1612: Khroniki smutnogo vremeni (2007)

The czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in the late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles." There are many impostors who claim ... See full summary »

Director:

Vladimir Khotinenko

Writer:

Arif Aliev

Stars:

Pyotr Kislov, Michal Zebrowski, Artur Smolyaninov

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pyotr Kislov	...	Andrei
Michal Zebrowski	...	Polish hetman Kybowsky
Artur Smolyaninov	...	Kostka
Violetta Davydovskaya	...	Kseniya Godunova
Aleksandr Baluev	...	Brigand Osina
Marat Basharov	...	Military commander Navoloka
Ramón Langa	...	Alvar
Sergey Safronov	...	Polish Mercenary
Mikhail Porechenkov	...	Prince Dmitri Pozharsky
Aleksandr Samoylenko	...	Mordan
Valeriy Zolotukhin	...	Stylite
Filipp Korshunov	...	Soldger
Dmitriy Mukhamadeev	...	Mute
Daniil Spivakovskiy	...	Styopka Podkova
Dmitriy Ulyanov	...	False Dmitri I

Storyline

The czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in the late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles." There are many impostors who claim to the right to rule, but there's only one heir, the Czarina Kseniya Godunova. She has married a Polish military leader who wants to claim the Russian throne in her name so he can rule all of Russia. As the Poles move in on Moscow in an attempt to install the czarina on the throne, Andrei, a serf with a life-long infatuation of the czarina attempts to save her from her brutal Polish husband. A complicated story wrapped around mysticism and legend climaxes in a bloody battle between the Poles and the Russians for control of the empire.

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Plot Keywords:

czar | invasion | disorder | chaos | invading army | 

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Taglines:

The tsar is dead. Chaos reigns.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Did You Know?

Goofs

Andreyka's final scar shape differs from the one he was actually slitting.

User Reviews

Historical drama in the spirit of Die Hard

This is a film that aims to create action entertainment, with great historical costumes to be sure, but it is not a "serious" historical drama. Broadly speaking, the action is not less realistic than say, many of the James Bond movies, and it is not intended to be. The hero protagonist and his "ethnic" sidekick really draw on cop buddy films as much as anything else, and it is modern action/adventure films with which this movie should be compared.

There are not an enormous number of films with which this movie compares, but in general, if you wouldn't like Zorro, you wouldn't like this one.

I would argue that where this film really excels is in its use of tragedy and the mystical/magical. Neither of these elements are dominant, but the elements are well done, and they add weight and a touch of meaning to an otherwise light film, without desecrating religion or the folk traditions of Russia.

If I was a person who normally watched this sort of film, I would rate it higher, but as a matter of taste, I am simply giving it a 6, meaning that I think it is objectively, a bit better than average.

The crucial point about whether you should watch this film is really whether or not you like fairly light entertainment of this sort. This is a movie that has the costumes, but not the spirit or atmosphere of the average American or British costume drama.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Russia]

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian Polish Spanish Italian German Latin

Release Date:

1 November 2007 (Russia)

Also Known As:

1612

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,555,121

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Partnership, Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography, Golden Eagle

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min (DVD) 135 min (European Film Market) 143 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1