1612 (film)

1612
1612
	Promotional poster
Directed by	Vladimir Khotinenko
Written by	Arif Aliyev
Produced by	Nikita Mikhalkov
Starring	Michał Żebrowski (Poland); Pyotr Kislov; Mikhail Porechenkov; Violeta Davydovskaya; Ramón Langa [es] (Spain); Artur Smolyaninov; Marat Basharov
Release date	1 November 2007;
Country	Russia
Languages	Russian; Polish; Spanish; Italian; Dutch
Budget	$12,000,000

1612 is a 2007

Polish troops

from Moscow.

Plot

The film is set in Russia during the

Spanish

mercenary, Alvaro Borja, who seeks to profit from this war by fighting for the Polish invading army. The company falls prey to a band of robbers and Alvaro is killed. Andrey and his friend Kostka know that serfs without a master are considered runaways and will be hanged. Andrey disguises himself in his dead master's clothes and assumes his name, taking the guise of a "Spanish knight."

Andrey is hired by the Polish Lord Kybowsky, who wants to capture Moscow and use Princess

Husaria

begin to charge. Andrey loads a chain shot into the cannon and they fire as the enemy closes, decapitating the Polish Hussars. The gate collapses and the rest begin to flee. Kybowsky calls Andrey to negotiations, saying that if Xenia does not come out herself, he will kill her daughter. Andrey himself leads her out of the city.

Soon Andrey joins the Russians at Moscow. The

Michael Romanov, whose dynasty

rules Russia for the next 300 years.

Historical accuracy

The film is based on historical events and includes some fictional elements. According to the anti-Putin opposition coalition The Other Russia, "most of the history [in the film] has been diluted beyond recognition".

popular uprising that led to the expulsion of Polish-Lithuanian forces, appear only briefly at the movie's conclusion.^[2]

Controversy

Critics of the Kremlin have compared it to Soviet propaganda.[1] Questions were raised about the alleged anti-Polonism of the movie, but the film's director, interviewed in the Polish as well as Russian press, stressed that the movie was in no way intended to defame Poles. The director, Vladimir Khotinenko, claimed it was made for entertainment purposes as well as to raise awareness of the new holiday among the general public.^[3]^[4]

International as well as Russian critics suggest that the movie, which was commissioned by the Kremlin,

elections of December 2007: the necessity of strong leadership, the treachery of foreigners, and the importance of patriotism. The Time of Troubles, as portrayed in the film, represents the last decade of the 20th century, when Russia was undergoing severe hardships. Khotinenko was quoted as saying, "It's important for me that the audience feel pride. That they didn't regard it as something that happened in ancient history but as a recent event. That they felt the link between what happened 400 years ago and today."^{[citation needed}

]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "In "1612," Unicorns Meet Tsars". The Other Russia. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Birchenough, Tom (1 November 2007). "'1612' makes date with Russia". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
^ Żebrowska, Anna (31 October 2006). "Taśmy Kremla. Smuta krzepi". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish).
^ Malczyk, Jerzy. "Rosja: Władimir Chotinienko: nie byłbym w stanie nakręcić antypolskiego filmu" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 24 August 2011.

Birchenough, Tom (2 November 2007). "Very Bloody Troubles". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
Baldwin, Chris (3 November 2007). "Action movie an allegory for Putin's Russia". Reuters.

External links

1612 at
IMDb

1612 at AllMovie

[otherrussia-1] "In "1612," Unicorns Meet Tsars". The Other Russia. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}

[2] Birchenough, Tom (1 November 2007). "'1612' makes date with Russia". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2009.

[3] Żebrowska, Anna (31 October 2006). "Taśmy Kremla. Smuta krzepi". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish).

[4] Malczyk, Jerzy. "Rosja: Władimir Chotinienko: nie byłbym w stanie nakręcić antypolskiego filmu" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 24 August 2011.

[2]

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