The film is about a bygone and forgotten era, which can not be returned, and how good it is. However, we try again and again to imagine how people felt and lived, which now seem only shadows of fire on the wall of the cave. Someone just needs to read a book, and someone better go to the movies to feel. On the Horde, for example.
Metropolitan Alexy is forced to go to the Horde, to the very heart of the Horde, and there heal the hansha, but not just to heal, but to do the impossible – a miracle. He has no choice: either he will do it or the Principality will be destroyed. In his heart, love for God is mixed with despair and a sense of his own baseness, and the importance of his own task before people is intertwined with a sense of his own importance (for a miracle performed once can be repeated?!), and this is the mistake, not only of him, but of all people.
Reflection of this main storyline can be found in the classic path of the hero. When in order to achieve your goal, you need to lose everything that was important, but above all – the idea of yourself. By cutting off the unnecessary is the present, what was previously hidden by all tinsel. Alexis loses everything but faith. It is the only thing that remains with him, this belief that his will is above all else. Alexy seeks and waits for a sign, he is not a miracle worker, he is only one who believes - and the realization of this fact leads him out of the abyss and saves.
In addition, against the background of the general human cruelty in the film, there is an almost childish faith in a miracle and an attitude to the miracle not as something impossible, but as an object of trade, something that only a few can do. Khan said he needed a miracle. You can't, so you didn't try. Or you don’t want to, or just a charlatan – a third is not given. People here are not resilient, they are just people with their own weaknesses and ordinary human desires. Behind them you see not cardboard Hollywood characters, but those who have their own history.
But the torments of Alexy, and the miracle, and the weaknesses of people are only threads that embroidered a huge canvas ... And the name of this canvas is an era.
9 out of 10
Every Astrakhan citizen had to watch this film, as it was filmed in our steppe region, just in the vicinity of the real location of the Golden Horde capital. And historical scenery is not only still standing on the scene, but also attract tourists from all over the country.
Immediately note that the trailer announcing the release of the film, the picture itself does not reflect much. Those who expected to see historical action with battles and horse racing were, I suppose, very disappointed. In fact, the storyline in the film is one – the arrival of Metropolitan Alexy to the Horde for the treatment of Queen Taidula, the mother of Khan Janibek. The rest of the time and space of the film occupies a very spectacular and naturalistic entourage of the Horde. The film has a lot of fatty pieces of meat, unwashed bodies, whipping blood (human and horse) and other beautiful details.
The filmmakers were somewhat confused in historical times. The film begins with the murder of Khan Tinibek by his brother Janibek, after which he becomes a khan. Actually Tinibek-so and khan has not yet become, and his murder Janibek just prevented his recognition as such. Taidula was also involved in these events, contrary to the cinematic interpretation of events.
Of course, the murders of Tinibek (at the beginning of the film) and Janibek (at the end) occurred under slightly different circumstances than those shown in Horde. There is no way to equate these two murders. After all, in fact, Janibek had no choice, he well understood the harsh essence of power in the then Horde: either he kills or he kills. What can you say about his son Berdibek? Khan Janibek became seriously ill while camping (and could not dance in a stupid mask to a feast, as shown in the film), and Berdibek, realizing that his father was still on the way to recovery, taking advantage of his weakness, committed a treacherous murder.
With this event begins that period in the history of the Horde, which in Russian chronicles is called the Great Confusion. In two years, Berdibek himself will be killed (this is stated in the film), and the khans on the Horde throne will begin a leapfrog. The Great Confusion allowed Moscow Rus to strengthen and deal with internal problems. Although it was still far from complete liberation from Horde dependence.
But this is all the details, as well as the fact that from sources it is not clear whether Taidula was the wife of Uzbek and the mother of Janibek (as in the film), or the wife of Janibek himself and, accordingly, the mother of the future patricide Berdibek (as, for example, in the historical novel by Dmitry Balashov “The Wind of Time”).
The arrival of Metropolitan Alexy was associated with the illness not only of Taidula, but also of Khan Janibek himself, who was soon killed. And these dramatic events occurred just at the end of the reign of Janibek, in 1357. In the film, the action unfolds in such a way that it is not clear whether from the ascension to the throne of Janibek to the challenge to the Horde Alexia has passed no more than a year, or more than 10 years - this is proposed to guess the inquiring viewer, if one is found in the cinema. Although the presence in the film of Prince Ivan (he can only be Ivan II the Red) more or less determines the chronological framework of the picture: Alexy could not appear in the Horde earlier than 11 years after the seizure of power by Janibek.
In this blurred chronological framework, a serious drawback of the picture, which claims to be historic. It would be good to provide the film with credits, explaining at what historical moment the action takes place: a year such and such, so many years have passed.
As for the artistic images presented in the film, they are very unclear. Who's Taidula? Is she a friend of Russia or an enemy? What role did he play in the history of the Horde? Why is the name of the Russian city of Tula derived from its name? Why is Khan Janibek (Chanibek) called good in Russian chronicles, and his father Uzbek, on the contrary, evil? The authors did not bother to find answers to all these questions, limiting themselves to showing the Horde “exotic” and some incredible “passions of the Alexievs.”
It is clear that the film was supposed to show the triumph of the spirit of the Russian Orthodox man, overcoming all suffering and suffering thanks to faith in the Lord (quite in the spirit of the current “official nation”). But the "passion" is something very far-fetched. Perhaps the filmmakers used some sources unfamiliar to the author of these lines. It is clear that the success or slowness of Alexy’s mission in the Horde depended on the fate of Russia and the position of the Church. But it is very doubtful that the head of the Russian clergy (the actual ruler of the Moscow Principality under Ivan Krasnoy and the underage Dmitry Donskoy), naked, will be sent wherever they look, then interfere in some terrible catacombs, where in the dirt and soot he will work together with other Russian prisoners, and even to kill compatriots in front of his eyes. It's not the Tatar tradition. Execution could be easy, and such a sophisticated mockery of a spiritual and political person is unlikely. And the arrival of Alexy in the Horde is not connected with either the beginning of the film or its finale and looks like an accident. He suffered torture in the name of Orthodoxy - and back again.
Disappointing, I think, the film, modern ordinophiles, fascinated by the theory of Lev Gumilev. The Tatars in the Horde are enemies of Russia, not allies. And the underside of the Horde’s prosperity is also shown, at least in scenes of “catacomb” works and all sorts of abuse of prisoners.
Still, the history itself is lacking in modern historical paintings. There is not a single film that could be called a historical canvas, giving a picture of a particular era. Then the central theme becomes a love story, then some philosophical (usually quasi-philosophical) dilemma, and history is just the background for all this. But the difficult, full of dramatic collisions and incredible turns, the history of relations between Russia and the Horde is a topic more than graceful, almost undeveloped by filmmakers.
If we consider Proshkin’s film as a step in this direction, then, criticizing “individual shortcomings”, we can thank him.
From the cinematic side and camera work, the film is flawless. Brilliant acting. Both Rosa Khayrullina in the role of Taidula and Maxim Sukhanov, made-up, which is not to be known, who played Metropolitan Alexy. It was a great job as well.
The creators of “Horda” did not do “church lubrication”, to a minimum reduced the external church paraphernalia and made a bet on hard action, scenes of violence, perversions and a scandalous, “untolerant” display of “and now wild” Asianism, I would not be surprised if Ordyntsev in the film endowed with horns and hooves for even greater effect in showing absolute evil from the underworld.
Briefly about the characters from the Horde. The Asians in the film are depicted devoid of (almost) individual traits, any manifestation of human warmth or weakness, some demonic creatures from the underworld, the inhabitants of their “Tatar-Mongol” hell. Well-transmitted by means of the big screen, household mud coexists in the film with the physically felt mental mud that filled the atmosphere in the Khan’s palace of the “king of kings” (Khan Janibek) and on the streets of Sarai Berke. The Mongol rulers (who speak Balkar (?!) and their Nuker warriors are subject to the lowest superstitions and devoid of any spirituality. In this atmosphere, the Horde rulers in the struggle for power easily, in front of their court and Latin ambassadors, strangle brothers and fathers who turned their backs to them, do not shy away from cannibalism (although Khan Janibek “piously” says that “you can not eat people”), covet their own old mothers, “divide” people like sheep or karas for a feast.
In scientific history, this case from the experience of relations between the Horde authorities and the Russian Orthodox Church, when one of the church hierarchs prayed for the health of the ruler (and, perhaps, baptized her) does not bear anything extraordinary and is considered in line with the general patronage attitude of the Mongolian khans to any clergy on the territory of their states. Since the liberation of the Russian Church from payment of all taxes and from all duties, as well as the establishment of the principle of state protection of property and the position of the clergy were committed not in 1357, when the Khansha Taidullah summoned Metropolitan Alexy of Kiev, but exactly one hundred years before that, in 1257, when the Mongols first conducted a census of the population in this ulus. The only duty of the Christian clergy (including the Orthodox) before the Khan authorities in the territory of the Golden Horde was to pray for the health of the Khan and his family. What priests and hierarchs have done.
This principle of religious tolerance and state protectionism derives from a general code of laws called Yasa Genghis Khan, which operated first in the Great Mongol Empire (Ehe Mongol Ulas) and then in all its successor states. Including in the Golden Horde, the successor of the ulus of Jochi.
In the film “The Horde” there is neither historical material studied by secular scientists, nor church history from the life of St. Alexy of Moscow. Customers of the picture from the Moscow Patriarchate and the Central Center “Orthodox Encyclopedia” in order to more successfully than their previous project (the film “Pop”) rental of a new film refused, as already mentioned, from the “church lubok”, made their “cinema” in the genre of simultaneously action film, horror film and digestible for young fantasy, that is, some artistic reconstruction of the never-existing world or environment. . .
Why am I writing a neutral review? Because the film didn’t make any special impression on me, neither positive nor negative. But I think it's not that sad: it's not all films that are special and change people's worldviews. Movies can be very different.
The Horde is the most ordinary historical film in my opinion. It, as befits such films, helps to immerse yourself in bygone times, in past events and the most important historical dates, and just in the thoughts of people of that time. It is not always possible to understand these thoughts, the thoughts of the characters of the film, their actions are also far from always clear; it is not always possible to see the factors, sometimes very significant, but not noticeable, that determined the course of events. But... in any case, the past is not chosen, as they say; it can only be observed from the sidelines (in which historical films come to the aid), but not to participate in it, especially when it concerns not us, but our distant ancestors and time, which has sunk into oblivion, has passed now almost 800 years ago.
In general, there are pros and cons in the film. The main plus, perhaps, is a good, that is, believable, play of actors. It helps to feel the atmosphere of that time, to plunge into it. Also note the minimum number of special effects (though, it seems, they are not in the film at all) and quite an interesting plot. These three points are really important, especially for a historical film. This creates a complete picture of the past. You know what they want to show you.
Of the disadvantages, one can note some banality (take at least the self-sacrifice of the main character at the end of the film), old-fashionedness, characteristic of some films of this kind (and not only this). But watching the movie is still interesting! But what I do not like most, not only in the Horde, but in many other works of cinema, is the lack of philosophy, even the slightest, over which to think.
Well, I may not be a great connoisseur of the Golden Horde, yet... Someone, yes, perhaps, believes that Sarai, the capital of the Horde, is somewhat like a barn, a cattle house, and in general, that the whole Horde is not represented in the film by a rich enough state, not as it really was; that is, it is wrongly shown in a poor light of boring gray, while it should be shown in the light of golden yellow, or even perhaps red. I don't think that's the point. Another interesting thing is the contrast of relations to each other in the Horde and in Russia: while in the first state (the Golden Horde) relatives kill each other right and left (and this is clearly shown in the film), in the second (in Russia) the brothers try to unite and unite forces in the fight against the enemy.
Journey to the Golden Horde with reflections on the fate of Russia
For more than two hundred years, the Golden Horde kept princely Rus in fear with its ruinous raids, more than two hundred years Russia was forced to endure its yoke. Meanwhile, in the Horde itself, one after another, the Great Khans succeed each other, while fratricide becomes the usual way of succession, the real power is concentrated in the hands of the Khanshi Taidula. When the latter suddenly overcomes blindness, two messengers are sent to Moscow for the great Russian sorcerer, Metropolitan Alexy (Maxim Sukhanov), to perform a miracle.
In our recent cinematic history, there are regrettably few good mass historical films. Any attempt to remove anything about events beyond the Soviet era turns into either an incomparable state order like Yaroslav, or an author's statement, designed nevertheless for a narrower audience (for example, "Tsar" Pavel Lungin). But how much you can shoot, take any piece of history and shoot: you want a global historical action movie, you want Hollywood peplum, and you want drama. Director Andrei Proshkin and screenwriter Yuri Arabov decided to turn to the history of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, which radically changed the course of Russian history and played an important role in the formation of our state in its current form. Until now, Russia cannot determine with whom it is with Europe or with Asia, and the Horde film is such a historical parable not even about the clash of two states, but about the confrontation of two worldviews and cultures - Asian and Orthodox.
It is very interesting to look at the image of the Golden Horde in the film, a state that held a huge territory in fear and at the same time left almost no legacy. The task of the authors, on the one hand, was to create a plausible historical image of the disappeared state, on the other hand, it freed them from the point of view of creativity. Perhaps that’s why the film is a little more contemplative. Most of the film is devoted to the life and mores of the Horde with its typically Asian rigid hierarchy and barbaric attitude to alien life. By the way, I think it is no coincidence that the title of the film is shortened from the full title to a simple “horde”, which is purely associatively perceived as a kind of faceless crowd that does not have its own will. In contrast, Orthodox Russia appears, albeit a subordinate state, but a state that has its own national identity, the core of which is its common Faith. And then the director and screenwriter managed to avoid the mistakes that often spoil the domestic cinema. Without falling into religious messianism, they managed to create a complex and contradictory image of Metropolitan Alexy, capable of holding all the ideological content of the film. Only the most flattering words can be said about Maxim Sukhanov, whose immersion in the role is worthy of all praise, despite the fact that the level of passions boiling on the screen is sometimes comparable to Mel Gibson’s acclaimed tape about the sufferings of Christ.
And yet the genre of the parable should set the viewer not on a fascinating spectacle, but on a rather viscous serious narrative. To many, the “Horde” will seem protracted and plotless, and there is some truth to this. Others will find in Alexei Proshkin’s film quite a deep, subtle work with reflections on who we are and why we are.
A bright spot in the dull landscape of Russian cinema
It is not often that filmmakers indulge us with excursions into history, especially domestic filmmakers. Therefore, the film “The Horde”, which tells about the life of the Mongol Tatars and their relationship with the Muscovites, looks with interest. In each of us flows at least a drop of blood from the conquerors of the steppes and plains of the tribe of Genghis Khan. Steppes live in every Russian soul: two hundred years of the Tatar-Mongol yoke did not go in vain.
The painting “Horde” is good, oddly enough, for its naturalistic cruelty. As a viewer, I had an unexpected question to the authors of the film: “Is this how our ancestors and our conquerors lived?” Here is the sharp sword of the steppe peasant cutting the Rusyn head simply because the Rusich is a prisoner and too tall. The head rolls in a cubicle under the feet of the leader of the Mongols, and blood beats from the body in a stream. I involuntarily held my hand around my neck, as if immersed in the frame: it is likely that our ancestors and chopped the heads of the Mongol Tatars. Something at the gene level literally makes you watch the Horde movie with attention.
And the highlight of the picture, I think, in the faces. No, not in the faces of Russian actors, of which there are many on the screen, but narrow eyes, broad cheekbones, a special shape of the skull. No, they are not Chinese or Japanese or Thai, but a very special, unique human type, the Mongoloid race. I hadn’t even noticed how many faces a given race could be, but the Horde movie opened up something new to me about face science. It is the Mongoloids that you rarely see in Moscow, it would be nice to go to Mongolia, but only somehow strange. What if they, like many hundreds of years ago, will cut the heads of the Muscovites, even if the latter will be with a camera instead of weapons? Again, these are genetic fears. I have no doubt that the invasion of the Horde washed by ancestors feared more than the crop failure.
The film is full of cruelty and I think it’s right, because in those days people didn’t go to each other to play. I wouldn't show a lot of pictures to little kids. No, not like that. They shouldn't watch this movie. But the adult eye sees that the scenes of primitive cruelty are unusually organic in context and on screen. Yes, sadly, but extreme cruelty is part of the world that is shown to us by director Andrei Proshkin and screenwriter Yuri Arabov. Once I saw Yuri’s performance on the “culture” channel, so then I thought he was some kind of Asian in the good sense of the word. And here you are: his pen formed the basis of the Horde.
Looking at the screen, as if immersed in the world of shamanism and prejudice. With a slight smile, scenes with clumsy and naive doctors look like they are trying to cure the blind queen of the Mongols - Khansha Taidul (actress Rosa Khayrullina). And now, almost a thousand years later, the modern white and black magicians, spoilers and organizers of love spells use the same tricks as the charlatans of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Now, however, they do not put fresh camel feces on the eyelashes to return the vision of the sufferer, but they frown on the patient according to the same canons of acting, only in a more civilized form.
The film “Horde” is good because it immerses the viewer in the unknown world of steppes from the inside. It's important to follow the details. What kind of mirror is the old grandmother holding that stands in front of the Taidul Khansha? What kind of utensils are these? What was the home of those who conquered almost all of Europe on the hooves of their horses? Even what kind of cosmetics (buck) smeared the faces of the Horde woman. Here are the smallest details create a general atmosphere of cognitive film. For battles and sword battles you need to go to another movie like “Conan the Barbarian” with Arnold Schwarzenegger, immediately I would say that before us the tape is historical, in something just everyday. But that's what makes her unusual! Militants and so filmed a lot, even in our vastness, but the historical cinema we have dead and the appearance of “Horde” undoubtedly brings diversity to the fresh world of Russian cinema (cops, bandits, corrupt officials).
The plot of the picture boils down to the question of how to cure a blind hansha, if all the local healers screwed up? Her son, the great khan, sends ambassadors to the lands of the Muscovites to bring the Russian sorcerer, as they call him. But in fact it is Metropolitan Alexy (Maxim Sukhanov). The latter has a tough choice: if he fails to heal the woman, the steppes will burn Muscovy. Compared to the ground and mixed with ash. The acting work of Maxim Sukhanov seemed to me successful precisely for its detachment and doom. He has a sense of pity and a desire to help him. And this is compassion and means that the image of the actor is revealed reliably. Alexi suffered a lot of suffering. But has the Russian share ever been easy? Since ancient times, the lands of the Russians have connected two continents - Europe and Asia, and invasions deep into the Russian lands came both from the east and from the west, from the north and even from the south.
I already understood that since the Mongols conquered half the world, it was not the wind of the steppes that walked in the heads of their military leaders6. They were both intelligent and fearless warriors. The great Khan Janibek in the film “The Horde” starts a kind of cruel game with Metropolitan Alexy. The Khan can kill the old man at any moment, but he does not, on the contrary, makes the Russian suffer, but he lives. The sophisticated mind of a tyrant is capable of torture more terrible than torturing the flesh. It's about mental trials. Khan plunges the metropolitan into a pool of grief, pain, suffering for his people and coldly follows the reaction of the experimental metropolitan.
The picture once again confirmed my opinion that the steppes were oh not stupid. Only here it is unclear: how with such intelligence and such power and conquered all of Eurasia in modern times Mongoloids do not belong to advanced civilizations. How could they beat their great Mongol kingdom? The film answers this question as follows: endless coups in the upper echelons of the Horde and the unification of Russian lands against the steppes destroyed the power of the once invincible Horde. But I think the question here is much deeper than intrigue in power and Russian power. Something broke the Horde stronger than these things. But we leave this question to analysts and historians. The movie "Horde" deserves
For a long time I thought how vague it is to write a review and... here, only now I ask you to publish my review of this film.
I will not talk about a lot of historical blunders, disfigured images, lack of plot, poor quality directing and worthless work of the creator of the film. Disgusting.
Sitting in the cinema ironically watching the “unsurvivors” to the end of the film, the audience, who left the hall already in the twentieth minutes of this alleged work of art. Historical? Can you show me one episode that's really written with a precise focus on past events? Unless the attitude towards Orthodoxy on the part of the Mongols, but this is ... the behavior of a typical conqueror.
Actors. Sleepy and implausible all. I did not find one person who really lived his role, the feeling was that someone stood over the troupe and they worked like serfs from under the stick.
Do not listen to those who praise the Horde, or they want to appear as aesthetes (and how to praise is a mystery), or they do not understand anything about true screen art. You want to waste your time? Come on. This is the very miscarriage of our domestic cinema, which will help you achieve this goal.
The whole film is one big parody, which should be called: "One Week in the Life of Savages."
There is nothing truly historical.
All the creators of this incompetence
1 in 10
The exception is the only young man who was the grandson of the first Khan and the son of the second, a really charismatic guy, for whom this film gets its only point from my side*
How many proud husbands, amazed by the look of these eyes,
She became her servants, ashamed of her bodily desires.
So white and rosy, as if in the bright dawn
Birds of sacrificial blood poured on untouched snow.
Saif-i Sarai, Golden Horde poet. XIV century
Sitting in a chair for a Russian movie, you can expect to see anything. Personally, I have repeatedly felt a sense of disappointment after watching another domestic filmmaking. But lately, I have had more and more mixed feelings. The Horde was no exception here.
Surprisingly, from the cinematic side, the film is flawless. Brilliant acting. Both Rosa Khayrullina in the role of Taidula and Maxim Sukhanov, made-up, which is not to be known, who played Metropolitan Alexy. Almost everyone, even the silent servants and guards, is convincing in their images. At the sight of costumes and scenery, there is no sense of fake or fake. There are not many special effects, but they are very organic and natural. The camera work was excellent. The perspectives and plans are simple but memorable. The plot is logical and does not cause special complaints.
We could have been drawn to the historical component. But a work of art does not have to fully follow historical accuracy. The script is based on a legend, and therefore free interpretation is permissible, especially since the creators of the picture did not deviate from the main canvas. What is required for such films? Bright and colorful images, authentic background, attention to detail. All this in the "Horde" is present. Therefore, there is no special desire to look for disadvantages from this side. Some inaccuracies, if any, will be unprincipled.
I would especially like to note that the film completely lacks the lumpiness characteristic of historical paintings of recent years. Then why mixed feelings, if it seems to look and rejoice? And here we come to the main thing. The meaning and idea of the painting. They are brought to the viewer implicitly, so to speak implicitly. Separate strokes, in small nuances, small details. And that's an indicator of good direction. You can't just throw everything you want to say in the forehead. It is necessary that he has the right opinion and he absorbed the information without even knowing it. What is the message of the film?
And here you need to pay attention to the fact that the tape is called “Horde”, and not “Metropolitan” there or “Wonders of God”. Alexy in the film is actually not the central, but a secondary character. And the horde is in charge. But it's not just Mongols. The horde in the film is a symbol of the whole East. A large number of Eastern peoples pass by us: Tatars, Chinese, Mongols, Kazakhs, even Hindus and Siberian shamans. And this image of the East in the film collected a whole set of stereotypes and clichés about himself. We are shown through executions the indifferent cruelty of Asians. Through fratricide, their cunning and treachery. The attitude towards Christians emphasizes their arrogance and contempt for other peoples. There is a hint of drunkenness, to which the Russians are addicted. There is even a hint of cannibalism and incest. The city of Sarai is shown gray and squalid, albeit large. In general, the whole life of the Horde is extremely simple and miserable. Even the Khan’s palace does not shine with luxury or sophistication. Asians show refinement only in cruelty. If we do not even focus on all these negative features that director Andrei Proshkin endowed the Horde, then in general Asia is shown in the film absolutely alien and unlike anything we are accustomed to: neither in behavior, nor in clothes, nor in relationships with people. In fact, we are consistently given the image of the Other, wholly different from us and with obvious negative features. And for comparison, the image of Alexis is given.
In terms of Orthodox spirituality, the picture of the Horde will not show us anything new. It takes suffering to achieve God’s mercy. You can't give in to pride. We must humbly accept all the trials sent from above. It's in God's hands. In this sense, the Horde did not differ either in the presentation of material or in any special originality. All this has already been told in other films. But you have to pay attention to one story. Han Janibek wanted to see a miracle. But for miracles he always took the usual tricks. The real miracle of his mother, Taidula, was not understood by them or anyone else. Because they only want results, Asians approach the faith from a purely practical side. That is why God’s grace is not with them. Only Taidula understood that. That's what the ending is all about.
So if someone there believes that the East is spiritual practices, millennial wisdom, the way of self-improvement, then Andrei Proshkin says in his film that there is nothing there. Only tricks or knowledge at the level of “put camel poop to the sore spot”. Cruelty and lust for power exist, but spirituality does not. And spirituality is with others who came to the place of the Horde.
This image of the East, even expressed by very high-quality artistic means, is very exaggerated and primitive. That is, in fact, something similar is happening, but in general the situation is shown incorrectly. It’s like making a film about a Soviet soldier in a war where he drinks vodka all the time, rapes women and robs civilians. And it happened, but these episodes do not fully characterize the Soviet soldier. But in the Golden Horde just in the XIV century was the flowering of poetry. And most of the poems of the Horde poets are love lyrics, and not at all a chanting of war or robbery.
As a result, we have a very high-quality film, but, in my opinion, with a rather primitive and even harmful meaning. After all, to create such a negative and exaggerated image of not just an individual people, but an entire civilization is to deepen the gap between people. And art, on the contrary, should contribute to their rapprochement and greater mutual understanding. Otherwise, other peoples will remain for us some incomprehensible wild heterogeneous mass, rushing from nowhere to nowhere. A horde in one word.
When the director begins to shoot a movie and does not fully imagine what it will be about, but is determined already in the process, the sense of this comes out infrequently.
Such a disaster happened with the film by Andrei Proshkin “Horde”. What he was going to tell the viewer, what thoughts to convey, I find it difficult to say even after two days after watching, when emotions calmed down a little.
If an epic canvas about a great empire was conceived, it failed. Looking at the Horde depicted in the tape, literally from the first frames you wonder: and these khans really ruled millions for more than a century? Perhaps the filmmakers sought to show them primarily living people, and not sky-high celestials vested with power. But at the same time, these people should have felt charisma, posture, solidity, impressiveness, greatness, call it what you want, but so that at first glance it was felt that we were not just a person, but a representative of a powerful dynasty that conquered many peoples at that time. None of this Andrey Panin, who played in the “Horde” of Khan Tinibek, could not convey the Maximum, which he pulls – such a small-scale tyrant with a claim to significance and a deep philosophical view of life.
No better look and all his entourage - relatives, friends, servants, soldiers ... The attempt to conduct epicity through dialogues inside the Khan’s palace failed. She was too timid from the beginning, and then completely stuck in the household.
A very unpleasant impression leaves the entourage. Okay, dark colors and tones may prevail, but it is hard to believe that the rich Golden Horde was something like this, such a dirty, wretched and often frankly repulsive spectacle. And all this could be shown even through close-ups with a very small number of panoramic, large-scale scenes that take place in the Proshkin tape. Why it was so humiliating to a really great empire, I can’t say. Yes, morals in her reigned harsh, even cruel, there were rude customs, but this does not detract from the power that she really achieved.
Although compared to what appeared in the film, the capital of the Moscow Principality, the Horde is quietly on the sidelines. I don’t know how to convey to our directors and artists the idea that it is not necessary to present us with ancient Russian and medieval Russian cities and settlements as a collection of dilapidated, incense breathing dwellings that seem to be about to fall apart. And regardless, we are talking about princely choirs or huts, in which ordinary people of smaller estates live. And this picture I see from one historical Russian film of recent years in another. 1612. Chronicle of the Time of Troubles, Alexander: Battle of the Nevsky, Yaroslav. A thousand years ago, that’s just what I saw. And filmed, as far as I remember, by different directors, and tell about different things, and everything is like a blueprint. The Moscow prince added his tar spoon, which, if you do not know who is in front of you, is easily confused with the owner of some inn or tavern, this applies to his appearance and his manner with behavior. Again, it is doubtful that this character had at least a minimal relation to reality. I do not believe in such Moscow princes.
As for Maxim Sukhanov in the role of Metropolitan Alexy, he played him exactly as he played Stalin in Nikita Mikhalkov’s “Weary of the Sun”. The role of the great leader was brilliant, but what was appropriate in the case of Stalin was absolutely unsuitable for an Orthodox clergyman and ascetic. The same intonations, mannerisms, movements, gestures - in everything, literally in everything through Joseph Vissarionovich. On the one hand, it is good that the actor so entered the role, so imbued with it, but you need to be able to get out of it, get used to new ones, and Sukhanov did not succeed. And as a result, the second possible idea of Proshkin to show in the film the feat of Christian Orthodox faith and piety was smeared, having failed. The script looped everything and reduced to the fact that success depended on how successfully or unsuccessfully Sukhanov played. And the role of the Metropolitan, I believe, he frankly failed, he did not understand his character, his strength of faith, patience, humility and courage. I do not know what religious convictions Maxim Sukhanov and, say, Sergei Makorvetsky have, in the end, this is their own business. But here I look at Makovetsky in the movie “Pop” and see an Orthodox priest – simple, sincere, patient and no less courageous. And when you look at Maxim Sukhanov, such sensations do not arise even to a small extent. Unfortunately. Although here their negative contribution was made by the screenwriters, indistinctly arranged the story of the miracle that was to make the bishop.
You could also say about the exaggerated naturalism present in the film, but in my opinion, this is already a trend of the time, and it is not necessary to blame an individual director for a single film.
Believe me, I really wanted to write a review on the Horde of a completely different, opposite nature, but alas, I did not take any pleasant and good impressions from Andrei Proshkin’s film. Sad.
This feature film is a high-quality sketch of the life and being of the mid-14th century, namely the Moscow Principality and the Golden Horde, whose bloody raids kept everyone at bay. The film received a rating of 16+ due to its small but bloody scenes, as well as for the naturalistic tortures of Metropolitan Alexy.
During 125 minutes of timekeeping, the viewer is shown in detail the barbaric color of the cities and tents of the Horde, where Khan and his retinue sit. With an understanding of what is called, the director approached the entertainments of that time - performances of sorcerers-charlatans capable of conjuring a 'raffael' the size of a ball for physical therapy, a trick with a rope hanging in the air and dancing of that time, at least, do not leave indifferent.
This attraction, called the "Settlement of the Horde", does not end and we, with great interest, will be able to find the most incredible methods of treating blindness with folk remedies. In a light more familiar to our understanding, especially against the background of the Mongolian Horde, the Russian community is shown.
The plot is tied to the proposal to Metropolitan Alexy (who once lived in the settlement of the Horde with a local khansha, on the decision of which depended who would become the successor of the khan after his death) of a treaty, according to which the bishop would have to cure the Horde mother from fatefully overtaken her blindness, and the Tatars, in turn, and with the successful outcome of treatment, would not burn Moscow. He could not disagree and we are again transferred to the Horde, where we continue to get acquainted with the local culture. True, this time we will have to observe what is happening through the eyes of the metropolitan made a martyr.
It is impossible not to celebrate the performance of our actors. On stunningly recreated landscapes of the time, long scenes were shot with truly absorbed their images, Artists. It is difficult to even imagine what physical and moral efforts were required, for example, scenes with ants crawling around the human body, if they are simply difficult to watch.
Andrey Panin (Khan Tinibek). Yes, only five minutes in the frame, and yes, you may not even recognize him, but it is still nice and certainly a pity that so quickly ended the life of his hero. Maxim Sukhanov (Alexy) is the main actor and character of the film. Knowing when to look right or pause without resisting ant oppression gives us realism. Also, the metropolitan will try to make us feel with our skin the surrender of ourselves to God and the appeals that he pronounces, turning to Him, when everything seems inevitable.
The work of director Andrei Proshkin will appeal to many, but not everyone. This really high-quality picture, shot for $ 12 million, is very unlikely to pay off. You should go to the screening prepared, knowing that this film is like a kind of trip to the museum with the whole class during school times. Only now you will not look at the photos and finish in the imagination what the guide tells you. Instead, you will see it firsthand and after the session you will realize that it was really worth it.
As we know from history, in the end, the Golden Horde devoured itself, splitting into willful armies that did not want to be under anyone’s leadership. The film "Horde" shows the decline of the arbitrariness that extended over most of Eurasia at that time.
With the rider leaving the distance, abandoning his home and family, this sunset is clearly symbolized. The conclusion that the brother makes after the murder of his brother, to kill the next brother, cannot but convince us that there is no future for a state where fratricide flourishes even in power.
So, the great empire created by Genghis Khan was left to descendants, expanded, enriched with money, knowledge and culture of the conquered peoples. How was all this? What did it look like from the inside at the time? What was life, customs, how did they communicate, what did they believe? In the Horde film, this can be seen in quite detail.
Personally, I expected a similarity from the film 'Mongol'- a film released a few years ago. With battles, a clear plot and extras. All of this is in 'Horde' I haven't found it and you won't find it. The film is full of close-ups, somewhere protracted, and to answer the question ' About what or whom the film' you can very differently. The line with the metropolitan is long and it is not clear why it is considered in such detail. Either to show how the Golden Horde lived through the fact that the character goes from princes to the mud and back, or to show the steadfastness of the Orthodox faith. It's hard to say.
And it seems that such a blurred plot makes the film worse. But! When you see on the screen what work artists and makeup artists have done, you can close your eyes to any plot or its absence. Clothes, sabers, rings, makeup, the city and even the realism of blood and cut limbs are striking. Close-up plans and high image quality allow you to see all the impeccability and reliability of the props. The influence of the cultures of the conquered peoples on the Mongols is visible, the Rus of that time is partially shown, and an idea of the mentality of people, the structure of society, and communication is also given. You sit in the cinema and only look at it, only leaving the hall pops up the thought: what is the film about?
You're in an era and you like it. This is what makes a great impression on the film.
Undoubtedly, if the goal of the director was to show the world of the time, he succeeded and succeeded well.
Recently, the theme "beginning-end" has become fashionable, that is, a tandem of historical tapes, one of which demonstrates to the world the birth of a great power, and the other - its decline. An example of this is a bunch of opuses of domestic cinema "Mongol" - "Horde".
In the first film, we see how from the torments of the unknown Temuchin sirech Chingiz, who turned out to be his among strangers in the vastness of the Middle Kingdom, the Great and Mighty Golden Horde is born. A couple of centuries pass - and now before the Horde and its king, the kings are worshipped and trembled by everyone, including the messengers of the Pope, while the empire survives the last years - and soon it will be replaced by another, born of the suffering of its hero.
The plot of the legend is rubbery: with the same effect it was possible to make a film about another odious historical figure, say, about Henry Morgan, who at the beginning of the Path works as a slave on a cheap plantation, then, having recovered his spirit, takes revenge on the Old World for his humiliations, then a financial empire arises from the treasures he plundered, which is destined to start the prosperity of the Light of the New in the person of the United States - et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, until the future transformation of the latter into "Merry Roger" for his humiliation due to his loss of faith. Because all empires are built on faith, no matter whose: a proud warrior or a peaceful holy father. And yet the film is made about Russia and for her – in order to warn about what we should not do, so as not to suffer the same fate. One must never lose that faith.
In the cinema, it is presented as a reflection of the Christian commandments in its pure form: suffering to the test, non-resistance to evil by violence. The elder lord, following them, during the course of the film substitutes the hordes with either the left or the right cheek until they either lose their supremacy and do not slap each other on the muzzles, or, like the elderly khansha, do not see in the literal and figurative sense and refuse to bless the further existence of their rabid horde. The continuation, during which of the dirty and beaten rags, nicknamed "Moscowites", swing the "Scythians" with slanting and greedy eyes, at the sight of which Europe will tremble, as well as the beginning of the end of the Third Rome, for obvious reasons, remain behind the scenes. Actually, there were already several such “beginnings”: Smoots, the 17th, the 91st – and each time it seemed to get by. But the danger has not passed, rather the opposite: the risk of the collapse of the Faith itself is now greater than ever.
The film is addressed simultaneously to the “upper” and “lower” of Russian Orthodoxy. The first is that they should not forget that power over the minds and hearts of millions is not a luxury, but a heavy cross that can be laid on your shoulders at any moment. Second, so that they do not think that orgies in temples, desecration of shrines and other manifestations of curvature can correct the curve. In a word, to remember that the word Faith itself should not look like a knife, for this is a Premonition ... you know what.
8 out of 10
Horde is an impressive achievement of decorators, costume designers and historical consultants, mercilessly ruined by the screenwriter.
The film tells the story of Father Alexy, brought to the Horde to heal the mother of the Horde Khan. Thus, this is first of all a history of spiritual feat, but also a vivid and detailed description of the life of the Mongol Tatars. The trouble with the film is that its script is constantly tossed between the first and second components, not properly revealing any of them.
Horde was obviously conceived as a large-scale historical film designed for a wide audience. However, to match this image, he lacks neither plot intrigue, nor spectacular shooting, nor speed of action. Paradox: A single dynamic scene appears at the very end and is a minor episode. The film shows neither battles nor battles - by the time the film takes place, the Horde has already become "heavy on the rise" and was going to his death.
However, the author’s film “Orda” is also difficult to call – for this the plot banally lacks drama and depth. Father Alexy’s spiritual quest is often left behind, but it’s a pity that this part of the film could be interesting. Beautiful in this context looks the episode when the main character goes into the desert, where he is tormented by doubts in faith - probably an allusion to the forty-day journey in the desert of Jesus.
The scenario, in general, seems too weak. It not only lacks depth and intrigue, but also contains not quite logically clear episodes. So, for example, it is not clear: why does the young man go with Vladyka Alexy? Why should a teenager who does not perform any visible actions be sent to certain death?
The soundtrack and camera work went unnoticed. It is difficult to single out any of the actors. After watching "The Horde" left almost no impressions. Alas.
6 out of 10
In the recent history of Russian cinema, it is difficult to recall a film in which the image of pre-Petrine Russia would not look like a ridiculous buffoon with dress-ups. At best, you get something indistinct, like 1612 (2007) or The King (2009), at worst, some obscurantism, like Alexander. The Battle of Neva (2008) or Yaroslav. A Thousand Years Ago (2010) “Traditions of ancient times of the deep”, apparently, so far from us that neither an actual topic can be found there, nor an adequate embodiment to create. At the same time, oddly enough, the experience of addressing the theme of the formation of the Mongolian Empire in the tape of Sergei Bodrov Sr. “Mongol” (2007) was so successful that the picture received world recognition and even competed for the Oscar. Perhaps it was this success that prompted our filmmakers to dig into the history of Russian-Mongolian relations and find an episode worthy of film adaptation. The result of the efforts of permanent screenwriter Alexander Sokurov Yuri Arabov, the famous cameraman Yuri Raisky and director Andrei Proshkin, known for his life-affirming chamber dramas, was the picture “Horde”.
So, the Golden Horde of the Decline Period. There are all the syndromes of the imminent and painful demise of the empire. The first persons compete in cruelty and majesty, threaten everyone they meet with raids, indulge in debauchery, lament the barbarism of their people and rapidly gain weight. At the same time, the khans rhythmically replace each other, it is no coincidence that they fall dead at the next party, according to the official version, “suffocating with a ram cartilage.” “They live sinfully and die ridiculously.” The magicians are the magicians, but they are the magicians. But this time a miracle is needed: it is necessary to restore the sight of the mother of Khan Taidula. The order for the execution of the impossible goes to Metropolitan Alexy, in the Mongolian sense, the “witch”. Of course, the success of Alexy depends on whether the Horde will come to burn Moscow or not.
The first thing that is impressive in the picture is, of course, the staging scale. Large-scale scenery, extravagant costumes and makeup, other entourage effectively work to bring us to some incredible world. The capital of the Horde, thanks to the almost complete absence of sources that characterize the city, did not confuse the authors, but on the contrary, allowed their fantasies to roam - this is a legendary place, something between Mordor from "Lord of the Rings" and Tatooine from "Star Wars". Here majesty is consistent with humiliation, luxury with stench, abundance with poverty. Moscow, appearing in one episode, against this background looks like a seedy village, where nothing foreshadows either the Kremlin of white stone or the cathedrals of gold-domed.
One empire is on the verge of ruin, the other is gaining strength in the cradle. This contrast suggests an unambiguous analogy of the sad panorama of the decline of the Horde with both our past and our modernity. We know that Moscow, in turn, will become the capital of all sorts of empires, each of which will eventually come to the same agony as the empire of the Mongols. But no matter how great the temptation to see in the frightening and oppressive image of the Horde metaphor of our time, such an interpretation would be, perhaps, too clumsy and far-fetched. The horde here is rather the larger image of any tyranny in general. With all sorts of charms inherent in this phenomenon, such as the rule of tyrants who are not aware of their insignificance, the triumph of lawlessness, outdated great-power attempts and eye-cutting impossible contrasts. By the way, Taidula's blindness, of course, is also a metaphor. When she sees, she will not see anything good, finally realizing the direction in which her empire is moving.
The authors, of course, did not have the purpose only to illustrate an episode from the life of an Orthodox saint. Following the general outline of real historical events, they quite freely, but purely for artistic purposes, dealt with chronology and some facts. This made it possible to create a philosophical parable, which, in turn, gave the spectacular form of a blockbuster. Alas, at the same time there was a problem inherent in all blockbusters: the morality that follows from the picture is unambiguously offensive. The authors bring us, without splashing, the truth in the last resort: miracles, as well as coincidences, do not occur at the click, it is necessary to sincerely suffer for God’s mercy, empires will certainly fall, and through their own fault. In general, everything according to the New Testament quoted by Alexy in the film: “Whoever exalts himself will be humiliated, and who humiliates himself will be exalted.” It turns out that such an absolutely correct philosophical concept, after acquaintance with which, there is nothing to doubt or argue about. What should I do then?
I have been waiting for this movie by Mikhail Proshkin for a long time. And now I finally waited... alas, but the impressions of viewing turned out to be the most ambiguous.
So, the film tells us about the journey to the Golden Horde, which was almost forced to make Metropolitan Alexy, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the XIV century. He again goes to the Horde, to Sarai, in order to try to heal the Khansha Taidulla from blindness - and thereby alleviate the situation of Russia, more precisely, Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Vladimir. And he was able to do that healing. Having anointed the eyes with sick earth (according to another version - washing them with holy water from a silver bowl), Alexy restored the woman's sight. And thus strengthened the old (Kalita!) connection between Moscow and the Horde. Metropolitan Alexy, later listed as a saint... he was a great man. He continued the work of St. Peter, and with all his might strengthened both the unity in the faith of the scattered Russian principalities, and served the cause of strengthening Moscow - this seed of the future unified and free from vassalage of the Horde state. Alexy was one of the most intelligent and educated people of his era, he was an excellent statesman and politician. It was he who decided the policy of Moscow and was regent under the underage Prince Dimitri (later went down in history under the name of Dmitry Donskoy). Alexis fought with Lithuania and the influence of the Vatican, used intrigues in the Horde, went to Constantinople, humbled the proud princes and boyars, more than once literally risked his life, it was he who was able to see and understand the greatest saint of Russia - the young then still Sergius of Radonezh.
But how did Alexia introduce us in his film Proshkin? There's nothing like that. There's not even a mention. The viewer sees an old man, a man forced to go to the terrible and alien world of the Horde. A man confused, tormented by questions of faith... the search for God. Almost foolish. Yes, every believer goes through the temptation of doubt. Yeah, it all looks amazing. Acting is one of the strongest aspects of the film. You look at some scenes and you remember His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane. But here's the angle of this whole story... Alas, but it is unlikely that the modern mass audience will be able to understand all the greatness of the feat, especially against the background of all this dirt, shit, as well as already tired idiotic faces. Yes, foolishness is the great and most difficult feat of faith. And fools in Russia and the cities saved, and the truth told the kings, and not only the kings. But showing dirt, let us say so softly, barn, showing straw and dung, we did not see either myrrh or gold - a symbol of the triumph of the King of Heaven.
Orthodoxy is not a gloomy religion, but, on the contrary, it is a bright and cheerful saying of faith. It is the love of the whole world... I didn’t notice anything like that in this movie. Perhaps the whole point is that Proshkin at some press conference called St. Metropolitan Alexy an “intellectual”. And that actually insulted the saint -- well, come on -- but that reveals everything. For more than once, looking at the screen, I saw not so much a Russian saint who actually lived and created our history, as a certain Yeshua HaNotzri from a very controversial novel by M. Bulgakov - this bible of the intelligentsia. That is the problem: for almost two centuries our domestic “educated class” (not all, but alas a considerable part of it), sometimes seeking God, does not want to listen to the faith of their ancestors. Someone is drawn to the prosperous West, someone to the mystical East, but to believe together with the “men” and “priests” – how can you! And therefore, such people understand Orthodoxy sometimes in essence partially, selectively and fragmentaryly, and, wisely reasoning about the same hesychasm, cannot understand and accept the main thing - peace and light in the soul, as well as unshakable perseverance in faith. But both Metropolitan Alexy and St. Sergius, who later blessed Prince of Moscow for the terrible battle at Kulikovo Field, remained in the memory of the people. As remained in it later in chronology but modern to us in the faith of St. Seraphim of Sarov, John of Kronstadt and many, many others.
The worst thing in Proshkin’s film is that a miracle happened, but there is no miracle in his film. They are either embarrassed or they just get around... The confusion and torment of man showed, but the triumph of faith was not visible. And the coming triumph of Russia ...
Horde... Alas - but showed Sarai still a little wrong. Sarai was the largest trading center, the center of a centralized empire – not a camp of savage barbarians. Although as a foreign world it is shown well... And involuntarily remember the sad and terrible fate of the same Tver princes.
What else? It was a very Eurocentric film. After all, the Horde over time became largely not so much a conqueror as a suzerain of the same Moscow. And went to Russia to live fled from the tyranny of the same Uzbek Chingizids ... We married Russian hawthorns, accepted our faith. And their children, together with the Russians, fought against the usurper Mamay in the field of Kulikov. Once they fought and fraternized with the Polovtsy ...
Orthodox and Catholics in the Horde... On the one hand, it was the Vatican that was then an enemy of Constantinople and Moscow no less terrible than the Horde (and the Catholics were able to win the battle against the Muscovites for the faith in Lithuania), the Vatican, through Genoa, then supported Mamay. On the other hand, despite the schism of the middle of the eleventh century, there are still brothers in Christ who met in such a place. It's not for me to judge.
And in memory of the miracle of healing, Alexy founded a monastery in Moscow, famous in the past centuries. The pearl of old Russian architecture, barbarously destroyed by the Bolsheviks in the early 30s of the last century.
Summary: A very controversial movie. Very untimely. I was hoping to see something similar to Ivan Rublev, but alas. Especially after the magnificent works of Lungin and Khotinenko – I mean their paintings “The Island” and “Pop”. Proshkin’s film turned out to be weaker than even the extremely ambiguous and controversial recent Tsar. Alas.
But if you have the right attitude, watch this movie once. Look, and remember our ancestors who have gone into darkness, who created, strengthened, and more than once recreated Holy Russia from the ashes.
The wonderful Russian and Soviet writer Dmitry Balashov has a beautiful historical novel telling us about the time of Metropolitan Alexy – “The Wind of Time”. Read this book. And then, perhaps, you will want to read and re-read the whole cycle of his novels about the sovereigns of Moscow and Holy Russia, about strong, proud, but at the same time humble, kind and cruel people of the distant XIV century, when Russia rose from blood and ashes and became a great Eurasian power, the future Third Rome.
One of the best Russian films since the collapse of the USSR
To be honest, I got to see this movie by accident today. It was just a couple of hours of free time during the day, a movie theater on the side and a reluctance to watch Judge Drad in 3D. Well, to be completely frank, I was finally broken by Panin's involvement. I respect and love this actor. He never disappointed me.
As for the movie. I’m not going to retell the story for a long time and climb into unnecessary wilds.
The movie is really cool.
The plot is not banal and interestingly built. Everything is well thought out, the ending is not foreseen. In general, the whole film, until the very end, I was interested in watching the rehearsals of the main characters. For the scenario, you can safely put 4 + - 5 points on a 5-point scale.
Important. I really liked how subtle the question of faith and its power was. Very vital, very subtle. Bravo!
Operational performance is excellent. The whole movie is very beautiful. The hand of the master feels. Bravo!
Directorial work. I loved it. Really cool movie and the third time Bravo!
Actors. Everyone liked it. Well played. I can't single anyone out. Everyone was in their seats and coped well with their role.
The only thing I noticed was that at some points there was some kind of propaganda of Christianity. It seems that the money of the Orthodox Church was spent. Overreacted, imho. But the content, actors, level of the operator, decorators, make-up artists and special effects were so pleasantly surprised that I am ready to close my eyes to it.
P.S. I have been waiting for such a Russian film for a long time. Not another pseudo-American action, but an unconventional, life film. About people, faith, willpower, courage, love for the Motherland.
Generally put
The great Khan of Mongolia Dzhanibek (Innocent Dakayrov) sends to Moscow for Metropolitan Alexy (Maxim Sukhanov) – they say, the latter knows how to work miracles. Well, the miracle of the Horde is required: mother Janibek, Khansha Taidul (Rose Khayrullina) became blind. And her healing depends on whether the Mongols will go to war on Russia again or not.
Similar in tone to Lunginov’s “Island” (as there, there is also a spirit-lifting drama with a good cast), “Horde”, despite its megalomaniac name, immediately adjusts to a very chamber mode. There will be no epic battles, huge crowds and some amazing panoramic scenes, except for one. The film is mostly made on close-ups, played out in several interiors and in a clean field. The main character must perform a miracle (the leitmotif of the work of screenwriter Yuri Arabov, see, for example, the film “Miracle” by Alexander Proshkin), but it seems that he forgot how it is done. For most of the film, he learns humility, relying on the mercy of God, which will not slow to happen. The Horde itself appears to be the place from which normal people's guts turn outward. And this is perhaps one of the main advantages of the film: the way the screen depicts the capital of the Mongols – Sarai. In general, as an ethnographic expedition, the Horde is a curious sight. Like a movie, not so much. This is primarily due to the fact that her dramatic conflict is fascinating for the first half an hour, but then Proshkin and Arabov begin to overdo it, thinking that they are filming Ben Gur, and they are clearly not shooting Ben Gur. The result is a budget version of “Mongol” Sergey Bodrov, and who needs it?
Half-Eurasia pays tribute to the Mongol Horde, stronger than ever. But the hansha gets sick, and the loving son begins to take healers to her - one is more wonderful than one. No one can help. Then the Mongols went to the Moscow Principality, for “the sorcerer Alexy” – so they called our metropolitan. And whether the miracle will happen depends on whether the Mongols will go to war against us.
This is definitely one of the main films of autumn. He has a good budget for domestic cinema - $ 12 million. But, as we know, money does not solve everything and certainly does not guarantee a decent result in the movies. In this case, the director Andrey Proshkin (Spartak and Kalashnikov, Moth Games) definitely managed not to throw money to the wind, but to create a quite high-quality spectacular film product. Although the epic movie "Horde" still does not pull.
Good camera work. As well as harmoniously merging with the “picture” musical accompaniment. As far as the scenery and costumes are concerned, it’s pretty amazing. I don’t know how close the whole story and the surroundings are to historical truth, but the characters do not give the impression of dressed up, as is often the case with our historical and costume dramas. Here they are very convincing.
But here the scenario is bewildered by some of its ... simplification or something. No, it is quite interesting, but without intrigue and, most importantly, without scale. The film looks woven from small, almost everyday scenes. Some important characters seem to be completely unexplained, and their actions remain completely unexplained. And the concept of the grandiose role of one person in history is here that I want to challenge.
The absence of a large number of stars, involuntarily personifying their roles and drawing attention to themselves, in this case, is a clear blessing. None of the actors were bad – on the contrary, they all do not look like playing in the Horde, they seem to live in these roles. However, I did not see any clear personal image. Unless Panin did it. But his hero did not live long.
The sympathetic Mongol behaves in a completely inconsistent manner. With such a sarcastic attitude to his khans, he has to run - explore the world. And hansha is weird. It is like a dried, insensitive herring, with a sour face watching the cutting of heads, or it is in a kind of stupor of repentant confusion. I don't believe it! - as Stanislavsky would say.
Alexius and worse. You can not see in Sukhanov - with all the brilliant makeup - the holy elder. So, it turned out a man all in himself, rambling and incomprehensible.
In general, in recent years, our filmmakers with enviable tenacity try to bring to the screens the image of a real Orthodox pastor, as each of the believers would like to see him. He is kind and sincere in his love for people. And I must admit that in The Tsar, and especially in Pope, this most integral holy image is felt by the skin. There's no such thing as Horde. Alexy in the film first fussing over the hansha, and then eager to die. Suicide is impossible – and he desperately tries, but unsuccessfully: the Khan ordered not to kill him. He says that he does not know what his name is now, or his ears in the mud remind him that he is the Lord. When the slaves carried out the burnt Alexis, analogies with Christ and the apostles were involuntarily asked, but to me personally the whole scene seemed very false. And then, perhaps, who saw that Alexis in the film is a martyr, like Jesus taking pain for another. And for me, the movie hero just wanted to get rid of the overwhelming burden - responsibility, pain, powerlessness. But these are actually elements of weakness. It is much easier to die in certain circumstances than to survive.
And most importantly, this absolutely high-quality film managed not only to explain the decline of the Mongolian Empire, but how much to make an even bigger mystery - but how did it manage to become this very empire in such manners?
Destroy to dust, raze to the ground and accuse of all mortal sins this film is very easy, see for yourself. First of all, he is Russian, and as everyone knows for a long time, we do nothing good except tanks. Secondly, the Russian Orthodox Church, which has been much loved by us recently, is involved in the film. Thirdly, they show everything some kind of blackness and dirt, where is light, good, eternal? Fourth, Panina showed only a couple of minutes. It remains to add “what Stalin brought the country to”, “the film was made for stupid liberals”, a couple of standard phrases, put 1/10, and forget, without going into the details of the plot.
But conscience, dog, gnaws. This is an art house, to understand this film in the right way, you need to have some knowledge, and the deeper this knowledge will be, the more pleasure you get from watching. Yeah, this movie won't pay off. $12 million is not a small budget for a domestic film, considering that it is not a blockbuster and special effects there are literally a couple of shots. All the money in the frame, scenery, costumes, amazing attention to detail, a whole "Martian city" built somewhere in the Astrakhan steppe. And the plot...
Speaking in standard phrases, this is a historical drama, I cannot say anything about historical accuracy, I am ignorant, but the drama is good. The initial associations with 2009's Pop (a relatively recent domestic religious-themed film) were later reborn in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. It's not exactly a word, but it's the first thing that comes to mind in the words of Chuck Palahniuk. It would be better to bring something from the Bible. The Moscow principality, under the yoke of the Golden Horde, "the cones must be protected, or they will soon have to be eaten," as the Moscow prince expresses. By the way, despite all the drama, in the film quite a lot of such ulcers (jokes somehow the tongue does not turn), over which you can smile.
In the distant Sarai Batu (the capital of the Golden Horde), the Khan’s mother suddenly goes blind to be healed by Chinese healers with their Yin and Yan, Indian healers with their Chakras, and even a shaman with a diamond I don’t know where. All in vain, we got to Russia, either you give us some sorcerer, or we burn Moscow. And the main “sorcerer” at that time was Metropolitan Alexy, who had to go on a long journey to perform a miracle and save Russia, or not to save, but to try. To experience suffering like the son of God, to see how people break down, to plunge into the dirt.
The film is strikingly believable, of course, this is not a small merit of Maxim Sukhanov (Metropolitan Alexy), it is even scary to imagine what he had to go through, one scene where ants crawl everywhere, not the most computer-generated real ones, causes a rush and this is not the most terrible thing in the picture. It is difficult to say anything bad about the Horde, and it is even harder to admire it, this is a difficult, heavy movie with a viscous atmosphere, over which you have to think, think long.
“Let him who has ears hear.” - He who has eyes will see. “Let him who has reason understand.”
Andrei Proshkin has always been successful in psychological portraits of contemporaries (“Moth Games”, “Minnesota”), but there was no experience in staging large-scale costume dramas with authentic attributes before “Horda”. The director found the right approach to the picture: “The Horde” should be shot at the intersection of symbolism and realistic authenticity. Starting to work on the project, the authors in the person of the director and screenwriter Yuri Arabov were well aware that there is no reliable, exhaustive knowledge about the details of the life of Russia, and especially the Horde of the XIV century. This gave the creators creative freedom, which, however, had the risk of growing into another high-budget chimera, and could shoot an unexpected hit in the artistic truth. The last thing that happened.
For example, what did the artist on scenery Sergey Fevralev (“White Tiger”) and costume designer Natalia Ivanova (“Siberian Barber”) is radically different from other works of Russian filmmakers immersive actors and audiences back in the centuries. Of the two hours of the picture, most of the screen time is devoted to the capital of the Golden Horde, a formidable city of clay Sarai Batu. In the grandiose scenery, which was built right on the banks of the Volga, near the excavations of the true Turkic capital, after filming, the Museum of the Golden Horde opened. Immersion in the picture, as in the high-profile historical projects of Mel Gibson, contributes to the authentic (Turkic) language spoken by the heroes of the Horde. Moreover, the accompanying subtitles are extremely accurate and capacious, helping perception. As for the language of our ancient compatriots, it is obvious that Proshkin and Arabov decided not to tire the viewer with all kinds of anachronisms and church Slavicisms. That is, in the film, the characters speak modern Russian, which works for the main thing - to ensure that the idea of the film was perceived correctly.
In the Horde
A separate find of the director Proshkin was music and choreography. In the Horde, in Herod's thirst for miracle, trick, admiration that even a day pass strange fun and feasts, perform wizards and magicians from all over the world. For the amazing sounds of exotic instruments that are woven together in the melody, Alexey Aigi was responsible in “The Horde”. In the Horde, his music received an independent sound and is more appropriate than ever with all its delights in the nervous and anxious atmosphere of the Horde Khanate. The amazing closeness and interpenetration of different cultures and religions, the stunning atmosphere of despotism in its pure, animal and undisguised form – all this we see at the court of the khans of Tinibek (Andrey Panin), and then Dzhanibek (Innokenty Dakayarov). Separate from the noisy, full of naive faith in miracles and magicians of the world of men is the secretive, intense and essentially meaningful life of the mother of the Khan family, Taidula (Rose Khayrullina). This amazing woman, a kind of gray cardinal, blessing the kingdom of his sons-khans, mother and woman, friend and warrior, muse and adviser to idle, lazy, boastful khans. An amazing creature, a divine androgynous, with a colorful appearance and a beautiful body - Taidula becomes a stumbling block, the dramatic center of the narrative, its starting and final point.
When Taidula suddenly goes blind, and neither the Siberian shaman, nor the Hindu mystic, nor the Taoist herbalist can banish the disease, Janibek sends ambassadors to vassal Russia. There lives an amazing “sorcerer” – Orthodox Metropolitan Alexy (Maxim Sukhanov), through whose prayers the plague leaves the villages. Since that time, Metropolitan Alexy’s feat for his people and for his own faith begins – and here it is important what kind of personal faith he has. Alexis goes to the Golden Horde to perform a miracle.
Descent to Hell
A small episode from the amazing adventures of the life of Metropolitan Alexy of Kiev and Moscow (“was sent to the Horde, where he healed the Khansha Taidula from blindness”), the authors turned into a metaphor for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, into a large-scale geopolitical thriller about the relationship between Russia and the Horde.
However, it seems that the main for the creators of “Horde” were somewhat different themes and goals. At first glance, they are personal and concrete – to convey the horror of human doubts that tormented Metropolitan Alexy on his way to the Horde, when he knew that it was not in his power to force the Almighty to heal Taidula; to reveal the drama of his relationship with the novice Fedka, who loses faith during suffering and painfully seeks new spiritual foundations in Tatar captivity; to describe the relationship of the Church and the authorities in brilliant dialogues with Prince Ivan the Red (Vitaly Khaev). But the main theme is still the amazing mission, the true mission of suffering and sacrifice carried by Saint Alexis. God does not hear his prayers, and blindness does not leave a woman. After the humiliation and abuse of the hero Sukhanov with shame released from the Horde.
Having voluntarily accepted the tortures of captivity, the metropolitan repeats the sacrifice of Christ, for his flock, his people, for the sake of his neighbors, for the sake of Fedka and all those captured into slavery. He returns to the Horde, having received the sight of a slave. And in this sacrifice, the metropolitan, like righteous Job, meets with ridicule and misunderstanding of fellow countrymen. Even the once faithful Fedka hates the former lord. Death does not take him, torment becomes intolerable. Alexis comes to the very edge of despair and God’s abandonment, giving his life, all of himself for friends. And his sacrifice is accepted...
And now Taidula does not want to bless the kingdom of another sadistic son. It may have been revealed to her by heaven, or it may have been true love that touched her heart. And now a mighty kingdom has divided, and that house cannot stand.
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In the film, all the acting works are magnificent: Andrey Panin, transformed into the Horde Khan, and who played the gullible Metropolitan Celar Fedka Alexander Yatsenko, and the absolutely phenomenal Rosa Khayrullina, and colorful Yakut actors. But what Sukhanov managed to do in “The Horde” had never been done before by any artist. Amazingly, Maxim Sukhanov, who played Saint Alexis, reaches incredible spiritual heights, powerful and global evangelical drama.
In the second third of the picture, the action freezes in the painful point of the physical and spiritual catharsis of the heroes, it focuses on the Sisyphean work of the former lord in the hellish stoker of the Horde bath, where the hero Sukhanov descends to the very depths of humility and enters into a direct dialogue with God. Yes, it took Proshkin so long to dip the viewer, excuse me, into shit (the Horde baths were drowned with horse dung) and torment him with suffocation, heat, humiliation and pain, in order to sing the power of true faith through this medieval excess of suffering. The filmmakers say: “Alexy came to the Horde as a saint, and left as saints,” and this is brilliantly authentic and ruthlessly reflected in the picture. In the history of this man, who in a small measure repeated the feat of Christ, who plunged into death, into hell for the sake of the salvation of mankind, it seems that the whole essence of Orthodoxy is revealed, the beauty of which has always been not in magnificent ceremonies and the abundance of gold on the domes, but in the power of God, acting in human weakness.
"Horde" is not at all what it tries to appear in advertising. But this is not the case when the appearance is better than what it hides. Despite its truly big-budget status, this near-arthouse blockbuster movie succeeds far less as an epic than as a historical drama. There is little body, but a lot of soul. In comparison, Pop is able to go from the same production company Orthodox Encyclopedia, a significant part of the funds of which amounted to the 12 million budget of Orda, while the rest came from the state and Gazprom. In Russia, not so many worthy tapes are shot annually that they do not remain in memory, and the work of Vladimir Khotinenko three years ago is just from this category. “Pop” was simple in terms of story structure, historical ambitions, but won the audience with exceptional performance. Ideologically, the Horde is walking the same path, but is doing a great job to saturate this path as much as possible.
The script does not pretend to be fundamental historical truth, telling its story dating back to the fourteenth century. The historical meticulousness in the Horde lies in the numerous details of the device of the era. The passion to recreate the past reality does not pass through the passion for ideological embodiment. The film is always an arm's length away from the rich commercial zone, but never sets foot on it. The layering of the narrative structure can be observed only in the very beginning, which, however, immediately states that this movie does not have plans to follow in the footsteps of the modern mainstream familiar to the viewer. There are a lot of familiar elements here, which we previously met in similar genre paintings, but thanks to the bright, astute execution, these very elements get a new life.
What happens on the screen behaves slowly, each episode receives careful consideration from the script, the scope of which is not reduced when the director implements the paper into action. The possibilities of a large budget significantly affect the quality of scenery and costumes. The staged concept seems very clear: a strong auxiliary base stands for the power of the platform, on which the director Andrei Proshkin and the lead actor Maxim Sukhanov step. This is a very large movie of one actor, the power of the image of which has both an impressive and subtle effect on everything that this actor has before his eyes. Sukhanov acutely senses where to stand a pause, where to add to the action, what should be the power of the eye, and what it is physiological naturalness in such harsh conditions.
The Horde prefers to abandon open action in favor of closed, visceral reasoning about God. Especially when most of the time we watch the loneliness of the protagonist. The film is completely successful not only in arresting our attention with the central character, but also in the fact that we watched with interest and special awe as the people around him look at this character. Each of the episodes behaves very naturally, always fighting for historical accuracy and elementary life plausibility. If dirt is dirt, if death is death, then death. There is no action movie here, but there is a lot of beautiful soil on which thought grows. No matter how individual parts of the Horde are perceived, sooner or later there is a firm viewer’s conviction that there is a good movie on the screen. It belongs to the rare category of films that may not cause delight, but there is a negligible number of those who say that such a film is bad.
Very lively, unhurried, often wordless, deeply emotional and beautiful, expressively staged historical drama. Even on the scale of world filmmaking today, a blockbuster rarely pleases with such a set of unexpected plot techniques, an honest approach to the audience and such a generous offer for people who are ready to think about something very important.
9 out of 10