1612

[...]

Also straying not too far from the historical events:
After the Tzars death, the transition time to enthrone a new, too young Tzar, the Pope of Rome uses the vulnerability of Russia to work on a catholic expansion campaign:
Using Poland to invade Russia.

The Battle scenes are spectacular and impressive, even to viewers that enjoy the Hollywood Action Special Effects.
I really enjoyed the Ambush at the Bridge, the Artillery Duel, and the
City - Castle siege scenes.
The costumes are well researched for the Period.

This film is set at the beginning of the 17th century when Russia had a severe crisis over who was to inherit the throne after the Tsar died. There are many contenders but none too genuine. This was called the time of `chaos' as the people are leaderless, and the Poles had invaded Russia. Their Hetman (Michel Zebrowski) has captured the Tsarina Kseniya Godunova. He has fallen in infatuation with her and sees marriage to her as a way to legitimise his false claim to the throne. Throw into the mix a lowly serf Andrei played by Pyotr Kislov, he really does love the Tsarina and through guile and cunning sets about saving her and in the long run, Russia too.

The opening sequences start in 1605 and we get a pocket `history' lesson to take us up to date. This is not a true history lesson though and quite happily mixes up faith, mysticism and myth with all the action. We have a holy man who won't come down from his tree until the chaos has ended, lots of iconography (very Russ indeed) and a recurring theme of Unicorns. Whilst we are thrown into the current plight of the characters, the missing detail is told in vivid flashback, so by about half way through you get to understand the real histories of those involved and the attraction Andrei has for the Tsarina.

This has been criticised for being anti -Polish, well of course it is, this is a Russian film and the Poles are the enemy. They do get the best costumes though, they are all armoured up and wear wings to give them the look of avenging angels. That is one of the many strengths of this film, the costumes are stunning. Add to that the overall excellent cinematography and attention to detail and this makes for a real visual feast.

There is buckets of action too and it is done really well, the CGI that had to be used in places is so good that you really don't notice and as good special effects should do, it actually adds to the emotional upsurge that was intended. Look out for the siege sequences, they are brilliant. My only complaint is around the subtitles, not everything is translated especially the Italian parts; and on occasion the Russian translation is over the English translation, making it virtually impossible to read.

That aside, this is a rollercoaster of a film, with action, intrigue, romance and a ruddy great story with excellent performances all round. Vladimir Khotinenko has done a masterful job in the direction of this film, and at 143 minutes has done superbly to keep the momentum up throughout. If you like action films based on historical events, then you will not be disappointed. If you want a history lesson this is not for you, but I thought it was just excellent and intend to watch again very soon.

1612 takes place during a time of trouble in Russia and is loosely based on history. It could be called the "time of trouble" because a foreign army is occupying the country but also because there isn't clear leadership to bring them out of the mess. The film doesn't try to be a strict historical film but an adventure that will capture the hearts of the audience. The movie mixes history with mystical and legendary elements; namely, one reoccurring subject is that of unicorns. Even with that said, I could say with a straight face that it doesn't go too far with this into fairly tale land as most parts with unicorns are in dreams or visions.

Polish invaders murdered the royal family but the Polish Hetman (Michal Zebrowski) spared the life of Princess Kseniya, whom he loves and sees as a way to become Czar himself. Andrei (Pyotr Kislov), who also loves Kseniya, ends up as a servant and then mercenary of the Polish Hetman, witnessed the murders and makes it his goal to overthrow the invaders and free the Princess. The love triangle between the three is the crux of much of the conflict.

The villains of this story are the Poles, who wear armor with wings giving them the look of angels, but they strike with fierceness that is more demonic than angelic. Interestingly enough, the Polish Hetman is actually a famous Polish actor, which adds a bit to the realism to the film. To some degree this film is anti-Polish in nature and is not entirely historically accurate but we are reminded that this movie isn't a documentary from time to time by the unicorns. Even with that said, I still think the movie is a lot of fun.

1612 rivals the best historical films in both story and special effects. The action doesn't slow down between the duels, skirmishes, and sieges. I think 1612 particularly excels in showing cannon warfare, in which there is quite a bit of in this movie. I would say 1612 would get an "R" rating by American standards for showing some nudity and quite a bit of violence that doesn't spare us the goriness of war.