Recently, in the wake of declassifying documents relating to many events of the Soviet era, interest in information on investigations of high-profile criminal cases of that period has been steadily increasing. In addition to documentary filmmaking, feature films dedicated to the most famous episodes are also released. So, in 2015, the premiere of the series “Spider”, filmed based on an investigation into the robbery of the State Bank of the Armenian SSR, which happened at the end of the seventies of the last century, took place. Actors (the main cast) moved from the films "Mosgaz" and "The Executioner", which were included in the project about the major group of Major Cherkasov. A distinctive feature is the change of screenwriter: instead of Zoe Curls, a team of several people works here.
Historical basis
The working title almost until the screen appeared on the series was the name Goznak. The script was based on materials from the investigating authorities regarding the largest robbery of the State Bank of Armenia in the history of the Soviet Union committed by the Kalachyan brothers. The state treasury was "surrounded" by almost 1.5 million rubles.
The plot of the series "Spider". Actors and roles
So, the action of the series takes place at the end of 1967, just on the eve of the half-century anniversary of the October Revolution. In Moscow parks, a maniac killer suddenly appears, preying on model girls. His characteristic handwriting is the moment that after the murder he carries the corpse of the victim to the foot of one of the many monuments to Lenin, covering him with a piece of red silk. Suspect begin to American journalist Michael Cottam and workers at the Model House. At the same time, some Chikovani brothers commit a daring robbery of Goznak of the State Bank of the USSR, stealing 1.5 million rubles, or $ 2 million from the state rate.
KGB officers are joining the investigations entrusted to Major Cherkasov’s task force. Cherkasov adheres to his version of the incident, which is different from the main one, therefore he sends his employee Sofya Timofeeva to work in the Model House undercover. It soon turns out that both leads are interconnected.
In the series "Spider", the actors playing the main roles are the same backbone that has passed from Mosgaz and the Executioner: Andrey Smolyakov, Marina Alexandrova, Alexey Bardukov, Yuri Tarasov, Vadim Andreev.
In addition to such already well-known people, the young actors of the series "Spider" attracted the attention of the audience.
The cast of "Spider"
The film was directed by E. Zvezdakov. Since the series was originally announced as part of a film project about a task force working under the leadership of police major Cherkasov, the main characters and actors who embody their images have moved from previous films.
Andrei Smolyakov, who plays the role of Major Cherkasov, has been known to the Russian audience for his acting work for a long time. In his piggy bank work under the direction of O.P. Tabakov, many roles in other popular films. He began with the images of good heroes, now he mainly plays characteristic and negative characters.
The prototype of the heroine Marina Alexandrova, who appeared in Mosgaz, was a real employee of the MUR Sofya Feinstein. The actress herself is also known to the mass audience. She began her career with romantic roles.
Another actor of the series "Spider", Alexei Bardukov, serves in the Satyricon Theater. He has been working on the cinema for a long time. The moviegoer was remembered for his first small work in one of the seasons of the “Turkish March”.
Sergey Ugryumov - Robert Lebedev, a KGB lieutenant colonel, as well as A. Smolyakov, a student of O.P. Tabakov. He serves under his leadership now. He has been filming in the movie since 1992, on his account more than seventy roles.
Vadim Andreev - Fedor Sablin, head of MUR - a famous film actor who graduated from VGIK on the course of T. Lioznova. The debut film work was released in 1978. In total, in the creative luggage of more than three hundred roles.
The role of Margarita Karpukhina, Cherkasov's second wife, was performed by an actress of Serbian origin, Daniela Stoyanovich. He immigrated to Russia after the outbreak of hostilities.
We must not forget about the young actors of the series "Spider" Polina Uvarova, Yaroslav Bazayev, who participated in the episodes, Alexander Drobitko and Lisa Zarubina, who played the main children's roles. By the way, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the Spider did not become a debut for either Sasha or Lisa. Both have solid shooting experience, despite their young age.
Curious facts from the set
Some interesting facts about the series.
- All the actresses of the “Spider”, who portrayed models in the Fashion House, actually possessed the parameters of fashion models.
- Marina Alexandrova actually studied the basics of defiling on the catwalk.
- There is another series - 2017 "Spider". The actors and their roles, as well as the plot, are completely unrelated to the 2015 series. Its second name is “From the Shadow”.
- In an episode shot at the Sovremennik Theater, portraits of actors G. Volchek and E. Evstigneev, parents of the producer of Spider D. Evstigneev, hang on the wall next to each other.
Official criticism and audience impression
Judging by the reviews of professionals, the “Spider” turned out worse when compared with “Mosgaz” and “Executioner”. As the main reason, the slurred script associated with the change of screenwriter was indicated. However, the audience reacted differently: there were much more views in the early days of the television premiere than when the “Executioner” was released.
The article has photos of the actors of the series "Spider", shots from the film. It is important to note that the director managed to create an atmosphere of Soviet time on the screen. In their reviews, viewers note that they have not seen such a good cast in one picture for a long time: all stars of cinema and theater. People write that this is a strong and good detective based on real events. No one pays attention to the lack of historical authenticity, which film critics alluded to. On the one hand, this seems strange, because the memory of this time is alive in most families. On the other hand, the whole point is in the exciting plot, thanks to which individual kinolapy are almost invisible.
Summary
After reading a lot of reviews, we can conclude for ourselves that most viewers remembered the work because of the good actors and roles. The 2015 series Spider is definitely recommended for viewing, as well as other works of the TV project about Major Cherkasov, including Mosgaz, Executioner, Spider and Jackal.