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Deutschland 83

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Deutschland 83
File:Deutschland83-Title-Card.jpg
Deutschland 83 intertitle - English-subtitled version
GenreCold War espionage
Created byAnna Winger
Joerg Winger
Written byAnna Winger
Directed byEdward Berger
Samira Radsi
Starring
Opening theme"Major Tom (Coming Home)" by
Peter Schilling
ComposerReinhold Heil
Country of originGermany
Original languageGerman
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersJoerg Winger
Nico Hoffman
Henriette Lippold
CinematographyPhilipp Haberlandt
Frank Küpper
Production companyUFA Fiction
Original release
Network
Release17 June (2015-06-17) –
5 August 2015 (2015-08-05)

Deutschland 83 is an eight-episode German television series starring Jonas Nay as a 24-year-old native of East Germany who in 1983 is sent to the West as an undercover spy for the HVA, the foreign intelligence agency of the Stasi. It is a co-production between AMC Networks' SundanceTV and RTL Television by the production company, UFA Fiction,[1] with international distribution by RTL Group's FremantleMedia International[2][3] and North American distribution by Kino Lorber.[4] The series premiered on 17 June 2015, on SundanceTV in the United States, making it the first German-language series to air on a US network.[5][6] The broadcast was in the original German language, with English subtitles.[7] It subsequently aired in Germany beginning in November 2015, and later in the UK on Channel 4 beginning in January 2016.

A second series, entitled Deutschland 86 is a possibility and not out of the question, according to the producers.[8][9] Wolf Bauer, head of producer UFA Fiction, said a second series of the show could be greenlit, even if the series does not achieve huge viewings in Germany. Deutschland 86 would be set in 1986, three years after the original series. If a second season was to happen, there would be a strong possibility that a third season Deutschland 89, would follow on. It would be set in the dramatic year of 1989, the year when the Berlin Wall came down.[10]

Cast

Episodes

Creator Anna Winger said that all of the episode names originate from NATO military exercises from 1983.[13]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Viewers
(millions)
1"Quantum Jump"Edward BergerAnna WingerU.S.: 17 June 2015
UK: 3 January 2016
Germany: 26 November 2015		U.S.: 0.066[14]
UK: 2.13[15]
German: 3.19[16]
East Germany's Secret Service is concerned by American military plans in West Germany. East German Secret Service employee Lenora Rauch sends her nephew to West Germany to act as a spy.
2"Brave Guy"Edward BergerSteve Bailie and Anna Winger24 June 2015
UK: 10 January 2016
Germany: 26 November 2015		U.S.: 0.074[17]
UK: 1.54[15]
German: 2.86[16]
Tischbier orders Martin to break into NATO head analyst Henrik Mayer (Jens Albinus)'s hotel room to steal a secret report. He refuses until Tischbier promises to help his mother who is suffering from kidney disease in East Germany.
3"Atlantic Lion"Edward BergerAnna Winger1 July 2015
UK: 17 January 2016
Germany: 3 December 2015		U.S.: 0.077[18]
UK: 1.35[15]
German: 2.05[19]
While at a NATO conference in Brussels, Moritz gets an assignment to seduce and bug the head security analyst's secretary, Linda Seiler (Nikola Kastner).
4"Northern Wedding"Edward BergerAndrea Willson and Anna Winger8 July 2015
UK: 24 January 2016
Germany: 3 December 2015		U.S.: 0.100[20]
UK: 1.24[15]
German: 1.96[19]
NATO is placed on high alert when the bug is found in Linda's desk. Linda visits Martin in West Germany. Martin scrambles to turn her loyalties around while under interrogation by NATO security about their relationship.
5"Cold Fire"Edward BergerAnna Winger15 July 2015
UK: 31 January 2016
Germany: 10 December 2015		U.S.: 0.143[21]
UK: 1.15[15]
German: 1.69[22]
Tischbier arrives at the commune to retrieve Martin and tell him that his mother will have her kidney transplant but Martin is the donor. He must get to East Berlin after delivering a package to a mysterious man.
6"Brandy Station"Samira RadsiRalph Martin and Anna Winger22 July 2015
UK: 7 February 2016
Germany: 10 December 2015		U.S.: 0.082[23]
UK: 1.29[15]
German: 1.67[22]
Martin wants to stay home now, but his fiancee Annett tells him to go West again. Alex takes General Jackson hostage and forces him to film a denunciation of US military plans in Western Europe.
7"Bold Guard"Samira RadsiGeorg Hartmann and Anna Winger29 July 2015
UK: 14 February 2016
Germany: 17 December 2015		U.S.: 0.072[24]
UK: 1.33[15]
German: 1.72[25]
As preparations for NATO's nuclear war game "Able Archer" intensify, Martin receives an order from East Germany that cements his fears about their paranoia. Martin blows his own cover in order to warn his superiors in the West that the East German HQ thinks that the exercise is a real act of war. Under arrest, he escapes from the base and smuggles himself back to East Germany.
8"Able Archer"Samira RadsiAnna Winger5 August 2015
UK: 14 February 2016
Germany: 17 December 2015		U.S.: 0.107[26]
UK: 1.33[15]
German: 1.63[25]
The fear of a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the West had become a possibility at the East German HQ, while in the West, war game Able Archer reaches its peak. Martin finally manages to talk to high ranked officers in the East, revealing the deliberate misinterpretation of the conclusions of NATO's report by high-ranking East German officials.

Production

The show was created by the husband and wife team of American novelist Anna Winger and German TV producer Joerg Winger.[27][28] It is produced by Joerg Winger, Nico Hoffman, and Henriette Lippold. Anna Winger said that they did extensive research with experts who were from both sides of Germany.[29] Historian Klaas Voss from the Hamburg Institute for Social Research was very important in providing historical information.[29] Jonas Nay, who played Martin, said he received technical assistance from military adviser/NATO expert Steffen Meier.[30]

The show was shot in and around locations in Berlin, Germany. A suburb in east Berlin was used to portray period East Germany.[31] For some scenes the Stasi headquarters (in German, the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit) was used as a location and the production was able to film at the Stasi Museum, which is the actual site of the original headquarters.[11] The actual headquarters for the HV A was however in Gosen about 28 km (17 miles) south east of the Berlin TV tower, less than 1 km (0.6 miles) SE of the Berlin city limits, and approximately 4.5 miles (7.5 kilometers) south of the city of Erkner. The backup bunker for the headquarters of the HVA was also located there.[32][33]

Directors Edward Berger and Samira Radsi used the same crew—and often the same locations—to shoot their respective episodes. One director would prepare for shooting while the other was shooting. They worked in parallel like this throughout the filming of the show.[34] Radsi said she knew producer Winger from working together on the popular German TV show, SOKO Leipzig.[34]

SundanceTV created a digital marketing strategy that reflected the use of locations in Germany that were meant to recreate both East and West Germany in the early 1980s. Reflecting both the intertitle of the show, the marketing team created sliders[35] that show locations as they were in contrast to the current day.[36] The opening credits were created by Saskia Marka.[11][37]

Music

The show is notable for its extensive use of 1980s popular music, including Nena's "99 Luftballons", David Bowie, New Order and the Eurythmics among others.[6] Each week's episode has a playlist of music from and/or inspired by the episodes.[38] The score was created by Reinhold Heil, who produced the song "99 Luftballons."[11]

Heil, who often collaborates with Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), said that he was on board the project when he saw the first scene of the show, where two teenagers are being interrogated by the border guards (one of whom was Martin, the main character) for attempting to smuggle two books by Shakespeare and Marx across the border. He said that it was very realistic, which comes from his similar experience when he was caught smuggling music (Stravinsky and Bach).[39]

The theme for the respective English-subtitled North American and UK broadcasts of the series featured Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)" – the English-language version of Schilling's big 1983 European hit "Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)". However, the markedly different introductory sequence for the German broadcast of the series used New Order's 1983 hit "Blue Monday".

Critical response

Deutschland 83 was met with excellent reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the show a 100% score with an average rating of 8.2/10, sampled from 22 reviews. The consensus states: "An engrossing drama with a fun '80s soundtrack, Deutschland 83 chronicles an intense spy story that brings viewers uncomfortably close to the Iron Curtain."[48] On Metacritic, it holds a score of 79 out of 100, based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[49]

The first two episodes of Deutschland 83 premiered at the Berlinale 2015 to very positive reviews.[6][50] In its US television premiere, it also received positive reviews, with mention of its humor and successful depiction of a Cold War thriller, with favorable comparisons to the US show, The Americans.[51][52][53] Many critics called it the best show of the summer of 2015.[54][55][56][57]

Critic Emily Nussbaum from The New Yorker called the show a gorgeous, slinky thriller, comparing the set design and complete period immersion as being "nearly as aesthetically aspirational" as Mad Men, and although she thought the show pushed limits of believability with Martin's character becoming a bit Zelig-like, Nussbaum didn't consider that a huge issue.[58] In a mixed review, The New York Times compared the show to a show broadcast on The CW.[59]

Clemens Poellinger from the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet awarded the series a 5/6 rating. He praises the "excellence in time-faithful environment and details" but also points out the similarities with the series Weissensee.[60]

Broadcast

The series premiered in the United States on 17 June 2015, on SundanceTV, making it the first German-language series to air on a US network.[5][6] In Germany, it began to air after the U.S. run on RTL 26 November 2015.[61]

It premiered in Ireland on 29 November 2015, on RTÉ2.[62] All episodes were added to Australian streaming service Stan in December 2015.[63] On 14 January 2016, the series was made available for streaming in The Netherlands via Videoland.[64]

It premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 3 January 2016, with the final two episodes shown back-to-back on 14 February. It has since become the most popular foreign-language drama in the history of British television with an audience of 2.5 million viewers as of January 2016.[65]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lusher, Adam (15 May 2015). "Deutschland 83: Scandinavian TV takes a backseat as new show ushers in golden age for German TV dramas". The Independent. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  2. ^ Frater, Patrick (9 February 2015). "SundanceTV to Screen German-Language Spy Drama 'Deutschland 83′". Variety. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  3. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (17 June 2015). "SundanceTV's 'Deutschland 83′ Breaks Cultural Barriers with Cold War Chiller". Variety. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. ^ Middleton, Richard (23 June 2015). "Kino Lorber lands Deutschland 83". C21Media. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b "FremantleMedia International and SundanceTV Partner to take Deutschland 83 to the US". FremantleMedia. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Dalton, Stephen (11 February 2015). "'Deutschland 83': Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  7. ^ James Poniewozik. "Review: In Deutschland 83, East Meets West Germany". time.com. TIME Inc. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  8. ^ "'Deutschland 83' Debuts to So-So Ratings in Germany". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Deutschland 83: Sundance TV Show May Get Second Season". tvseriesfinale.com. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  10. ^ "'Deutschland 83' star keen on Berlin Wall follow-up". Reuters. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d Winger, Anna (22 July 2015). "10 Things We Learned While Tweeting with "Deutschland 83" Creator Anna Winger". SundanceTV / Twitter. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  12. ^ "6 Questions with "Deutschland 83" Star Sonja Gerhardt". SundanceTV. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  13. ^ Winger, Anna (6 August 2015). "All our episodes are named after NATO maneuvers from 1983. This is the biggie. #Deutschland83 @Deutschland83 @SundanceTV". Twitter. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (18 June 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 6.17.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Top 30 Programmes – BARB". Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  16. ^ a b Schering, Sidney (27 November 2015). "Primetime-Check: Donnerstag, 26. November 2015". Quotenmeter. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (25 June 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 6.24.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (2 July 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.1.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  19. ^ a b Riedner, Fabian (4 December 2015). "Primetime-Check: Donnerstag, 3. Dezember 2015". Quotenmeter. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  20. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (9 July 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.8.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  21. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (16 July 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.15.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ a b Riedner, Fabian (11 December 2015). "Primetime-Check: Donnerstag, 10. Dezember 2015". Quotenmeter. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  23. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (23 July 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.22.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  24. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (30 July 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 7.29.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  25. ^ a b Kybruz, Kevin (18 December 2015). "Primetime-Check: Donnerstag, 17. Dezember 2015". Quotenmeter. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  26. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (6 August 2015). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 100 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 8.5.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  27. ^ Foster, Nick (4 March 2010). "'Berlin surprises people'". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  28. ^ Hughes, Sarah (14 February 2015). "Germans fascinated by life on either side of the Berlin Wall". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  29. ^ a b "5 Questions with Deutschland 83's Creator Anna Winger". SundanceTV. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  30. ^ "6 Questions with "Deutschland 83" Star Jonas Nay". SundanceTV. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  31. ^ Roxborough, Scott (9 February 2015). "FremantleMedia International's 'Deutschland 83' Comes to Sundance TV in U.S." The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  32. ^ [1]
  33. ^ ""How realistic is Deutschland 83" post by Max Hertzberg". Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  34. ^ a b Quinnette, Celia (3 August 2015). "6 Questions with "Deutschland 83" Director Samira Radsi". SundanceTV. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  35. ^ "Deutschland 83: Historic Sliders". SundanceTV. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  36. ^ Edelsburg, Natan (6 July 2015). "Exclusive: An inside look at SundanceTV's digital strategy for Deutschland 83". The Drum. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  37. ^ "International Main Title Design". Untitled Design. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  38. ^ a b ""Deutschland 83" Playlist Curated by DJ Takefive of CÜR Music". SundanceTV. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  39. ^ Lanz, Michelle (5 August 2015). "Composer Reinhold Heil gives Cold War-era tension a modern twist in 'Deutschland 83'". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  40. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist Curated by DJ Geespin of Power 105.1". SundanceTV. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  41. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist Curated by Station Manager Ken from WFMU". SundanceTV. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  42. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist Curated by DJ John Fell Ryan". SundanceTV. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  43. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist Curated by DJ Jonathan Toubin of New York Night Train". SundanceTV. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  44. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist Top 10 Songs of 1983 According to Billboard". SundanceTV. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  45. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist curated by DJ David John Bishop". SundanceTV. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  46. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist curated by Composer Reinhold Heil". SundanceTV. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  47. ^ ""Deutschland 83" Playlist curated by Creator Anna Winger". SundanceTV. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  48. ^ "Deutschland 83: Season 1 (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  49. ^ "Deutschland 83 : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  50. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (11 February 2015). "'Deutschland 83' and 'Shkufim' Are Among Exciting International Series". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  51. ^ Valentine, Genevieve (17 June 2015). "Deutschland 83 takes its spycraft straight up, with a twist". A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  52. ^ Poniewozik, James (16 June 2015). "Review: In Deutschland 83, East Meets West Germany". Time. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  53. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (17 June 2015). "Ooooh, the Germans! (aka why you should watch Sundance's 'Deutschland 83')". HitFix. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  54. ^ Greenwald, Andy (17 June 2015). "Spies, Bananas, and the Berlin Wall: 'Deutschland 83,' the Summer's Best New Show, Premieres Tonight". Grantland. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  55. ^ Lyons, Margaret; Seitz, Matt Zoller (21 July 2015). "The Best TV Shows of 2015 (So Far)". Vulture. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  56. ^ Emami, Gazelle; Lyons, Margaret; Seitz, Matt Zoller (28 July 2015). "TV's Best Coming-of-Age Story Is a German Spy Drama". Vulture TV Podcast. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  57. ^ Duran, Jose D. (5 August 2015). "Five Reasons Deutschland 83 is This Summer's Best TV Show". Miami New Times. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  58. ^ Nussbaum, Emily (10 August 2015). "Clone Club: The eighties flashbacks of "Halt and Catch Fire" and "Deutschland 83."". The New Yorker. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  59. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (15 June 2015). "Review: 'Deutschland 83' Focuses on a Reluctant Cold War Spy". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  60. ^ Clemens Poellinger (9 January 2016). "Recension: Deutschland 83 (TV) – SvD". SvD.se.
  61. ^ "Deutschland 83 online schauen bei RTL NOW". RTL NOW. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  62. ^ "Deutschland 83". www.rte.ie. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  63. ^ "Deutschland 83 – TV Tonight". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  64. ^ "Deutschland 83 (Seizoen 1) vanaf 14 januari 2016 op Videoland". Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  65. ^ "Deutschland 83 becomes UK's highest rated foreign-language drama".
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