Spies of Warsaw (TV series)
Spies of Warsaw is a British television series in which a Deuxième Bureau intelligence agent (spy) poses as a military attaché at the French embassy in Warsaw, and finds himself drawn into the outbreak of World War II.[1]
Spies of Warsaw | |
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Genre | Historical fiction |
Written by | Dick Clement, Alan Furst, Ian La Frenais |
Directed by |
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Starring | |
Composer | Rob Lane |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Richard Fell
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Production locations | Kraków, Warsaw |
Cinematography | Wojciech Szepel |
Running time | 180 minutes total |
Production companies |
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Distributor |
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Release | |
Original network | BBC Four |
Original release | 9 January – 16 January 2013 |
External links | |
Official website |
The television series takes its name from its source, The Spies of Warsaw, a 2008 spy novel by Alan Furst.
Cast
Main
Main cast includes:[1] Some of the story is set in Nowy Benesov and Nowy Boleslawiec.
- David Tennant - Jean-François Mercier
- Janet Montgomery - Anna Skarbek
- Marcin Dorociński - Antoni Pakulski
Support
Support cast includes:[1]
- Mirosław Zbrojewicz - Marek
- Ellie Haddington - Madame Dupin
- Burn Gorman - Jourdain
- Radosław Kaim - August Voss
- Linda Bassett - Malka Rosen
- Allan Corduner - Viktor Rosen
- Anton Lesser - Doctor Lapp
- Piotr Baumann - Maxim Mostov
- Jan Pohl - Zoller
- Richard Lintern - Colonel Lessard
- Julian Glover - General Beauvilliers
- Fenella Woolgar - Lady Angela Hope
- Richard Teverson - Roddy Fitzware
- Tuppence Middleton - Gabrielle
- Tusse Silberg - Helena Skarbek
- Gregg Lowe - Young German Soldier
- Grazyna Zielinska - Wladzia
- Grzegorz Emanuel - Weasel
- Nicholas Blane - Papa Heiniger
- Dan Fredenburgh - Armand
- Julian Harries - Duff Cooper
- Ziggy Heath - Kazimir
- Bogdan Koca - Leszek
- Adam Godley - Julius Halbach
- Nicholas Murchie - Johannes Elter
Episodes
There are four episodes, which have also aired as a two-part series.[2]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes rated the television series 64% from critics and 50% from average audience.[3]
The Telegraph liked the series for many features: appropriateness for "intergenerational shared viewing, never... too visually brutal, and the playing of the minor characters... was convincingly understated".[4] The Guardian complained: "It should have been the perfect spy thriller. It had everything. Except tension".[5]
New York Times deemed the series "true to the original in story and in spirit",[2] Slate as an engrossing, if slow-moving drama"[6] and the Boston Globe saying "a strangely bloodless affair".[7]
Accolades
The New York Times found the series "enjoyable, straightforward espionage tale without a lot of twists or extra layers".[2]
Broadcast and release
BBC America aired the series in April 2013.[2]
References
- "Spies of Warsaw". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- Stanley, Alessandra (2 April 2013). "Lonely Spy in a Love Triangle". New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- "Spies of Warsaw (2013–2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- Howse, Christopher (10 January 2013). "Spies of Warsaw, BBC Four, review". Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- Crace, John (9 January 2013). "TV review: Spies of Warsaw; The Food Inspectors". Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- Thomas, June (3 April 2013). "Why You Should Watch 'Spies of Warsaw'". Slate. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- Gilbert, Matthew (2 April 2013). "Spies of Warsaw: Thriller with No Thrills". Boston Globe. Retrieved 6 December 2017.