Films: Tsar'
Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 5:42AM I would like to thank all readers who in the past 2 weeks commented on my recent articles and would like to apologise for my absence. I have to write my sociology assignment.
I had the chance to watch Tsar' over the holidays, my dad brought it on DVD from Russia. I requested it a long time ago when it first came to my attention on Russia Blog. According to their preview, the film was to focus on relationship between Tsar Ivan and his Metropolitan St. Phillip, and so it does. If you expected a modern re-creation of Eisenstein's masterpiece, I have to disappoint you. But disappointing this film certainly is not. Hopefully it might convince some of the primitive tyrant worshipers out there of their error (1). There are no Hollywood style grand battles, no re-enactment of the siege of Kazan' and no triumph. In fact the only battle there is is devoid of special effects and even though it ends in victory, that victory is short lived. Tsar' Ivan goes into rage and exacts brutal punishment against his generals and Phillip in the process loses his trust because for a while he sheltered the generals at a monastery.
I don't want to go into recounting the events depicted in the movie and thus spoil your potential experience of it. Suffice to say that it is an account of Ivan's delusions and inhumanity and the destructive effects it all had on Russia, her people and her Church. The leading role is played by Petr Mamonov who also stared in the movie Ostrov (Island) which I must say I enjoyed more than this one. Yes I do have a little objection to Tsar', namely that it is disturbingly brutal. I do not mind violence in films but had a feeling that it was a bit excessive this time. I certainly felt that way watching the Taras Bul'ba film and maybe it is still that impression I had in work here. To be honest I have to watch it again to make my mind up on this issue. This is actually a good thing, few movies have that effect that compels me to watch them again.
(1) My term 'tyrant worshipers' refers to a phenomenon within Russian Orthodox religious life, where some individuals lobby for canonisation of such repulsive figures as Rasputin or the above discussed Ivan IV, there might be those that want to canonize Stalin as well. A great rebuttal of their struggle is given here by Vladyka (now Patriarch) Kirill, unfortunately it is only in Russian. I don't know what can be behind such initiatives, is it that people who are engaged in such folly are simply unchurched? I'd like to believe it is that simple.
Reader Comments (3)
From the trailer this film looks like something I'd like to see. Too bad it isn't on Google Video or cinemas.
vypada dobre, ti to pak slohnu
Cau Arnie, ja to mam na Hlubokej...