They're all in a foreign language with English Subtitles. "SiSi" and "The Empress" are my favorite Historical Period Series. I'm enjoying watching "Luisa Spagoli" ... again...
Astrid - French
La Otra Mirada - Spain
Luisa Spagnoli - Italian
Luna & Sophie - German
Munch - French
Seaside Hotel - Danish
SiSi - German
The Defense - Polish
The Empress - German
Favorite 3 - My Review
Nyrkki, (Shadow Line) 2019 - 2021
Finnish TV Series, 2019 - 2021
It was by accident that I found the Finnish International Spy Thriller TV Series, “Nyrkki,” in the Sundance Collection of my Cable, Premium Channels, AMC+. I was scrolling the “S’s” Sundance Titles when “Shadow Line” caught my attention. Click after click increased my curiosity because of my bond with my extended Finnish family since the 1970s; I was pleased to discover this TV Series. I do not speak Finnish; however, I was taught to at least pronounce some Last Names correctly.
The first two episodes are complicated and sometimes challenging to follow as the plots, subplots, characters, background information, flashbacks, place, time, and history are introduced. Until almost the end of the third episode, I figured out what the story might be about. There is some “Adult content,” as well as violent scenes where I shut my eyes and put my hands over my ears. These scenes are in the context of the story and believable.
The Direction was outstanding. After the first two Episodes, I quickly read the subtitles and appreciated the cultural Finnish acting styles. The characters’ personalities were consistent from one episode to the next. Although fictional, I identified with the historical events in this fast-paced 1950s CIA, KGB Spy story in Helsinki.
The story’s unexpected twists and turns were not what I expected. Although not emphasized in the series, I did experience that quiet, dry “Finnish Sense of Humor, calculatedly introduced in a few episodes. I will watch it again from a different point of view. For details, visit IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8734462/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1
Nyrkki, (Shadow Line) 2019 - 2021
Finnish TV Series, 2019 - 2021
Drama, Thriller, Not Rated (Adult Content)
11 Episodes, “Sundance Now”
Kultainen Venla 2020
Awards, 2 Nominations:
Nominee, Kultainen Venla:
Director of the Year - Fiction (Vuoden ohjaaja - fiktio)
Best Actress (Paras naisnäyttelijä)
IMDB Summaries
“During the 1950s, Helsinki was the focal point of the Cold War, as global powers and their intelligence agencies coalesced in the small neutral country that stood between the East and the West. Sphere of Shadows is an international spy thriller that follows a secret intelligence team whose mission is to defend the independence of Finland no matter the cost.”
“Helsinki 1955. As the Finnish presidential election draws near, the CIA and the KGB are willing to do anything to make sure that their candidates become the next President of Finland. The Fist, a top-secret Finnish task force, must protect the independence of Finland at all costs. But their mission is endangered when their newest member puts them all at risk to find out the truth about her past.”
2 Previous Movie Versions
Satan Met a Lady, 1936
With Bette Davis and Warren William
The Maltese Falcon, 1931
with Bebe Daniels and Ricardo Cortez
and a Documentary
The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird
IMdb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120857/
Leonard Maltin's TV Movies & Video Guide, 1989 Edition
New York, NAL PENGUIN INC., 1988
Tea with Mussolini, 1999
Italian-British, Drama, 117 min. PG
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
with Cher, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Lily Tomlin, Charlie Lucas, Baird Wallace, Massimo Ghini, Paolo Seganti, Michael Williams
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120857/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_q_Tea%2520with%2520Mu
A group of British and American travelers made an indefinite visit to Italy in 1935. Luca is a boy living in Florence whose family situation is precarious; his mother has run off, and his father has little time for him. Fortunately, he’s a welcome guest with Mary, and an English woman visiting Italy to soak up European culture. Mary and her friends enjoy the cultured, creative atmosphere of life in Italy, and their initial response to the rise of fascism is to arrange a polite meeting with Mussolini to make sure he and his soldiers mean well.
