''Dead Season'' (russian: Мёртвый сезон, translit. Myortvyy sezon) is a 1968

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

directed by

Savva Kulish Savva Yakovlevich Kulish (russian: Са́вва Я́ковлевич Кули́ш; 17 October 1936 – 9 June 2001) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He directed eight films between 1966 and 1994. His 1979 film ''Takeoff'' won the ...

based on a screenplay by Aleksandr Shlepyanov and Vladimir Vajnshtok and featuring

Donatas Banionis Donatas Banionis (28 April 1924 – 4 September 2014) was a Soviet and Lithuanian stage and film actor and theatre director. He has more than 80 credited roles in cinema and is best known for his performance in the lead role of Tarkovsky's '' Sol ...

and

Rolan Bykov Rolan Antonovich Bykov (russian: Ролан Антонович Быков; October 12, 1929 – October 6, 1998) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, director, screenwriter and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1990). Early life R ...

Plot

A connection between Dr. Hass and the West German intelligence was killed at an airport in one of the European countries. Encryption was discovered in the pocket of the murdered person for the purchase of raw material for mass production of RH gas. The possibilities of gas are such that in small doses it stimulates the intellectual potential of a person, in large ones it turns them into a joyous idiot and a laborer-robot. The case of Haas is handled by the Soviet intelligence colonel Konstantin Ladeynikov. The main difficulty is that Ladeynikov has fallen into the sight of the intelligence services, but the intelligence officer asks for permission from his leadership to stay in the country and continue work. However, Ladeynikov has no portrait of Hass so he needs a person who can identify him. The

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 ...

leadership appeals to the actor of the children's theater, the father of two children, Ivan Savushkin, with a request to draw a portrait of Hass. In 1944, Savushkin fled from a

Nazi concentration camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...

, where Hass conducted his fatal experiments, turning people into meaningless animals. Over time, Savushkin understands how much he depends on him in the operation with Haas and agrees to go to help Ladeynikov. In addition, he knows German well.

Cast

as Ladeynikov / Lonsfield (voiced by Alexander Demyanenko) *

as Savushkin * Gennadi Yukhtin as Muravyov * Bruno Freindlich as Valery Petrovich * Svetlana Korkoshko as Ellis *

Jüri Järvet Jüri Järvet (18 June 1919 – 5 July 1995) was an Estonian actor. His name sometimes appears as Yuri Yevgenyevich Yarvet, an incorrect back-transliteration from the Russian transliteration Юри Евгеньевич Ярвет. His birthna ...

as Professor O'Reilly * Laimonas Noreika as Nicholls * Stepan Krylov as former prisoner of concentration camp *

Ants Eskola Ants Eskola (until 1935 Erhard-Voldemar Esperk;Eskola 1986: 7 17 February 1908 in Tallinn – 14 December 1989 in Tallinn) was a Soviet and Estonian actor, singer and artist. He appeared in 25 films from 1930 to 1979. People's Artist of the USSR (1 ...

as Smith *

Leonhard Merzin Leonhard Merzin (10 February 1934 in Aruküla, Kudina Parish (now Maardla, Mustvee Parish) – 2 January 1990 in Tartu) was an Estonian theatre and film actor, one of the Estonian actors active in the Soviet Union and abroad. He played in mo ...

as Father Mortimer * Einari Koppel as Drayton * Mauri Raus as Greban * Vladimir Erenberg as Professor Born / Hass *

Anda Zaice Anda Zaice (born 14 June 1941) is a Latvian actress. She is known for roles in ''Trial on the Road ''Trial on the Road'' (russian: Проверка на дорогах, translit=''Proverka na dorogakh'') is a 1971 black-and-white Soviet film ...

as Catrine

Trivia

* Film features a scene of exchange of the spies on the

Glienicke Bridge The Glienicke Bridge (german: Glienicker Brücke, ) is a bridge across the Havel River in Germany, connecting the Wannsee district of Berlin with the Brandenburg capital Potsdam. It is named after nearby Glienicke Palace. The current bridge, the ...

. *

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

once stated that Banionis' part in the film was the reason why he joined the

References

External links

* 1968 films Lenfilm films Cold War spy films 1960s adventure drama films 1960s spy drama films Films set in Germany Soviet spy drama films Soviet adventure drama films Soviet black-and-white films Television episodes about Nazis Biological weapons in popular culture {{USSR-film-stub Films about Nazi fugitives Films about the KGB Films set in West Germany