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Video: 3 strange foreign films about the history of Russia: "Catherine the Great", "Taras Bulba" and "Rasputin"
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Historical costumed films will never go out of style. And the Russian Empire for them is just a storehouse of plots. True, when films are shot far from Russia and other lands of the empire, incidents happen … Yes, of such a level that sometimes you want to introduce a bear and a balalaika into the plot at the same time.
Catherine the Great (2019)
This queen is a favorite with foreign filmmakers - because of her novels, dramatic seizure of the throne and a large number of historical events during her reign. So in 2019, HBO presented the series again about her. The series was eagerly awaited, since Helen Mirren was supposed to take part in it. Since it became known that there are dark-skinned actors in the casting, they especially hoped for the appearance on the screen of the sons of the famous Abram Hannibal - Osip Abramovich, Pushkin's grandfather, an artilleryman who served in Catherine's army faithfully, and his legendary brother, General Ivan Abramovich, who participated in the Catherine naval wars.
The reality greatly disappointed the audience. General Hannibal was never shown, but instead of him a certain prince Rostov was made black. "They don't care what the names of these blacks are?" - Russian spectators were perplexed. Needless to say, the prince also grew a beard, which was not particularly common under Catherine.
Other historical characters have undergone changes in appearance. Helen Mirren plays Catherine the Great, starting from her about thirty years - the prime of her youth and strength. The age of the actress herself is much, much more - not even twice. Immediately not young in the frame and the secret husband of the Empress Potemkin. “I don’t believe in the chemistry between these two,” is the most frequent review of the acting couple's acting.
Before Catherine, Helen Mirren had already played royal persons, but British ones - Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II. Viewers are sure that in these roles she was much more in her place. Moreover, some of the interiors are clearly taken from films about the history of Britain. For example, those on which decorative inscriptions in English are noticeable.
Taras Bulba (1962)
The famous novel by Gogol was filmed more than once, but only once - in the United States. And the plot was treated more than freely. So, the film begins with the Poles trying to lure Bulba into the service, but he quarrels with them. And then, returning to the Cossacks, he declares that the Cossacks were forbidden to use forelocks. Then his sons … No, they do not return from their studies, but on the contrary, they leave to study at the Polish Academy, where they are humiliated in every possible way. The film ends with a happy ending. Taras Bulba takes the besieged city and orders everyone to be fed.
Not only are horns and legs left from the original novel in the film, its casting can be called simply amazing. The role of Bulba is played by Yul Brynner, a musician, a native of Vladivostok - who, moreover, was distinguished by an interesting thinness and Buryat cheekbones inherited from his ancestors. Bulba's spread mustache on his face turned into a git mustache. And Tony Curtis, who played one of Bulba's young sons, Andria, under forty.
In the frame, the Cossacks are singing songs to the tune of "Kalinka-Malinka". The Great Don looks more like a typical American canyon. In general, questions, questions, questions …
Rasputin, the mad monk (1966)
In 1965, the horror film Dracula: Prince of Darkness starring Christopher Lee was filmed in Britain. The director did not yet know that the film would become incredibly popular and go down in the history of cinema and decided, just in case, to shoot two films in parallel about two mystical characters of Eastern Europe. Like, some one will shoot. Naturally, they did not hire the second team, and Christopher Lee, barely having time to change from Dracula, portrayed Rasputin too.
In the film, Rasputin indulges in debauchery with a peyzan woman in delicate white stockings, after which he calmly chops off the hand of a guy who ran up to stop debauchery. He gets drunk without getting drunk (in the film, in general, everyone drinks vodka in a row), dances in restaurants and slaps the ladies. Moreover, when the lady says to him: "I am not a peasant!" (this is not obvious, despite the expensive outfits and jewelry), he asks "Well, who are you ?!" Naturally, Rasputin also immediately indulges in debauchery with a lady. In general, it is difficult to say with what feeling the Romanians look at Dracula with Christopher Lee, but the Russians, Rasputin, in his own performance, is dumbfounded.
According to the plot, Rasputin is eventually killed for the fact that he intends to indulge in debauchery even with the empress (or, judging by the phrase "marks her place" - with the emperor). At the same time, the name of one of the conspirators, Prince Yusupov, was changed, unlike other characters. The fact is that he was still alive and could sue. Rasputin himself in the frame differs little from Dracula. He demonstrates superhuman strength and the ability to hypnotize, carries heresy (in the literal sense of the word heresy) and moves to dramatic orchestral music. Why was he presented in the title as a "monk", while it is very difficult to answer.
By the way, Mirren recently admitted that she has Russian roots. About, how Elena Mironova turned into a Hollywood star Helen Mirren we talked about in one of our reviews.
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