AMAZING!! Fantastic TV series and a super re-make of the famous 1972 Soviet Union era film

Gripping and atmospheric. Wow! Russians surely do know how to make WW2 films and this could be the best TV series i've ever seen.
It's mind-boggling to know what quality the Russian film industry can produce, and then to know that these wonderful films can't be
seen here in Scandinavia, in Sweden and probably not in other "western" countries either. And this just because of stupid ignorance
and/or bias - Russophobia. Hysteria caused by mainstream proaganda for the last decade, and payed and bought for by ....

I already knew that Russia make fantastic WW2 movies, with superior atmosphere and great looking military material, and most often
without the so common Hollywood patriotism and propaganda. The Soviets lost 25 million people fighting and defeating Nazi Germany
so they certainly has a right to make war movies. What i didn't know was that they produce TV movies of great quality too, as this gem.
Most Russian people, at least somewhat older ones, know about the 1972 film classic with the same title.
This Mini series has 4 episodes about 44 minutes each

The film tell us about a small idyllic village in russian Karelia in 1942 and with the Big war against Nazi Germany in full swing ... at some
other places as this village seems to be of no interest for the nazis. The village do have a small anti-aircraft unit though, led by the in
combat (the Finland winter war) wounded sergeant Fedot (Pyotr Fyodorov). A bitter unhappy man, with his son dead and with a wife
that left him and with no chance of yet again going to the front due to his wound.

Pyotr Fyodorov as Fedot

Ekaterina Vilkova as sergeant Kiryanova in front of the female squad at Junction 171

Sergeant Fedot is fed up of the soldiers under his command, mostly drunkards and womanizers not taking their duty in the idyllic
village very seriously, waiting for "real" duty at the front. He demands new soldiers for his anti-aircraft station and he gets them ...
an All Female squad. Now we get to see flashbacks describing the background of the soldiers (with deportations and war tragedies)
and Sergeant Fedot finds himself to be the last man in the village and having a hard time with the slightly unruly women.

The rural calm is disrupted when the women shoots down a German plane appearing out of nowhere. The pilot is later found dead in
the woods and with him he had documents depicting some secret military operation. Something to do with the white sea channel and
the Kirov railway and Fedot realizes that the nazis goal must be sabotage. End of episode 1.

At the beginning of episode 2 one of the soldiers, Rita, walk through the woods and sees two SS soldiers. A sabotage unit on their
way to the Kirov railway Fedot thinks and he and 5 of the female soldiers decides to go after them and kill them. Could be done.

Anastasia Mikulchina as Rita

Fedot and 5 young women, Rita, Zhenya, Sonya, Lisa and Galia leave on their mission, taking a short-cut through the woods to some
rocks to wait for the Germans. But there's a BIG problem, there aren't 2 soldiers closing in on them on the rocky passage, but 16 SS
elite soldiers. One girl is sent to notify someone about the sabotage squadron, so 5 is left. Can this brave quintet hinder the SS unit
long enough for backup to arrive, a war wounded sergeant and 4 young unexperienced women?

Wow! How great this series was. The interaction between Fedot and his brave soldiers, the atmosphere of the Russian forests, the
suspense and bravery and the tragic, the direction and the acting. Not bombastic and overly patriotic, but pensive and gripping.
It's a shame western people hasn't a clue about this beautiful TV production, should be shown in Sweden and everywhere.

Thank you: Pyotr Fyodorov (Fedot) - Anastasia Mikulchina (Rita) - Evgeniya Malakhova (Zhenya) - Agniya Kuznetsova (Sonya) -
Sophia Lebedeva (Lisa) - Kristina Asmus (Galia) and Ekaterina Vilkova (Kiryanova) also seen as Nastya in Black Lightning

Presented in anamorphic widescreen and a russian 5.1 or 2.0 DD audio with english subtitles. Region ALL blu-ray
Based on a novel by Boris Vasilyev and made in a 1972 film version. 4 episodes of appr. 42-44 minutes each