It is difficult to find a modern person who does not have a favorite series, watched more than once. Touching melodramas, action films or adventures - there is a genre for everyone to their liking. The series "Zone" (2005) has a slightly different format. It describes about 50 real life stories of prisoners. Such a film will surely appeal to both proponents of "tearful" stories and lovers of "hard" stories.
Filming History
The idea to make a film of such a plan arose among the directors after they were anonymously transferred manuscripts from prisoners from one of the prison. They described the difficult everyday life of prisoners and their fate.
After reading these notes, it was decided to travel to different prisons and collect real interesting stories from prisoners. It's amazing that the scriptwriter Asya Kareva coped with this difficult task. She was not afraid of meeting with prisoners, and for a long time collected new facts from their life.
Thus, a lot of information has accumulated and it was enough to shoot the whole series "Zone". Actors also got acquainted with these records in order to more realistically get used to their roles. They were able to communicate with former prisoners and adopt their style in conversation and behavior.
As consultants, people were invited who worked for many years in various pre-trial detention centers. They helped to reproduce the most approximate living conditions and "laws" of prisoners in the film.
What is the series about?
The information was enough to shoot 50 episodes, each of which tells a real story from the life of the prisoners. The main actions take place in one provincial pre-trial detention center, which does not differ from the average for the country. Officially, the name of the city in the series does not sound, but for some details (license plates of cars, thanks for the help in the shooting), you can understand that the center was the city of Kamyshin, Volgograd region.
At the beginning of each series, a quote from the movie "Stalker" is served. It indicates that in the zone a person completely breaks down or goes through all the difficulties. Which line the prisoner will take depends on his own dignity and strength of character.
Basically, two main storylines run throughout the series. One tells of an investigation into the suicide of the head of the operations department, led by Captain Bagrov. New obstacles lined up on his way and secrets about life in the pre-trial detention center are revealed.
Another line leads viewers into the story of prisoner Pavlov, who was illegally imprisoned for his imperfect killing. In addition, there is a story about the fate of other prisoners and pre-trial prison workers. Their lives are often intertwined, and they become dependent on each other.
The series "Zone": actors or real prisoners?
After the release of the film in 2006 in the press and among the audience, many versions appeared that real convicts were shot in the series. Such thoughts arose due to the fact that many people in the frame were practically not familiar and did not appear in other films before.
But this version turned out to be untrue. The thing is that the actors in the series "Zone" were selected mainly from theaters. These people have never participated in the filming of TV shows.
Two actors had a prison past - Oleg Protasov and Alexander Rappoport. Only before they got the sad experience of being in jail for minor crimes and disturbances in public order. Next, consider the actors of the series "Zone".
Leading Actors
The film was shot mainly by creative people who devoted their lives to the theater. Alexander Taranzhin in the series "Zone" played captain Bagrov. This actor was born in 1962 and already had many theatrical roles in his creative luggage.
Periodically, he starred in the series, but in the background. Often viewers appreciate his work on the film "Forester". They believe that he not only masterfully reincarnated as his hero, but actually lived his story.
Igor Filippov played the role of the operative of Raevsky. This actor is from Riga. There he met his wife. Now Igor Filippov lives in three countries. In Moscow, he is removed, in Latvia there is a spouse with a younger son, and in Bulgaria, the actor loves to meet with his family and relax.
Viewers can appreciate his work on the films "Leningrad-46", "The Executioner", "Not a Couple", "Good Sasha, Sasha Evil." Spectators note that he has a bewitching appearance, and men admire his ability to transform into their heroes.
Andrei Filippak played the role of prisoner Pavlov. This actor has an original appearance. In the series, he acted as a convict, who mistakenly ends up in a pre-trial detention center and is forced to learn to live according to his laws. You can evaluate Andrei’s talent on the films “The Fugitive”, “Crime”, “Black River”.
Interesting film related stories
After filming the series "Law", actor Vladimir Ivanov, who played a homeless person who died in prison, died of a heart attack on arrival home. And also with other members of the group there were strange events related to thefts and some minor crimes.
After the release of the screens, a large number of viewers filed a complaint against the NTV channel, which stated that during prime time, films with such a tough plot should not be shown. As a result, the series was postponed to Sunday at 23.30 and began to release two episodes at once.
Despite this, the rating of the series took off before our eyes. Popularity increased with the display of each next series. People were interested to see the life of prisoners from the inside.
Viewers reviews
The series "Zone" (Russia) stirred up the press and government officials. Some argued that such a plot would allow bullying in the army, while others insisted that young people watching a movie could seriously think about whether they wanted to break the law and end up in jail. In this way, you can promote an “honest” life.
Many viewers praised the game of the actors of the series "Zone" and actively began to monitor their new work. People claim that the directors managed to combine comic and tragic situations in such a film as much as possible. This move helped to “defuse” the heated plot of the series.
Viewers believe that the last series was shot with a clear intention to continue the film, so they look forward to the release of the series with new stories about the fate of prisoners.