The Shield and the Sword (film)

The Shield and the Sword (Russian: Щит и меч ) is a 1968 Soviet spy series with four parts directed by Vladimir Basov. It is based on a novel by Vadim Kozhevnikov, who was Secretary of the Soviet Writers' Union. It was a highly influential movie in the Soviet Union, inspiring many, Vladimir Putin for instance, to join the KGB.

Contents

• Parts
• Cast
• References

Storyline: The year is 1940 and Nazi Germany is at the height of its military prowess, having captured most of Europe and eyeing the Soviet Union to the East. The Russian military command suspects hostile intent from Germany and so arranges for its spies to infiltrate ranks of the German military and the SS. Alexander Belov (Lyubshin) is a Russian spy, who travels from Soviet-held Latvia to Nazi Germany under an alias of Johann Weiss. His mastery of the German language, steel nerves and an ability to manipulate others help him to use his connections in the SS to ascend the ladder of the German intelligence. He uses his position to identify sympathetic Germans, who help him to procure vital intelligence, and to help local resistance movements in their collective fight against Nazism.

The song What Does Motherland Begin With? (С чего начинается Родина), sung by Mark Bernes, that was main musical theme of each film in the series, became well known in the USSR.