga. Offhand - the church of Pastor Schlag, the Berne Blumenstrasse with a failed turnout, the Berlin Museum of Nature, from where Stirlitz watched Bormann's car, and the very place of work of the Colonel Standartenführer - the Reich Imperial Security Office - RSHA - is there. All these are completely real Riga landscapes. Let's take a walk with you around our lovely city - cinematic Berlin.
http://rus.delfi.lv/news/press/mklat/article.php?id=10775133
Filming took place in different parts USSR and abroad. Undestroyed Berlin was filmed in the capital of the GDR, more precisely in its eastern sector. Pastor Schlag crossed the Swiss border while filming in Georgia. And the appearance of the Soviet intelligence officer in Bern on Flower Street was “failed” in Riga, where it is still shown as one of the most interesting places in the capital of Latvia. The Zoological Museum, where Stirlitz was waiting for Bormann, was filmed in Leningrad. And the murder of the scoundrel Klaus (then actor Lev Durov) took place in a forest near Moscow.
http://dimakozlov.ru/17.htm
Note: not Zoo museum, and a museum of nature. Apparently, the interiors were filmed in Leningrad. And the external appearance of the building is in Riga.
And Professor Pleischner. A few hours before the failure, Evstigneev begins walking in Mains (correctly: Meissen) in Germany, then looks at bear cubs in the Tbilisi Zoo, reaches Blumenstrasse and throws himself out of a window in Riga. And all this is not hidden from the viewer. After all, the main thing is not the unity of the place.
http://www.mirdvd.by/catalog/dvd/1145.html
Why do film directors go to Berlin to shoot a film about London?
Filmmakers have to pass off some cities and countries as others for various reasons. It turns out to be a deception for the benefit of the viewer. Without geographic falsification, shooting a spectacular film may be an impossible task.
Often directors cannot find places to shoot a film (as they say in film production - on location) where it is provided for by the film script. A dull landscape or changes in architecture force the director to shoot the views needed for the film in another place.
Western Europe in the Baltics
Soviet filmmakers successfully made films about Western Europe on Riga's Jauniela street. On its even side, Igor Maslennikov photographed Baker Street. Tatyana Lioznova passed off the odd side as Bern's Flower Street in the film "Seventeen Moments of Spring."
http://www.dopinfo.ru/y/film/
Almost the entire summer, the group worked at an accelerated pace in the pavilions, after which at the beginning of autumn they went to Riga to film Flower Street and other episodes.
After Riga, filming returned to the pavilion, where episodes from episodes 1-6 were filmed. In late autumn, the studio released the first three episodes of the film. And at the beginning of the next year we hit the road again - this time to Tbilisi to film an episode of Pastor Schlag crossing the Alps in the mountains near the city of Borjomi.
http://www.levdurov.ru/show_arhive.php?id=1008
Was Stirlitz's prototype Latvian?
I’ll add on my own behalf that I don’t know whether Stirlitz was Latvian, but Erwin, the husband of radio operator Kat, was supposed to be one. In Yulian Semenov's book his name in the world is Ervin Bertsis! Both the first and last names sound quite Latvian.
“17 Moments of Spring” - just the output of the film (director, actors): http://7682.ru/cinema_home/170.html
Cool flash cartoons, a parody of the series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” based on folk jokes (I have them without sound, but it should be there)
Stirlitz..html
On August 11, 1973, the USSR Central Television began showing a multi-episode feature film"Seventeen Moments of Spring".
How Stirlitz influenced the crime rate in the USSR, who Breitenbach was and what Fidel Castro said after watching it.
Who's the last one on Stirlitz?
It is now simply impossible to imagine Stirlitz performed by anyone other than Vyacheslav Tikhonov, but at first his candidacy was not considered. The author of the script for “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” Yulian Semenov, wanted the role of the Soviet intelligence officer to be played by actor Archil Gomiashvili, known to viewers for his role as Ostap Bender in Gaidai’s “12 Chairs.” Oleg Strizhenov was also considered, but he did not want to leave acting at the Moscow Art Theater for three years to film a movie (that’s how long “Seventeen Moments of Spring” was filmed). Tikhonov himself got into the film by accident - one of the director Tatyana Lioznova’s assistants suggested him. At the audition, when Tikhonov was made up and a huge fluffy mustache was attached to him, Lioznova, barely looking at him, almost refused the new Stirlitz, but after listening she changed her mind.
Mysterious Breitenbach
Stirlitz never existed in reality - this character was invented by writer and screenwriter Yulian Semenov. However, there is a legend that its prototype was the deputy chief of German intelligence, Willy Lehmann (nickname Breitenbach, code number A201). Leman worked for the USSR own initiative, no one recruited him. It is curious that Lehmann was in good standing with Hitler for a long time, for which he was awarded an autographed portrait of the Fuhrer. Lehmann's traces in history were lost in 1942, when he was arrested by the Gestapo without formulating charges. Of course, most likely, Willy Lehman died, but Tatyana Lioznova still left the ending of “Seventeen Moments of Spring” open, leaving the viewer to decide for himself what happened to Stirlitz.
The wife suddenly appeared
Stirlitz's wife appeared in the film only thanks to the initiative of Vyacheslav Tikhonov - the script did not foresee her appearance. An acquaintance of Tikhonov, a certain KGB intelligence officer, told the actor that sometimes those who worked undercover outside the USSR brought their relatives for a date, and the actor shared the idea with Lioznova. The director agreed, believing that the film would have more drama this way.
The failed role of Svetlana Svetlichnaya
Singer Maria Pakhomenko and actress Svetlana Svetlichnaya auditioned for the role of Colonel Isaev’s wife, but Tatyana Lioznova considered their candidates unsuccessful. And although Svetlichnaya eventually got the role of the German woman Gabi, who is in love with Stirlitz, she regretted for a long time that she was not able to get that coveted role. Although, by the way, her performance of Gabi was highly appreciated by both the audience, for whom her heroine became the embodiment of unconditional and devoted love, and critics, who noted the actress’s great dramatic talent.
With just one glance
An interesting story is connected with actress Eleonora Shashkova, who eventually played the role of Colonel Isaev’s wife. According to Shashkova’s recollections, she was brought to the set the day before filming began. At first, sitting alone with the director, she did not cope well with the role. However, then Lioznova called Vyacheslav Tikhonov and sat him in front of the actress, saying: “Now seriously. Here is your intelligence husband.” It was after these words, seeing Tikhonov-Stirlitz in front of her, that Shashkova performed the role as needed - with restrained depth, showing with one glance all the bitter, heavy, but bright feelings of her heroine. By the way, Vyacheslav Tikhonov himself said that the multiplication table helped him create Stirlitz’s tense and concentrated gaze: when he needed to look at someone “hard,” he simply began to remember examples and tried to solve them.
The child outplayed everyone
By the way, in the episode of Isaev’s date with his wife there should have been Small child- the son of a colonel, whom he saw for the first time in his life. However, right during filming, Lioznova ordered the removal of the child, leaving Stirlitz with his wife one-on-one. She reasoned that if a child appeared in the frame, it would add unnecessary sentimentality to the already overloaded meeting with emotions, and besides, all attention would shift from the adults to the child, who, with his charmingness, would negate the play of Tikhonov and Shashkova.
Filming under the hood
The KGB agents who advised the film crew admitted that although they liked the powerful episode of Isaev’s meeting with his wife, they noted that it lacked credibility. A real intelligence officer’s wife would understand perfectly well the conditions under which her date with her husband is taking place, that he can be watched 24 hours a day, and therefore would never allow herself to show any “suspicious” emotions, so as not to endanger the life of her loved one . By the way, the “customer” of the film was the Committee state security and Yuri Andropov personally, but this, of course, is not mentioned in the credits.
Jewish SS platoon
The creators' pursuit of historical accuracy in the film led to a very funny story. When all the footage with the participation of the German army was filmed, a certain consultant, looking at the names in the credits, noticed that almost all SS soldiers were Jews. A second consultant, acting independently of the first, came up with the same summary: all “Germans” had Jewish appearance. Therefore, fifty blond, blue-eyed border guard cadets urgently arrived from Estonia, who became the very SS soldiers that we see in the film.
Show your hands
In the scene where Stirlitz lays out matches on the table, we see the hands not of Vyacheslav Tikhonov, but of the artist Felix Rostotsky. The reason for such a strange replacement is that on the back of Tikhonov’s hand there was an impressive ink tattoo “GLORY”, which he made in his youth and which no makeup could remove. At the same time, it was the same Rostotsky who wrote codes for Professor Pleischner - not because Evgeny Evstigneev had a “ZHENYA” tattoo, but because of the actor’s handwriting - he wrote, as Lioznova joked, like a chicken with its paw.
To Cuba with love
A fan of the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” was Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who became acquainted with the film in a very unexpected way. He began to notice that several high-ranking officials were repeatedly asking for time off from meetings and running home. When he asked them directly what was the matter, they explained to him that it was all about a Soviet television film about an intelligence officer working undercover in Nazi Germany: the tape was shown without repeating at a certain time. Then Castro, using his connections, requested a copy of the film about Stirlitz from the USSR and arranged a collective viewing of “Seventeen Moments of Spring” for all members of the government: all 12 episodes were shown in one evening, a total of 14 hours.
100 scout shirts
All the costumes in the film were sewn under the supervision of a consultant - a certain Colonel Brown, who at one time served in intelligence. Every detail, from shoulder straps to badges and buttonholes, was verified; the costumes were sewn by specialized “general” ateliers, which were tasked with dressing the actors impeccably. All the “clothes” props of the film barely fit into 60 large boxes, which took up three standard freight train cars. As eyewitnesses said, when all the extras were dressed in German “haute couture-USSR” uniforms, the Germans present on the set, who had once seen this with their own eyes, shuddered - everything was so realistic. By the way, as many as 100 white shirts were actually brought to the set in the GDR especially for Stirlitz - just in case, so that the Soviet intelligence officer would look perfect on the screen.
Presence effect
In the 1970s, color television already existed, although a television with such color reproduction was rare. Despite this, Tatyana Lioznova decided to shoot the film in black and white - for maximum resemblance to a documentary. The director made this decision also because the film contains many inserts with real documentary chronicles, and Lioznova did not want them to “stand out” from the visual range of the film and at least somehow affect the viewer’s “presence effect” in the film.
Stop the fascist!
The filming of “Seventeen Moments of Spring” was not without its funny moments. Thus, residents of East Berlin almost turned Vyacheslav Tikhonov over to the police. The actor, hurrying to filming, decided to dress in an SS uniform right in his hotel room and walk through the streets in a suit. But as soon as he appeared in public, indignant people began to surround him, mistaking him for a fascist (however, it is unclear where he came from - it’s 1970). Tikhonov was saved by the fact that, due to his lateness, assistant directors were sent after him, who had difficulty calming the public and, almost with a fight, took the would-be fascist to filming.
“Whose are you, fool?”
The famous scene where Stirlitz talks to the dog was improvised. During the filming of the car parking, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, as prescribed by the script, leisurely got out of the car, and at the same time a dog, which was walking with its owner nearby, ran up to him. The actor was not taken aback, sat down, extended his hand to the dog and, under the guns of the cameras, in the image of Stirlitz, asked: “Whose are you, you fool?” The dog poked into Tikhonov’s palm and began to caress. Tatyana Lioznova really liked this scene and decided to include it in the final edit of the film.
"Jolly Roger" and Lev Durov
Gestapo man Klaus, played by Lev Durov in the film, was supposed to die in the GDR, but they refused to let the actor go abroad. When Durov came to receive permission to leave, they began to ask him standard questions: describe the Soviet flag, tell us about the union republics... Durov, however, did not want to answer questions, and instead of the Soviet flag he began to describe the pirate “Jolly Roger”, and as the capitals of the USSR he mentioned London, Paris, Brussels and several other cities that had never were not even close to Soviet. As a result, Durov did not go to the GDR because of the wording “bad behavior,” and Klaus died somewhere in a forest near Moscow.
“Seventeen Moments of Spring” and the crime rate
“Seventeen Moments of Spring” literally from the moment of its premiere began cult film in USSR. The film was watched by a total of more than 200 million viewers. Moreover, according to the USSR State Television and Radio Broadcasting, exactly at the time when the show began, the streets of certain cities of the USSR were emptying, the consumption of water and electricity was decreasing, even the crime rate was falling - everyone was glued to the screens.
Kobzon who is not Kobzon
Muslim Magomayev, Valentina Tolkunova, Valery Obodzinsky and others wanted to perform songs for “Seventeen Moments of Spring” whole line popular singers at that time, but Tatyana Lioznova rejected almost all the candidates, with the exception of Joseph Kobzon. However, when meeting with the singer, Lioznova made a statement that was completely unexpected for Kobzon: his style of performance does not suit the film, and if he wants to sing, he will have to use a different timbre. Kobzon rewrote the famous composition “Don’t think down on the seconds” at least ten times - and each time in a different performance.