Archangel (TV 2005)

A British college professor working in Russia investigates certain mysteries surrounding the life and death of Joseph Stalin.

Director:

Jon Jones

Writers:

Robert Harris (novel), Dick Clement (screenplay),

Stars:

Daniel Craig, Yekaterina Rednikova, Gabriel Macht

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Craig	...	Prof. Fluke Kelso
Yekaterina Rednikova	...	Zinaida Rapava
Gabriel Macht	...	R.J. O'Brian
Lev Prygunov	...	Vladimir Mamantov
Alexey Diakov	...	Suvorin
Harry Ditson	...	Frank Adelman
Tanya Moodie	...	Velma
Avtandil Makharadze	...	Josef Stalin
Anna Gerasimova	...	Anna
Claudia Harrison	...	Louise
Kaspars Zvigulis	...	Young Papu Rapava
Valery Chernyak	...	Old Papu Rapava
Aurelija Anuzhite	...	Olga
Ziedonis Lochmelis	...	Viktor
Jakov Rafalson	...	Moscow Official (as Yakov Rafalson)

Storyline

Set in contemporary Moscow and the frozen northern town of Archangel, the drama revisits the stark landscape of Communist Russia and takes place over four days in the life of academic Fluke Kelso. His fateful meeting with a former Stalinist bodyguard leads to the uncovering of one of the world's most dangerous and best kept secrets. He is led unwittingly through murder and intrigue towards his own personal "Holy Grail" - Joseph Stalin's secret legacy - a legacy that could change the face of Russian history forever.

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Plot Keywords:

russia | murder | college professor | historical fiction | female to male foot in crotch | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

5 January 2006 (Estonia)

Also Known As:

Arcángel

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), BBC Drama Group, Powercorp

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min 124 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Fluke is talking to Zinaida out on the street after he first meets her, there is an Audi parked by the curb with a license plate containing the numbers "007".

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Goofs

The pistol that Kelso gives to Zinaida on the train has a woodgrain handle; it is not the same pistol shown in other scenes.

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Quotes

Fluke Kelso: Look, actually... I don't want to sleep with you. Although that would be... a very attractive proposition but... I want something else from you.
Zinaida: Whatever you want is still three hundred.

User Reviews

Should have been in the cinemas

Just thinking that it would be some good casual watching, I settled down to this two part drama on BBC 1 in 2005. Initially I didn't expect much but soon I discovered that this low profile production was actually one of the best dramas that I have seen. Set heavily in Russia, the film actually is acted by many Russian actors/actresses in real life. My overall impression was that a lot of time, thought and effort had been put into the production making an excellent final product. Not only was the acting good but also the storyline, scenery and directing. I give the TV-film and overall rating of 10/10 (and believe me, I don't give that rating lightly - in fact, I think it is the first time I have ever given such a high rating for anything on IMDb). I think that the only disappointing thing about the film was the fact that it was not released in the cinema.