A review of 1612

I finished watching the movie 1612 last week and thought I would share my thoughts on the movie. The movie covers a period of Russian history when a series of foreign monarchs laid claim to the russian throne and Russia experienced a period of "The Troubles". The movie is told through several viewpoints, to include the supposed Tsarina, Princess Kseniya Godunova; her Polish backers, Prince Pozharsky who is leading a peoples army to restore a russian to the throne, and a young russian serf who was in the employ of the royal family at the time it was overthrown and now seeks to help restore the Princess to the throne, and a Roman Catholic cleric who has been seconded from Rome to help advise the princess.

The movie itself runs a little over two hours so I won't go too far into the plot. I will say that the movie does explore some traditional russian themes in the context of history. One of the first ones that you will catch on is the importance of the Russian Orthodox faith to Russians. It plays heavily in several scenes and plays a role in the concluding scenes of the movie. It also compares the strength of the Orthodox faith to that of the Catholic faith. The Catholic prelate finds his faith lacking in the movie and after a meeting with a Russian monk, who is also a mystic, realizes that the logic and apologetics that are so important to Western Christianity/Catholicism pale to the deep faith and mysticism embodied by the Russian monk who has spent the entire period of the troubles standing in a tree wearing a heavy iron cross, as a sacrifice to God and will continue to do until the troubles end. The Catholic prelate in the end, takes the monks advice and leaves on is own spiritual journey, growing out his hair and beard as the Russian priests do. While the director chooses to show the importance of the Orthodox faith to the Russians at that time, it is important to note that the Orthodox Church has resumed that role as of late, with Patriarch Kirill taking a more front and center role in the government of Russia, acting at times as a defacto ambassador for Russia and also having a very public opinion on different pieces of legislation in the Duma.

It also explores the past relationships with its near abroad neighbors, in this case, the Poles who for a while placed several rulers on the throne in Moscow. The takeaway from this is that in order to understand how Russia sees itself in relation to its neighbors, observers have to take a very deep dive in history to get a good understanding. Not only did the Poles conquer Moscow, but a Catholic was placed on a throne, anathema to a country that is so proudly Orthodox. One can take a shorter view of history with a different neighbor and see why the relationships today are less than positive. A little over a year ago, Russia invaded Georgia. While Georgians and Russians have never been fans of each other, an understanding of pre and post WWII history gives one a little understanding of it. Remember that Stalin succeeded Lenin and launched a series of bloody purges on the Russians (and other countries in the USSR too) and other brutalities. Keep in mind that Stalin was Georgian so now it becomes clear why the Russians and the Georgians have little love for each other.

One other theme that comes through in the movie is the Russian tendancy to turn to a Russian leader who is shows a strong hand during times of trouble. The concept is mentioned several times throughout the movie and concludes with an epilogue that segueways into the rule of the Romanovs that lasts until Nicholas abdicates in 1917.

While the movie is not a true historical portrayal, it does convey to the western viewer an understanding of the Russian thought process. So if your looking for a good way to kill a few hours watching a good movie, give 1612 some consideration. It is available in DVD with english subtitles if you are not a russian speaker. Sphere: Related Content