IMDb RATING
6.4/10
6.2K
YOUR RATING
A British college professor, working in Russia, investigates certain mysteries surrounding the life and death of Joseph Stalin.A British college professor, working in Russia, investigates certain mysteries surrounding the life and death of Joseph Stalin.A British college professor, working in Russia, investigates certain mysteries surrounding the life and death of Joseph Stalin.
Jakov Rafalson
- Moscow Official
- (as Yakov Rafalson)
Elena Butenko
- Older Librarian
- (as Elena Boutenko-Raykina)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaStalin had two sons, one of whom, Yakov, died in German captivity during the Great Patriotic War; the other, Vasilii died of alcoholism in 1962. Yakov's son Evgenii has tried to carry the family torch, much as "Joseph" in the film, with little success. The conceit of the film might be based on the discovery in 2001 of another Stalin grandson, whose father was conceived during Stalin's exile in Siberia before the revolution.
- GoofsKelso states that Arkhangelsk was founded by Peter the Great, but Arkhangelsk was founded no later than 1584, almost a century before Peter was even born.
- Quotes
Fluke Kelso: Look, actually... I don't want to sleep with you. Although that would be... a very attractive proposition but... I want something else from you.
Zinaida: Whatever you want is still three hundred.
- Alternate versionsArchangel appears as a three-part BBC series on IMDb, each about 45 minutes in length.
Featured review
'Archangel' is quite friendly towards those not familiar with the legacy of Josef Stalin, and is an engrossing mystery as a result...
Archangel
Set in contemporary Moscow and the frozen northern town of Archangel, the drama revisits the stark landscape of Communist Russia and takes place over four days in the life of academic Fluke Kelso. His fateful meeting with a former Stalinist bodyguard leads to the uncovering of one of the world's most dangerous and best kept secrets. He is led unwittingly through murder and intrigue towards his own personal "Holy Grail" - Joseph Stalin's secret legacy - a legacy that could change the face of Russian history forever.
'Archangel' is quite friendly towards those not familiar with the legacy of Josef Stalin, and is an engrossing mystery as a result. Unfortunately, there's also a lack of character development here. The people in this television film are just sort of presented to the audience, and then become pawns in the film's narrative. So it doesn't work very well as a thriller, and maybe an extra half an hour or so could have worked out this problem. However, Daniel Craig and Russian actress Yekaterina Rednikova give reliable performances, and the ending is definitely not what I was expecting (but in a good way). Not without its flaws, but worth catching when it's on again.
~ 7/10 ~
Set in contemporary Moscow and the frozen northern town of Archangel, the drama revisits the stark landscape of Communist Russia and takes place over four days in the life of academic Fluke Kelso. His fateful meeting with a former Stalinist bodyguard leads to the uncovering of one of the world's most dangerous and best kept secrets. He is led unwittingly through murder and intrigue towards his own personal "Holy Grail" - Joseph Stalin's secret legacy - a legacy that could change the face of Russian history forever.
'Archangel' is quite friendly towards those not familiar with the legacy of Josef Stalin, and is an engrossing mystery as a result. Unfortunately, there's also a lack of character development here. The people in this television film are just sort of presented to the audience, and then become pawns in the film's narrative. So it doesn't work very well as a thriller, and maybe an extra half an hour or so could have worked out this problem. However, Daniel Craig and Russian actress Yekaterina Rednikova give reliable performances, and the ending is definitely not what I was expecting (but in a good way). Not without its flaws, but worth catching when it's on again.
~ 7/10 ~
helpful•4712
- Extraordinary_Machine
- Apr 24, 2005
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content