Deutschland 83 (2015) User Reviews

Chillingly accurate

[cafox513 · 9/10 · 19 June 2015]

I was in that business around that same time, in West Germany. The details in this production are amazing, right down to two Trabis on the same street in the East, and no Mercedes in the Stasi parking garage. I love the fact that Americans speak with a slight American accent, and use English words -- though not necessarily the ones a German would use. This takes me back, to the uniforms, buildings, concerns of a different time. One I sincerely hope will disappear forever.

The problems of sending an East German to the West reflect the problems we had sending a Westerner east. The 1,001 ways to be tripped up brings back memories of complex plans that felt good, but you knew had huge holes in them no one had noticed. The risk to the actual agent cannot be downplayed, and this series (after only seeing #1) seem to lock in tight on that vital element of spy games.

Excellent show that brings back a slew of memories!

[zephomaru · 8/10 · 29 August 2015]

I was in the US Army in '83 and intimately involved with the PII deployment and Able Archer. This perspective, from the East and West German point of view, is both reminiscent of my own experience and an enhancement of it. Well acted, produced, and an accurate account of the times. I had many German friends at the time, but due to my position I avoided talking politics as much as possible, but I hear their views echoed here.

Still, I was very aware of my friends reluctance to allow the PIIs and Cruise Missiles into their country. It wasn't until some years later that I discovered how Able Archer was perceived in the East, and this series recounts much of what I learned. It's been said that '83 was on par with the Cuban Missile Crisis in terms of edging toward nuclear war.

So to find a series that takes a piece of my past and twists and supplements it is very interesting. That is very well done makes it a must see for me! There are elements of the plot that get a bit overblown at times, but add to the intrigue and suspense (it is a fictional account, so that's OK). I'm very glad to have found this and would recommend it!!

Wunderbar!

[steven98664 · 9/10 · 10 July 2015]

This show is just awesome! They capture the feel of the 80's in a great way. I was not in East or West Germany but the older guys I worked with were and this show is as described. A people on the edge....

I really like the German actors and actresses, but especially the younger ones. The star, Jonas Nay, is awesome. A sense of innocence, youth, determination, and bravery even though he is the EG spy. It is great! Nikola Kastner is really great too. She conveys my memory of an 80's woman, from wherever so well.

The intrigue is great. Reminiscent for me of The Americans...kind of places a stress on you to watch as you get involved with the characters.

I think the only drawback for some viewers would be the subtitles. I don't mind at all.

You know, I want to know the model of that EG car that the mother drives!

I may be biased as reading, movies, and artifacts from the cold war era are a hobby of mine.

They really place you in it.....a good feel for what happened I think.

Excellent, intelligent TV

[irmafound-65212 · 9/10 · 31 August 2015]

Like most fiction, there are several logical, factual and dramatic flaws but that does not detract in any significant way from this series.

If you like history, are interested in Germany or specifically Germany in the 80s and most of all, if you need your TV drama to be smart and complex, you will love this series.

Yes it is extremely unlikely that a border guard with a fake identity would be accepted as an assistant to a West German general, but the characters and dramatic themes are extremely compelling. The attention to detail in terms of East v West Germany and early 80s vibe are outstanding.

I only wish that a "season" was more than a mere 8 episodes!

Germany's Finest

[bosihiov · 10/10 · 14 July 2015]

"Deutschland 83" is probably one of the most intense television programs I have seen in a long time. It is quite the thrill and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

"Deutschland 83" is the story of a young East German border guard (Martin Rauch) who is sent to West Germany by his mother's sister (also a spy) to infiltrate NATO. He is given a new identity (Moritz Stamm) and works as a general's aide-de-camp

There are also some interesting side stories, nearly as (if not as) intense as Martin's story.

All-in-all, watch this program. It is an amazing TV show and I am very glad that it was chosen to be the first German-language program to air in the US.

New and refreshing.

[empinetjp · 10/10 · 10 July 2015]

I was skeptic when I seen the trailer it doesn't portray the series in the right way I feel. Started watching it and was captivated very fast by the story. At first I was mostly interested in the time line as it is a time in history that we don't talk much about anymore in school and my generation didn't live it (I was born two years after). From what I can see and read of the internet it is quite accurate and is played very well keeps me waiting to see what is going to happen next.

This series is new and refreshing and I really enjoy it. So far from what I watched it is looking to be the best series that I have enjoyed this year.

You might enjoy this...

[bogus-bogus-one · 8/10 · 11 November 2015]

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.

Something New

[B24 · 7/10 · 18 June 2015]

Refreshing to watch the beginning of this series on Sundance Channel, a foreign language entry that catches a moment in recent German history without the usual quintessential archetypes and funny accents of any random American production involving Germans. The tables are turned in fact because it is the American characters speaking German who seem a bit less than convincing. English subtitles are no major distraction, because the script is terse and direct.

As in most German cinema, nothing is left to the imagination. If a character is destined to be a hero or a saint (or something in between) that element is telegraphed in advance by the director's emphasis on a frown, an arched eyebrow, a look of confusion, or a surreptitious stage movement. We know where the series is going by the end of the first episode, yet we identify with the young man at the center of the story irrespective of his opening attitude. There is none of the ambivalence or inchoate suspense found in one of John Le Carré's filmed spy novels.

I am looking forward immensely to viewing the remainder of the series in spite of not believing, really, that many of the easy coincidences, arch villains, clandestine meetings in the woods, and other stereotypical story devices could have actually happened.

Excellent, True to the period of look and feel

[marktcaswell · 10/10 · 15 August 2015]

My Brother was is W. Berlin from 1980 to 1983. I was in Kitzingen, Germany from 1984 to 1987. This show is true to the look, feel and emotions of the Cold War at that time. The emotional and psychological tug of Cold War was palpable during the 80's with every step one took, and this show, somehow, surprisingly brings those feelings and emotions down to the minutest detail alive again. The U.S. and the Soviet Union were preparing for war, and the Fulda Gap was where we practiced our maneuvers for a ground assault (this is common knowledge, so don't get your panties in a wad over this information). Everything in this series, especially the use of music, cars, and women is spot on. Bravo! This series deserves to continue.

cold war games

[dromasca · 7/10 · 5 December 2016]

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.

awesome!

[facebook_acc · 10/10 · 11 July 2015]

so when I watched it at first, I was constantly seeking for faults. thats because I am a German and I was in the Friedensbewegung. I was on the Hofgarten-demonstration and on the anti-Reagan-protests.

it is excellent work the maker of the show did here. I found nearly no fault, they nailed it, down to the clothes, the way of people speaking, the surroundings, the cars, the flats, the furniture, the music on the parties, everything. it is so 80s in Germany, it hurts.

more important is the fact, that they nailed the spirit of the times in Germany. we were in great anger about Reagan and naturally the Russians, all these blockheads doing nothing or if doing something, the did the wrong things. politicians = liars and stupid testosterone-freaks. thats how we saw it and thats what it mostly was.

people were in fear of these bastards with the atomic weapons in their hands. and they called it democracy. no one ever asked the people about that cold war scenario. so you can see under the story what the so called western democracies were worth and are worth. near to nothing.

thanks to the maker of the show. thousand times thank you! for showing how politicians and stupid warheads pull normal people into their disgusting plays and manipulate the world.

Intriguing show with potential

[Zen416 · 7/10 · 25 July 2015]

Subtitles aside, I like the even pace of this show. The perfectly cast Jonas Nay (Martin/Moritz) is an East German soldier more or less forced into spying on the West by his ice-queen aunt Leonora (the excellent, subtly villainous Maria Schrader) who holds Martin's mother's illness over his head as one of the bargaining chips. The spying he does is believable stuff (bugging rooms and so forth) and Nay does a wonderful job portraying a young soldier who is becoming increasingly conflicted over what he must do based on what he's told and not what he actually starts to see for himself. He's also perfectly cast and believable because he's not some glossy pretty boy...he looks like a soldier.

Some of the supporting characters, though, are written too two-dimensional for me. Through no fault of the actors portraying them, there's the dippy and annoying wife of General Edel, Ursula (Anna von Berg), who wouldn't have a clue if it hit her upside the head. She brushes off her (somewhat drunken) sister's claims on an incident and walks around like a stepford wife, baking kuchen and tortes and ignoring the world around her. Then there is the blustery American General Jackson, who's written like the cartoon character Yosemite Sam (he might as well shoot off his pistols every five minutes and call everyone a varmint...again, no disrespect to Errol Trotman-Harewood, who's doing the best he can with that stupid part). Martin's girlfriend Annett also grates on one's nerves because she's too goody-goody and unrealistic.

This show has promise but it would be better for me if they showed a more diverse belief amongst the German characters. Most of them fret a lot over peace and wring their hands, figuratively speaking as they are helpless children of divorce caught between two warring parents (the US and USSR). I suppose that's why I like the doofy general's kid with the crazy bowl-cut hair (Ludwig Trepte) because at least he believes in something, right or wrong and has the stones to act on it. That's the interesting stuff. I hope, if there is a second series, Sundance will carry it here because it's different. Check it out and don't be afraid of the subtitles.

A Life of Spies

[richard-bond2 · 5/10 · 13 January 2016]

I am enjoying this drama so far but I have to admit that it is necessary to suspend belief at times in order to follow the plot. I have to assume that there was a considerable time between his recruitment by the STASI and being sent West as an ADC to a General. He has to have been trained fully in spy "tradecraft" he had to be trained in the ways and disciplines of the German Army and he had to have had a convincing back story to cover his training etc. What happened to the body of the man he "replaced"? Surely that would have alerted the security services that a "dead" man was now ADC at a major NATO conference. It is details like this that are the enemy of the avid watcher of these sorts of film. So it's because of these inconsistencies and inaccuracies that I am only able to Rate the show 5. I can come back at the end and see how I feel then.

Versatile personal tragedies to avoid a global one in the pre-mobile and pre-Internet era

[BeneCumb · 8/10 · 27 October 2015]

1980ies was a really critical decade in the post-WWII period, tensions were the highest since the 1960ies, as the economical gaps between the East and West started to enhance faster. The split Germany encountered apparently the biggest tensions as the nation/language was the same, NATO bases were close, and GDR intelligence was considered among the best in the world...

Although I was quite young at that time, Deutschland 83 seems very realistic to me, brings forth some memories and attitudes East Germans were known in the Warsav Pact block... True, some topics were apparently "bedighted" and intensified for the sake of feature series and providing meatiness and additional warmth and humour, this mini-series is no US-type of action mockery, with constant chases and blasts. For younger generations accustomed to search engines etc., some events may seems odd and questionable, but back then all checking was much more complicated and slower.

The cast is evenly strong, I found Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch / Moritz Stamm, Maria Schrader as Lenora Rauch, and Ludwig Trepte as Alex Edel most elaborated characters/performances. But still, it is good that all speak their native language (or broken German), and being made on German soil and cities, you can feel the real European/German life and background throughout the whole series.

The ending could have been more twisty, but still, a good series. Special mention to those who selected songs and soundtrack - one can hardly find more suitable melodies and texts for specific events and general atmosphere.

Full of flaws, but intriguing to watch.

[vlad-37 · 9/10 · 2 August 2015]

You cannot send an East Germany border guard to be an assistant to West Germany General. It will fail. But, if you disregard logic, then you will find an interesting TV series, as I did. It is a fiction, after all. Liked it a lot. I have to have some feelings towards TV characters, and this TV series nailed it. I do believe them, so it is a good adventure to the time I was young and nukes were real. Actors are good, it makes me want to see more German movies. I did not like looks of East Germany, as was there as a student. Houses were not that badly repaired, I think Germans start to forget what it was like. Overall feelings are good, please do more.

Impressive, amazing TV series

[syronth · 8/10 · 1 February 2016]

It is exaggerated, it is pretty dramatic. But thats what we usually expect today. On the other hand it were pretty dramatic times, the cold war was no fun at all even if we might think so today. This is what happens if you do not communicate.

For me personally it's one of the best German TV shows of the last decades - speaking as a German. Our movies and TV shows are usually totally crap (especially today I would say). American readers might think that's a sad fact that is also true for American productions, but believe me, it's not the same. But that's a different topic.

The series has its weaknesses, sometimes its pretty much a cliché but don't forget it's a comprehension of these times, it's not a documentary, it's a drama series. And there were in fact a lot of stubborn and blind people in high-rank positions, who even thought they were „smarter" than anyone else.

I've been born in West Germany. 1983 I was just 7/8 years old and I do remember that my father (a teacher) was somehow upset at this time. I didn't understand the whole stuff, the TV was sometimes full of it, but this made me grow up with the idea that the whole world is pretty close to destroy itself in an instant. Strange times - I hadn't really a clue what was happening and was watching and doing a lot of different stuff. Geez, I was a kid, kids are always optimistic although I did have one or another nightmare of „some big war". The American culture had a deep and massive influence on Western Germany at this time, I do remember this quite well and it's not so obvious in this show but it's still noticeable. Like the GDR was under massive influence of the soviet union. Till today it's burned into my brain, indelibly. (Keep this is mind if you're an American and talk to Germans today - this whole cold war thing has pretty much messed up everything in the aftermath - till today.)

But I'm loosing my point. For me the series captures the feeling in Germany at this time pretty well, the characters are spot on, the actors do an awesome job, they really feel „80s style", only the budget limit obviously stopped it from being better overall. But for this it's pretty impressive and for German standards pretty brave. It could have a bit more teeth but not to much since it's fairly trying to find a balance without punching into faces, it gives both sides a fair share of the story. We are smarter today - aren't we?

Kudos to the producers, the writer, the director and the actors. Great job, it's a remarkable show I really wish it would go on and become even better. It were pretty difficult times but I believe Germany today is in an even more delicate situation and this story is not over yet. Unfortunately.

Excellent

[morchio · 10/10 · 2 December 2015]

One of the best TV show I've seen in a long time! It's exciting,never predictable and amusing,you want more and more of it! I really hope they'll make a sequel 'cause 8 episodes aren't enough! I wasn't born in 1983,so I kept asking my dad for details,but I think they nailed it because everything feels so 80s and so credible.

The ensemble cast is tightly directed to deliver credibility in what was an unbelievable time in world history. Costuming and locations are spot-on, and the series encapsulates the terror and the excitement of that year perfectly. The realism particularly of the atmosphere, offices, technology and mindset of the East German security agency bureaucrats of that era is so very well done. Highest praise. I'd be surprised if producers aren't eyeing an American re-make. Brilliant.

Interesting and nostalgic

[rommua · 7/10 · 18 December 2016]

Acting varies from OK to good, the story is believable, connecting events to real world escalations at the time seems well played. Recommended to people from GDR and other former socialist countries: feels like visiting a GDR museum a little and brings a smile on a face, that's definitely what authors intended.

There are some plain moments, the plot can get very predictable and the pilot could be a bit more engaging too.

Also wanted to highlight that there are way too many modern things (ceilings, lights, doors, building walls, chairs etc.) in the GDR; all cars seem to be very clean and new; Field Station Berlin, although very briefly, but shown in current state: all small things probably not so noticeable for folks not from former socialist countries and young population. But for me, as for someone who grew up in 90s, it still catches the eye a lot.

The tension of the early 80s - nailed

[kimdino-1 · 9/10 · 21 July 2019]

I was growing up in Britain during the events of this story and this series brought back the creepiness of the cold war at this time. How we lived under the ever-present threat that, in the next four minutes, we could be totally annihilated. And the permanent paranioa about what the USSR was up to.

It was only afterwards that we learnt how much we'd been fed and about the times we came so close to nuclear annihilation. The Able Archer fiasco wasn't publicized until much later (that would have made CND unstoppable) but, nonetheless, we never had to dig very deep to find the tension.

This series brought back the tension of the times. Let's hope we never do this to ourselves again. Nonetheless, humanity has shown itself stupid enough to keep repeating it mistakes, so stuff like this series serves as a useful reminder to us all.

Many reviewers have made comments of the form 'there's no way that....' regarding innaccuracies. Putting a spy into the enemy top level wold have taken a great deal of work & patience, with too much detail to have fitted in a miniseries. The pertinent fact is that the Stasi had infiltrated NATO, and so was able to stop Able Archer becoming WW3. The same goes for other details. This isn't so much a reenaction of how spying was achieved as a presentation of the general picture of the times, and a very well presented one.

Disappointed

[videofreak-45348 · 6/10 · 6 September 2015]

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!

Life on the border

[paul2001sw-1 · 8/10 · 21 February 2016]

It seems strange to think now that when I was growing up Germany was divided; but it's in this world of my youth that "Deutschland '83" is set, when Ronald Regan installed new missiles in Europe and the world appeared to be on a perilous course. The series tells a spy-story, which also serves to illuminate the differences between east and west. It's well plotted and acted and does a decent job at conveying the spirit of the times, although it feels a little constrained by the fact that history has already decided who the good, and bad, guys were. It's not the most profound exploration of its subject, but it's a tense and entertaining thriller.

Mission Impossible meets 23

[Karl Self · 6/10 · 17 April 2016]

My feelings about this TV series are ambiguous. It's fun to watch and has a nice, grubby look to it, as well as a great, dishy cast. It also serves as a platform for great 1980ies music -- let me just tell you, kids, that not all Eighties music was that cool, a lot of it was terribly naff.

The series is however in no way realistic. Quite often it's verging on insulting the intelligence of the viewer, such as when our babyfaced 007 contacts his handlers by phoning them ("Hello, I'm at their party as a top undercover agent and they don't suspect a thing! Oh no, I think someone has overheard me, creating further complications throughout the storyline!") or meeting them at a gas station -- of course, slipping back into the car just a microsecond before the general gets back in.

Also, a sexy Asian assassin slash bit of fluff appears, gets thrown off a balcony onto a flight of marble stairs and just vanishes from the plot without a further trace. Fine by me!

And I liked the persona of the main character, he's not your usual butch superhero nor an ingenu. He looks like he's been thrown into things.

In brief, action and suspense in an unsual setting with a nice vibe to it. But nothing more.

Could do better - use consultants for details

[gudrunley · 5/10 · 15 February 2016]

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.

Loved it

[annaruth-70750 · 9/10 · 12 August 2015]

My husband is German & we live in Alabama, so it's not often we are able to watch TV in German. We loved that there were no voiceovers for this series. The historical accuracy is pretty spot on. Like some other reviews, I will say that some of the acting could have been better. The fact that my native language is English & I could point out poor acting throws a small red flag. I also think a bit more money could have been put in the production. But we really enjoyed the series & looked forward to a new episode every week. We are now going through Deutschland 83 withdrawals. We hope a second season is not too far away!!

Cold War in the two Germanies.

[tankace · 9/10 · 8 March 2017]

Deutschland 83 is by far the best spy series I have seen in years and I learn for it from my lessons in German and I thought let's check it out and it was a really nice experience. The series is very well made the characters are for the most part realistic and the contrast between East and West was brilliant and as a history buff I examine a lot that stuff and when is done right ,I am happy and this is one of those times!

To the series is set in 1983 and we follow Martin Rauch a east German border patrol guard as he is recruited to snick in the NATO command to bring information about the Persing II missiles as well as anything else the NATO forces are planing. So due to health problem of his mother he goes to do it in order to aid her. And here is were the paranoia, fear and politics of the escalation of the Cold War starts again during the period of 1979 to 1985 and the threat of a nuclear war was all to real and at times just a moment away from happening. What also the creative team portrait very well were the changing culture in the early eighties and it is nice to have series like this one ,Narcos and Stranger Things ,set in a show recent period and not been fearing showing the more human side of a period which the majority of the viewing audiences knows about it only from history books and documentaries.

But our protagonist, played perfectly by Jonas Nay, was the best part as he was the bridge between the two Germanies for his character did what he did out of a true love for his country and in order to provide a better world for his family, but as the series progress he is having doubts and wants to back down but his superiors are so far up-on his nuts that he can't do much. And that was the best part of him he isn't a fanatical, his motivation more personal and in all honesty he isn't a bad guy ,when he does something unethical, he is hurt by that deed. As for the rest of the cast they were very good and flesh out nicely the flesh of that period. To continue to the setting was as close to the real deal as in could get with a TV budget and it was pleasing to see the East Germany been shown so well and that was possible because the producing team used eras of the then Eat Berlin for authenticity.

And the music was a blast to hear the research to find the appropriate bits must have been a real headache thankfully it paid off. Since Westworld(2016) and Game of Thrones I have heard such a fitting score of a television series, what can we say than in the golden age of television ,these things must become the norm ?

All in all it is a quit enjoyable spy series with drama, romance, thrills and engaging plot, what's not to love about it?