Anastasia, who became a wife. A wife who became a princess. The princess who became a hero... When Belarus was preparing to shoot this film, the entire information space was raised on their ears. The whole country knew about the creation of such a film (something like a national project). For rabid money (by the standards of the Belarusian budget) was rebuilt from scratch the same wooden slutsky castle, the filming was attended personally by the President (and this says a lot), were in a hurry mobilized many knight clubs of a small country. This was a kind of response to the recently acclaimed "Gladiator", and, I think, in general, a tribute to Hollywood fashion for historical films, which were successfully created in the first half of the zero.
Another feature was that during the film’s rental in Belarusian cinemas (and Belarusian films in their homeland are shown in the cinema very rarely, guess why..). I don’t know where it is, but it speaks to the most serious attitude to the project from the height. In general, the film was created with great desire, (in a good sense) fury and failures should not be. It's not just a movie. A national film for the centuries... For the sake of history and history.
According to TV, the film was a huge success in the country. (About the school proposal, remember?) He won international film festivals (or to be more precise, the little-known deep-Russian), he was even released on videotapes! I myself remember how we and the class were taken to "Anastasia Slutskaya" in the movie. And to be honest, as a patriot of Russian cinema, I really, really liked the film.
But it was at school. Not in the last few years of his studies.
And now I'm watching this movie... and what I see and what I know...
I know that the magnificent and unique Slutsk fortress, which, as a reminder, cost a penny, in just a couple of years ... burned down!
I know that the performer of the main role - Svetlana Zelenkovskaya and the director of the film - Yuri Elkhov, that then the stars were missing from the sky, that even now only an ardent lover of Belarusian cinema and theater knows about them.
Even then, during the school session, the students sitting next to me giggled rainbows while watching the film exactly when “Oh God, what a man!” (and the actor is what!) appeared in the frame. Yeah, yeah, don't laugh! Belarusian filmmakers have been practising inviting Russian famous actors for several years and not so much for the main and secondary roles in their films, so that these films have at least some attention from Russian TV channels and the audience. But it is one thing when Mironov, Galkin, Bezrukov, Singers, Merzlikin are invited, and another ... when ... TARZAN! (Former military, astronaut, stripper and acting singer with his mouth)
Now the film itself and what's left of it.
An idea cannot but deserve attention and approval. In addition, historical films in the post-Soviet space are rarely made. But, to be honest, I do not remember something from the Belarusian history textbooks about Anastasia Slutskaya. Grunwald (out of place and too clearly mentioned in the film) was in the textbooks, Anastasia was not. The events described in the film actually happened.
Hollywood scale and epicness here can not go out of the question. A few extras and moreover, absolutely amorphous - a thing, although secondary, but very prominent and important, and with its characteristics it played a negative role for the film.
The voiceover is just awful! Not only do the lip movements not coincide with the test, so the voices of the main characters are not their voices at all, but the voices of the exhausted Belarusian and Russian dubbing actors.
Operator, director - all the same. And in general ... it seems that the film tried to drag as much as possible into the classic 1 hour 30 minutes ... (And I have to say, they succeeded!) Because many scenes are ridiculously cut, much is understated and, in general, the perception of the film is only for schoolchildren (daaleko is not the most difficult, with many Hollywood clichés, which in such a low-budget film look frankly cheap and out of place).
Selection of actors - quite a few Belarusian stars of cinema, theater, folk musicians and TV presenters. (Not surprisingly...) Among them is the most popular Belarusian, and now Russian actor Anatoly Kot.
But what is interesting is that only in our film can a German play a Lithuanian (Budraitis), Tatars - Tajiks, and forest pagans - a stripper ... Nice!
The film was shot near Minsk and not so long ago, in 2003. But judging by the quality of the picture ... so in the 70s.
The story is felt in the film. Land, fortress, decoration of houses, swords, household items, dwellings of pagans, costumes ... It's a story and it's always interesting to watch.
From an ethnographic point of view, it is interesting to watch "Anastasia Slutskaya" . In terms of spectacle, not so much. But nevertheless, this is not the worst film, and in its idea - the idea of praising the courage and exploits of their ancestors, their memory, as well as the preaching of Orthodoxy - it deserves attention.
6 out of 10