Nikita

Stalin's Death - The End of an Era (2014)
HDTV | 1280x720 | .MKV/AVC @ 2659 Kbps | 43mn 30s | Audio: English MP2 192 kbps, 2 channels | Subs: None | 905 MiB
Genre: Documentary | History

March 5, 1953. Stalin is dead. One day later, he is lying in state in an open coffin as more than 1.5 million mourners make their way through the streets of Moscow to pay their last respects. This film recounts the events of the last days of Stalin’s life and tells the story of his death. On the morning of March 2, 1953, at his secret summer home in Kuntsevo, on the outskirts of Moscow, neither his bodyguards nor his closest comrades are prepared for what they hear when the officer on duty reports that he has found Stalin unconscious in his study. No- one could say precisely when the stroke had occurred, as the guard had been under strict orders not to disturb him. But Stalin’s death is a momentous occasion and soon triggers a murderous battle for power in the Kremlin. To the surprise of many, it is Nikita Khrushchev who ultimately triumphs in the battle to be Stalin’s successor. In this film, Stalin’s last body double tells his incredible story for the very first time. Secret service officers, military personnel, Khrushchev’s son, gulag prisoners, authors and historians are interviewed. Film locations include the summer home in Kuntsevo, where the dictator died. The house is shrouded in mystery and still closed to the public.

PBS - Cuban Missile Crisis: Three Men Go to War (2012)
HDTV | 1280x720 | .MKV/AVC @ 2450 Kbps | 55mn 23s | Audio: English AC3 384 kbps, 2 channels | Subs: None | 1.12 GiB
Genre: Documentary

On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy informed the world that the Soviet Union was building secret missile bases on the island of Cuba, 90 miles off the shores of Florida. The events of the next 13 days brought the world closer to nuclear disaster than it had ever been before or since. This is the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, exploring how the earth teetered on the very brink of nuclear holocaust and the fate of the planet lay in the hands of three iconic characters - Nikita Khrushchev, Fidel Castro and John F Kennedy. As the anniversary of the Crisis approaches, nuclear brinks-manship is still high on the international agenda today and the events of October 1962 hold invaluable lessons for a generation too young to remember just how close we came to the end. Capturing the drama of those fateful days, this authored and cinematic film also focuses on the very strong human stories of the witnesses and participants in the Crisis.

The Conan Doyle stories had been made into many films before us, but, as I see it, our characters are remarkable in being very human and convincing. This is probably why the British recognized our film to be the best European version of its kind.

Vasily Livanov 'Sherlock Holmes'