''The White Guard'' (russian: Белая гвардия, Belaya Gvardiya) is a
Russian television series, based on the novel by Bulgakov, ''
The White Guard
''The White Guard'' (russian: links=no, Белая гвардия) is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, first published in 1925 in literary journal ''Rossiya''. It was not reprinted in the Soviet Union until 1966.
Background
''The White Guard'' fir ...
''.
Plot
The film tells about the arduous years of the
civil war in Russia
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
, portraying the fate of the Turbin family who fell into a cycle of sad events of the 1918-1919 winter in
Kiev. The basis for the film's plot is the novel by
Mikhail Bulgakov: ''
The White Guard
''The White Guard'' (russian: links=no, Белая гвардия) is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, first published in 1925 in literary journal ''Rossiya''. It was not reprinted in the Soviet Union until 1966.
Background
''The White Guard'' fir ...
''. The historical background of the film is the fall of the Ukrainian power of
Hetman
( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders.
Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...
Skoropadsky, the capture of Kiev by
UNR troops and their subsequent flight under the blows of the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
.
The protagonist Alexei Turbin is a military physician who has seen and experienced a lot during the three years of the world war. He is one of those tens of thousands of Russian officers who after the revolution found themselves in a situation of complete uncertainty in political and private life. Many of them went to the service of Hetman Skoropadsky and his moderate regime under the German protectorate, considering it a lesser evil than the red terror already noted in Kiev against officers and intelligentsia by the Bolsheviks. However, the German Empire was defeated on the fronts of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Hetman fled with the Germans, and a few Russian officers and
junker (cadets) remained the only force able to stand in the way of the followers of
Symon Petliura
Symon Vasylyovych Petliura ( uk, Си́мон Васи́льович Петлю́ра; – May 25, 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He became the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Army and the President of the Ukrainian Peop ...
coming to Kiev.
Cast
*
Konstantin Khabensky
Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR (russian: link=no, Константин Юрьевич Хабенский; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist.
From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersbur ...
as Alexei Vasilievich Turbin, a military doctor.
*
Mikhail Porechenkov
Mikhail Yevgenyevich Porechenkov (russian: Михаи́л Евге́ньевич Поре́ченков; born 2 March 1969, in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Russian film actor, producer, director. He became famous after his lead role as FSB Agent ...
as Victor Myshlaevsky, Lieutenant of Artillery
*Yevgeny Dyatlov as Leonid Shervinsky
*
Andrei Zibrov
Andrei Yurievich Zibrov, russian: link=no, Андрей Юрьевич Зибров; 5 July 1973, Leningrad, USSR) is a Russian actor.
He has acted on stage on Lensovet Theatre.
Selected filmography Film
*'' Women's Property'' (1999) as Kostya
...
as Alexander Bronislavovich Studzinsky
*
Yanina Studilina
Yanina Sergeevna Studilina (russian: Яни́на Серге́евна Студи́лина; born 6 August 1985) is a Russian theater and film actress, fashion model, TV presenter.
Biography
Yanina Studilina was born in Omsk, Russian SFSR, Sov ...
as Anna
*Sergei Brune as Lariosik
*Nikolay Yefremov as Nikolay Turbin
*
Kseniya Rappoport
Kseniya Aleksandrovna Rappoport (russian: link=no, Ксе́ния Алекса́ндровна Раппопо́рт; born 25 March 1974) is a Russian actress. She graduated in 2000 from Saint Petersburg Academy of Theatrical Arts and was immedi ...
as Elena Thalberg
*
Sergei Garmash
Sergei Leonidovich Garmash (russian: Серге́й Леони́дович Гарма́ш; 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 Mosc ...
as Kozyr-Leshko, Colonel of Petlyura forces
*Yuri Itskov as Vasilisa (Lisovich), a neighbor of Turbin family
*
Fyodor Bondarchuk
Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...
as Shpolyansky, Ensign Futurist
*
Alexei Serebryakov as Felix Nay-Tours, colonel of the Hussars
*
Mariya Lugovaya
Mariya Aleksandrovna Lugovaya (russian: Мария Александровна Луговая; 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 rol ...
as Irina Nay-Tours
*
Yevgeny Stychkin
Yevgeny Alekseevich Stychkin (russian: Евге́ний Алексе́евич Сты́чкин; born 10 June 1974) is a Russian actor and director known for his roles in '' God Loves Caviar'' and ''Trotsky''.
Biography
Yevgeny Stychkin was born ...
as Second Lieutenant of Artillery Stepanov (Karas)
*
Sergei Shakurov
Sergey Kayumovich Shakurov (russian: Сергей Каюмович Шакуров, tt-Cyrl, Сергей Каюм улы Шәкүров, translit=Sergey Qayum ulı Şäkürov; born 1 January 1942) is a Soviet and Russian actor of theater. He has ...
as Hetman Skoropadsky
*Sergei Barkovsky as father Alexander, priest
*
Kirill Zhandarov
Kirill Valeryevich Zhandarov (russian: Кирилл Валерьевич Жандаров; 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) ...
as Strashkevich, Ensign
*
Artur Smolyaninov
Artur Sergeevich Smolyaninov (russian: Арту́р Серге́евич Смольяни́нов, born 27 October 1983) is a Russian actor of theater, He is known for playing the role of Oleg Lutaev in ''The 9th Company''.
Biography
Artur Serge ...
as Adjutant Boyko
*
Ekaterina Vilkova
Ekaterina Nikolaevna Vilkova (russian: Екатери́на Никола́евна Вилко́ва; born 11 July 1984) is a Russian actress. She is known for her roles in ''Black Lightning'' (2009), '' Hipsters'' (2008), ''The PyraMMMid'' (2011 ...
as Julia Reiss
*Yevgeny Yefremov as Wolf
*
Vladimir Vdovichenkov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Vdovichenkov (russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Вдовиче́нков; born 13 August 1971) is a Russian theater and screen actor known for his roles in ''Brigada'' (2002) ''Leviathan'' (2014), '' Bu ...
as Pleshko, Captain
*
Yuri Stoyanov
Yuri Nikolaevich Stoyanov (russian: Ю́рий Никола́евич Стоя́нов, ; born July 10, 1957 in Odesa) is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, musician. People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2001). Most famous comedian ...
as Blokhin, Maj.-Gen.
*
Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya
Yevgenia Vladimirovna Dobrovolskaya (russian: Евге́ния Влади́мировна Доброво́льская; born 26 December 1964) is a Soviet and Russian actress of theater and cinema, People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2005) ...
as Vanda
*
Aleksei Guskov as Malyshev, colonel, commander of mortar squadron
*
Ivan I. Krasko as Maxim
*Arthur Vakha az Zamansky
*
Igor Vernik as Shchur
*Sergey Trifonov as Bourgeois
*Igor Chernevich as Sergey Thalberg
*Dennis Reyshahrit as cashier in the cinema theater
The Crew
*Written by: Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko, Sergey Snezhkin
*Directed by: Sergei Snezhkin
*Screenplay by Sergei Machilskiy
The film was shot in St. Petersburg and Vyborg (Leningrad Oblast) by help of
Lenfilm studios.
Reception
The series has received unanimously negative comments from all sides, the alterations of Bulgakov's novel and the acting skills of the actors being particularly criticised.
The
Ukrainian Culture Ministry decides not to issue distribution licenses for it as they "show contempt for the
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state lan ...
, people and the state," and "some facts are distorted to benefit Russia."
Moscow Times
/ref>
See also
* ''The Days of the Turbins
''The Days of the Turbins'' (russian: Дни Турбиных, translit=Dni Turbinykh) is a four-act play by Mikhail Bulgakov based upon his novel ''The White Guard''.
It was written in 1925 and premiered on 5 October 1926 in Moscow Art Theatr ...
'' - a 1976 Soviet film
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:White Guard
Russia-1 original programming
2010s Russian television series
2012 Russian television series debuts
2012 Russian television series endings
Russian drama television series
Films based on works by Mikhail Bulgakov
Television shows based on Russian novels