A little Müller moment, a random armchair thought that belongs nowhere
else but here haha :’) I first saw Russian actor Leonid Bronevoy in the comedy
“Pokrovsky Gate” (1982), as Velyurov, a shy and lonely pianist full of mild
pre-perestroika sentimentality, so it felt like he was suddenly a complete
stranger to me as the villainous Müller in “Seventeen Moments of Spring” (1973)
- the gulf between his two characters kept me in awe (and frankly, mild terror
that only grew as the series went on) of his performance.
Recently I read
something where he shared that part of his character’s carefully restrained
tetchiness came down to his SS uniform tailored 2 sizes down (accidentally? So
I understood with my beginner Russian, haha). That barely disguised, minute
physical discomfort transmutes so perfectly into wordless theatre, as he
himself put it - every subtle tug of his tunic, press of his belt, and pull of
his collar, undermines Müller’s charm, calm, and control to half-reveal the
tumultuous energy and wild tension beneath, a great actor Xo
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