KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

dromasca Once, half a life ago, I stood in front of the Brandenburg Tor on Eastern side of the wall. The year was 1980 and I was visiting East Berlin and the DDR, one my two only trips in 'friendly socialist' countries that I was allowed while I lived in Communist Romania. The local guide preached us about being at the border between the 'new' socialist world and the capitalist hell that was starting behind the wall. It was maybe 100 meters far away, and a different universe. The same evening, at the hotel, the same guide showed us how to switch the TV set to the West Berlin stations. It was then that I first saw the Rolling Stones in concert, live, they were on tour in West Berlin ('the hell'). Everybody seemed to know that they were living a lie but the power of the Stasi secret police was too frightening, and most people were afraid to speak up. Now, this interesting TV series brings back some of the aspects of the last decade of the Cold War, in the huge chess board that was divided Germany in the confrontation between the two systems.Deutschland 83 is a spy story, it could have been written by a Le Carre, it just happens to be seen from the perspective of the other side. The eight episodes of the German series build in quite an interesting manner. At first we become familiar with the methods of recruitment of the East-German service, who were enrolling using a combination of idealism (or what was left) among the naive ones in the young generation and blackmail for such supposed crimes like homosexuality or reading forbidden books. It's quite well written and succeeds to be in tune with some of the true histories that became public in Germany in the years after the fall of the wall. Although the final is quite well known from the history books, the last two episodes succeeded to reach a level of suspense which eventually caught up with me.Using documentary footage and period music helps recreate the atmosphere of the decade. The series benefit from the presence of a few wonderful actors. Maria Schrader is a star in Germany and her rendition of a master spy who does not hesitate to use members of her family to reach her goals, but is not free of hidden and dark secrets of herself is just stunning. Young actor Jonas Nay gibes a very credible performance of the rookie spy who learns the tough ways of the profession in parallel with the culture shock encountered when traveling to the west and his own process of awakening as realities slowly disperse the curtain of lies.It's a good and entertaining series doubled with a real documentary value for the generations that were lucky enough not to live through the times of divided Germany and Europe.

gudrunley I am German and lived in east Germany as a child and in West Berlin until 1970. The series strikes me as something of a fairy story. just to give some examples: the protagonist would, as someone else stated, have to have undergone extensive training, not only in the English language - Russian was the first foreign language in East Germany - but also in West German - by 1983 the word material had diverged, reflecting the political and cultural separation since WWII. Just one example of the credibility gap: the protagonist's flight back into GDR. Controls on entering the motorway corridor were extremely strict. If you moved house from Berlin or vice versa you couldn't just pile stuff inside or on top of the car, you had to use a removal firm and itemise your goods in triplicate, down to your books. That's how claustrophobic the times were. Also, I know there was no way of stopping on the east German motorway (at least by 1970 and I would be interested to be corrected). Travel was timed, you were fined if you broke the speed limit and arrived too soon. There are many other details that don't ring true. I accept the series is meant to be entertainment not documentary but even my husband (English) found it hard to have to suspend disbelief so often.

Bogus One IF you already like the series "The Americans", remember the 80's and don't mind subtitles.It is a nice German spy adventure involving the youth in the German states that had been divided since the end of WW2.I was 28 years old at the time this story takes place so... there were more than a few sentimental moments for me. It can be a lot of fun if, like me you are old enough to remember songs like "99 Luftballons". Or maybe you remember that sensation first time you ever used that "new" Sony Walkman? WOW!Obviously this is a TV series so it isn't Shakespeare but... I found the writing more than adequate. Actors were good too. I found it easy to follow even while reading subtitles. (I only understand a tiny bit of German).Watching as a U.S. citizen is a real bonus too. I do remember most of the historical events depicted but... from a much different perspective. It was eye opening to finally consider what it must have been like for the people living in Europe during this period.

John Black This started with such promise, but by the 3rd episode it's all fallen apart. The character acting is way over the top thanks to the scriptwriting which turns into a parody of itself. There's still some nostalgic value which kept me going, but closer to the 7 episode you are irritated as hell, leaving you thinking this is just plain silly and unbelievable. Such a pity, this could of been something quite special! I was hoping for something a little more sophisticated like "The Lives of Others 2006". Give it a whirl if you still enjoy it by episode 6 you at the home stretch. But for me it doesn't match up to the above ratings. Sorry, I really wanted to like this!