An art house with elements of historical drama. It's time to finish the theme of the Mongols, which I started with the Golden Horde series (don't ever watch it!), and now I remembered this picture, which left a significant mark in cultural terms, but passed quietly and peacefully for the audience (there was a box office failure - and this is deserved!). When I first viewed the picture, I really liked it, but after reviewing it now, I realized that there is much more nonsense and jambs in it than there are worthy moments. And here is my brief opinion for you - The heavy burden of Metropolitan Alexei. The picture turned out to be contradictory, so I finish this introduction and proceed to the analysis.
So, the pros: 1. The Metropolitan's story - if you shed all the gloss (this is a strong word) The Golden Horde and its succession of khans, then we see a good martyr's story of Metropolitan Alexei - one of the most revered Russian saints, who performed real miracles with God's help. Here he was invited to the Horde at the request of Khan Janibek, whose mother went blind. But no miracle happens, and the metropolitan decides to punish himself, and it is for these sufferings and hardships that we have to watch almost the entire second half of the picture, simultaneously observing the life and fate of Russian prisoners, and even some foreigners. Vladyka suffers cruel torments, but the whole picture was shot on the instructions of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, so there is almost nothing else to contemplate here. The finale is generally not bad, and Maxim Sukhanov in the role of the metropolitan is good (although the actor turned out to be "rotten", so he won't wait for more words of praise from me).
2. The city of Sarai-Batu - specifically for the filming of this picture, the creators literally built the first capital of the Golden Horde from scratch, and on its historical site, and these decorations later became the basis of a tourist center under the same name (it is still operating now). This really deserves praise and a low bow to the creators, and on the screen it impresses with its exquisite beauty and its unique atmosphere. Of course, it was not possible to fully reproduce this magnificent city, but even the created one was enough, although there were disappointingly few close-ups.
So, the cons: 1. Historical errors - no one humiliated Metropolitan Alexei in the Golden Horde (he came, healed the khan, talked for life with Janibek (Alexey was a skilled diplomat, and the church received benefits, and Russia breathed more freely), and left with honor (baptizing some Mongols into the Orthodox faith)), the khans Tinibek and Janibek died not as comically as this was shown here, the appearance of the Khans (and not only them) causes only laughter (they walk like natural bums, and not the first persons of the Steppe), the Mongols respected the Orthodox church even before the metropolitan, and they could not enter the temple on horseback (they would be executed by the Mongol prison guards themselves), endless strings of Russian prisoners (although at that time Russia and the Horde were not at war, so where could they come from?) The capital of the Golden Horde in those years was already the city of Sarai-Berke (or New Sarai). These are only the mistakes that the incompetent and amateur historian noticed, and real specialists (like Klim Sanych Zhukov) will find much more here. Dear viewers, just know that you cannot believe everything shown!
2. Steppe Circus - this is the academic term I used to describe the nonsense that is happening on the screen. And more specifically, the picture has problems with logic. For example, the khan walks almost alone all the time, and after all, he has the title King of Kings - and he must be accompanied by personal bodyguards, where only the best nukers and those loyal to the khan personally could get. The reception of foreign ambassadors is a constant hammering of the head against the wall because of the circus tent that is happening on the screen. After that, I finally became convinced that this is not a historical drama, but a pure art house with elements of historical drama. I am already silent about the role and position of women in Mongolian culture and the norm of those distant years.
3. Boredom - minutes can pass in the picture without a single word being said. Suffering, tedious monologues and dialogues, and in the first part of the picture, most viewers will simply fall asleep, because nothing significant happens there (except for the steppe circus). Apart from a few straightforward thoughts about the historical fate of the Golden Horde and Russia and the martyrdom of the Metropolitan, there is nothing else here. As I have already said, no one tormented the metropolitan, and the Golden Horde at this historical moment entered the "Great Jam", to which it was approaching for a long time (since the death of Genghis Khan) and the jam led to a logical conclusion - a split and conquest by its closest neighbors (Persia, Turkey, Russia).
4. Acting - domestic actors! I am addressing you! When will you learn to play? Can you make it to the Second Coming?
Despite the strong criticism, this picture is better than the Golden Horde series (where outright fantasy was given out as history), because there is, albeit far-fetched, but a good story of Metropolitan Alexei's martyrdom, and it can be watched. I will still recommend the picture for viewing, but with restraint. If you look at it, then it's good, but if not, then it's okay, then you'll just know a little about it from this review, well, maybe you'll read about Metropolitan Alexei (but don't lean too much on Wikipedia - this is, in most cases, an unreliable source of information (personally verified)).
As a result, we have a good Russian art house in historical decorations, with a good history of the martyrdom of Metropolitan Alexei, an excellent decoration of the Barn-Batu, but with a huge number of historical mistakes and outright nonsense.
My rating is 5 out of 10 and I recommend this picture for viewing!
So, the pros: 1. The Metropolitan's story - if you shed all the gloss (this is a strong word) The Golden Horde and its succession of khans, then we see a good martyr's story of Metropolitan Alexei - one of the most revered Russian saints, who performed real miracles with God's help. Here he was invited to the Horde at the request of Khan Janibek, whose mother went blind. But no miracle happens, and the metropolitan decides to punish himself, and it is for these sufferings and hardships that we have to watch almost the entire second half of the picture, simultaneously observing the life and fate of Russian prisoners, and even some foreigners. Vladyka suffers cruel torments, but the whole picture was shot on the instructions of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, so there is almost nothing else to contemplate here. The finale is generally not bad, and Maxim Sukhanov in the role of the metropolitan is good (although the actor turned out to be "rotten", so he won't wait for more words of praise from me).
2. The city of Sarai-Batu - specifically for the filming of this picture, the creators literally built the first capital of the Golden Horde from scratch, and on its historical site, and these decorations later became the basis of a tourist center under the same name (it is still operating now). This really deserves praise and a low bow to the creators, and on the screen it impresses with its exquisite beauty and its unique atmosphere. Of course, it was not possible to fully reproduce this magnificent city, but even the created one was enough, although there were disappointingly few close-ups.
So, the cons: 1. Historical errors - no one humiliated Metropolitan Alexei in the Golden Horde (he came, healed the khan, talked for life with Janibek (Alexey was a skilled diplomat, and the church received benefits, and Russia breathed more freely), and left with honor (baptizing some Mongols into the Orthodox faith)), the khans Tinibek and Janibek died not as comically as this was shown here, the appearance of the Khans (and not only them) causes only laughter (they walk like natural bums, and not the first persons of the Steppe), the Mongols respected the Orthodox church even before the metropolitan, and they could not enter the temple on horseback (they would be executed by the Mongol prison guards themselves), endless strings of Russian prisoners (although at that time Russia and the Horde were not at war, so where could they come from?) The capital of the Golden Horde in those years was already the city of Sarai-Berke (or New Sarai). These are only the mistakes that the incompetent and amateur historian noticed, and real specialists (like Klim Sanych Zhukov) will find much more here. Dear viewers, just know that you cannot believe everything shown!
2. Steppe Circus - this is the academic term I used to describe the nonsense that is happening on the screen. And more specifically, the picture has problems with logic. For example, the khan walks almost alone all the time, and after all, he has the title King of Kings - and he must be accompanied by personal bodyguards, where only the best nukers and those loyal to the khan personally could get. The reception of foreign ambassadors is a constant hammering of the head against the wall because of the circus tent that is happening on the screen. After that, I finally became convinced that this is not a historical drama, but a pure art house with elements of historical drama. I am already silent about the role and position of women in Mongolian culture and the norm of those distant years.
3. Boredom - minutes can pass in the picture without a single word being said. Suffering, tedious monologues and dialogues, and in the first part of the picture, most viewers will simply fall asleep, because nothing significant happens there (except for the steppe circus). Apart from a few straightforward thoughts about the historical fate of the Golden Horde and Russia and the martyrdom of the Metropolitan, there is nothing else here. As I have already said, no one tormented the metropolitan, and the Golden Horde at this historical moment entered the "Great Jam", to which it was approaching for a long time (since the death of Genghis Khan) and the jam led to a logical conclusion - a split and conquest by its closest neighbors (Persia, Turkey, Russia).
4. Acting - domestic actors! I am addressing you! When will you learn to play? Can you make it to the Second Coming?
Despite the strong criticism, this picture is better than the Golden Horde series (where outright fantasy was given out as history), because there is, albeit far-fetched, but a good story of Metropolitan Alexei's martyrdom, and it can be watched. I will still recommend the picture for viewing, but with restraint. If you look at it, then it's good, but if not, then it's okay, then you'll just know a little about it from this review, well, maybe you'll read about Metropolitan Alexei (but don't lean too much on Wikipedia - this is, in most cases, an unreliable source of information (personally verified)).
As a result, we have a good Russian art house in historical decorations, with a good history of the martyrdom of Metropolitan Alexei, an excellent decoration of the Barn-Batu, but with a huge number of historical mistakes and outright nonsense.
My rating is 5 out of 10 and I recommend this picture for viewing!