| Union of Salvation | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Andrei Kravchuk |
| Written by |
|
| Story by | Oksana Kiyanskaya (ru) |
| Based on | The Decembrist revolt |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Igor Grinyakin (ru) |
| Music by | Dmitriy Emelyanov (ru) |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox CIS |
Release date |
|
Running time | 136 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
| Budget |
|
| Box office | |
Union of Salvation (Russian:Союз спасения,romanized: Soyuz spaseniya) is a 2019 Russianwar epicperiodadventure film directed byAndrei Kravchuk, written by Nikita Vysotskiy and Oleg Malovichko, and produced byKonstantin Ernst. The film was created in collaboration with the Cinema Direction Studios withMosfilm Studios andLenfilm with the support of the Russian stateCinema Foundation.
The story is about veterans of theFrench invasion of Russia of 1812, who conspired to installKonstantin Pavlovich as the new tsar of theRussian Empire, transform Russia into aconstitutional monarchy and abolishserfdom. In Imperial Russia in 1816, several officers of the RussianImperial Guard founded a society known as theUnion of Salvation. They led a revolt in Saint Petersburg in December 1825, when about 3,000 officers and soldiers refused to swear allegiance to the new TsarNicholas I. This group of conspirators ended up leading theDecembrist revolt. The revolt incorporated elements of the Life-Guards Moscow Regiment, Grenadier Life Guards Regiment, and Naval Equipage of the Guard.
The film shows in detail both the Decembrist uprising onSenate Square inSaint Petersburg and theuprising of the29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment of theImperial Russian Army, stationed in theKiev Governorate of the Russian Empire.
According to the website of theUnion of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation, the picture's budget in 2016 was estimated at 700 millionrubles. Production of the film got underway in 2017 when Cinema Direction Studios began gathering staff to produce the film.Principal photography began in January 2018, in the cities ofSaint Petersburg andBelgorod Oblast.
Union of Salvation was released in the Russian Federation by20th Century Fox CIS (throughBuena Vista International) on December 26, 2019, in 2D, Atmos.[3][4]
In 1808, EmperorNapoleon I visits aboarding house inParis, where he is presented with a cadre of promising students. One of the students,Sergey Muravyov-Apostol, the son of a Russian diplomat, impresses him with his liberal views.
In March of 1814, theImperial Russian Army has justcaptured Paris and is celebrating thedefeat of Napoleonic France. During the review of theLife Guards of the Semyonovsky Regiment by TsarAlexander I, the guard officers - among them Muravyov-Apostol - offer to drink champagne with him in honor of their victory but the sovereign refuses.
In 1820, Muravyov-Apostol is growing increasingly disillusioned withTsarist autocracy and has associated himself with liberal personalities inSaint Petersburg including the poetKondraty Ryleyev, energetic republicanMikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin, distinguished veteranPavel Pestel, and PrinceSergey Trubetskoy. While attending a theater play hosted by Governor-GeneralMikhail Miloradovich, Muravyov-Apostol and his fellow officers are forced to leave early due to a sudden riot by the Semyonovsky Regiment. Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin pacify the furious soldiers who are aggrieved by frequent corporal punishment and excessive drill. Despite this, the Tsar's punishments are harsh - Trubetskoy is retained due to being uninvolved while the others are demoted, dismissed, and/or transferred toLittle Russia.
In theKiev Governorate, Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin are embedded into the29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment and later meet with Pestel and other fellow officers and veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. Pestel attempts to recruit Muravyov-Apostol into a plot to assassinate the Tsar during his review of the troops and then subsequently march on St. Petersburg. To cover up the diversion of regimental funds into the plot, Pestel forces Captain Arkady Mayboroda at gunpoint to sign a receipt stating that the latter borrowed the missing amount from the regimental treasury for private use. However, Mayboroda sends a letter to Alexander, alerting him of the conspiracy. The Tsar, himself striving for reform, keeps the conspiracy under wraps and cancels the review. The conspirators get off with an unspoken warning.
Alexander later confides in his younger brotherNicholas that he would be the new successor instead of his older brotherConstantine who expressed no desire to rule. This arrangement is kept secret.
By 1825, the reformist officers - now including PrinceYevgeniy Obolensky, retired lieutenantPyotr Kakhovsky, Captain Mikhail Bestuzhev, and Lieutenant Nikolai Panov - have established secret groups in St. Petersburg to push for radical change in Russia. Despite their shared goals, Ryleyev and Trubetskoy fall out with Pestel over how to carry out their plans. In Kiev, Muravyov-Apostol begins swaying the Chernigov Regiment to his cause including elevating a disgraced grenadier to the rank of major much to the consternation of his fellow officer Colonel Gustav Gebel.
Later that year, Alexander dies. His death triggers a crisis as Constantine is publicly acknowledged as the new Tsar.Miloradovich, fearing political unrest, pressures Nicholas to swear allegiance to Constantine despite the secret change in succession. Mayboroda's letter is discovered among Alexander's notes, fully exposing the conspiracy of the reformists and leading to mass arrests. Pestel, frustrated and ill, burns all his incriminatory documents and then allows himself to be arrested.
Ryleyev learns from his associate CountNikolay Mordvinov about the imperial succession crisis. Ryleyev then informs Trubetskoy and the rest of the reformists. Impatient and restless, they decide to instigate a revolution by exploiting the dynastic confusion of theinterregnum following Alexander's death.
On the morning of December 14, the day of Nicholas's accession to the throne, theMoscow Life Guards Regiment - led by Obolensky, Panov, Kakhovsky, and Bestuzhev - marches toSenate Square declaring their allegiance to Constantine and calling for a constitution. They prepare to attack theSenate which has sworn allegiance to Nicholas. Miloradovich attempts to persuade the soldiers to return to their barracks. He almost succeeds in swaying the troops only to be shot by Kakhovsky and then fatally bayonetted by Obolensky. Nicholas rushes to the square where he is jeered at by the crowd and fails to prevent more troops from defecting. Realizing the stubbornness of the rebels, Nicholas orders Aleksei Orlov's loyalistHorse Guards to disperse them. Orlov's attack fails.
Nicholas then orders for artillery to firegrapeshot/canister shots on the revolting regiments. Many rebel soldiers are killed and the remaining spontaneously flee to the frozen-overNeva River. On the Neva, Bestuzhev and Panov manage to reorganize their units; the rebel soldiers line up in formation on the ice so as to attempt to capture thePeter and Paul Fortress and seize its arsenal. In response, Nicholas has the artillery fire on the ice instead of directly at the rebels. Many more soldiers and officers are either killed by shrapnel or drown in the freezing Neva. Trubetskoy and Ryleyev, who have been observing the events from the crowds, leave shaken and horrified.
Meanwhile, in Kiev, Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin mobilize the Chernigov Regiment to march on St. Petersburg to assist in the coup, unaware of the actual events that have transpired. They attempt to arrest Gebel but he resists and is repeatedly stabbed by both Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin.
The following January, the Chernigov Regiment is intercepted inRzhevsky by loyalist troops equipped with artillery. Muravyov-Apostol, realizing that the coup has failed, takes the regimental banner and marches alone to negotiate. His actions inspire his subordinate officers to advance against the loyalists, prompting the loyalists to attack. Muravyov-Apostol is wounded by artillery as loyalist cavalry charge the Chernigov Regiment.
In the wake of the failed uprising, Trubetskoy is personally admonished by Nicholas. Ryleyev, facing arrest, is rebuked by Mordvinov but he remains defiant in his beliefs.
In the summer of 1826, the five leaders of the uprising - Kakhovsky, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Muravyov-Apostol, Ryleyev, and Pestel - are taken out to be hanged. Some of the ropes snap, causing three of the condemned to fall violently onto the ground. As the executioners scramble to hang them again, a bloodied Muravyov-Apostol imagines an alternate version of the meeting with Alexander I wherein the late Tsar agrees to drink champagne with his guards.
Most of the male performers with speaking parts in the cast played characters in the military, in particular theImperial Russian Army. The female speaking parts represented Russian women in the nobility and royal family.
The film's historical consultant was Oksana Ivanovna Kiyanskaya.[6] The filmUnion of Salvation is a project of the Direktsiya kino (the main partner of which is state-fundedChannel One of Russian television) and the company20th Century FoxCIS. The project was initially announced in 2013. The script was written by Nikita Vysotskiy, he originally appeared as a director.And now in the director's chairAndrei Kravchuk, who worked with the Direktsiya kino on the filmsAdmiral, a 2008 andViking (film), a 2016 historical war film. The first teaser pictures have appeared in theaters.[7]
The film's cameraman, Igor Grinyakin, also previously worked on the projects of the Cinema Directorate Studio. Producers of the film were Konstantin Ernst and Anatoly Maksimov.[8]
Principal photography began in summer 2018 and took place theselo ofDmitriyevka,Shebekinsky District,Belgorod Oblast, playing the role of the village of Vasilkova, where the rebel regiment was seized. The place was chosen because of the similarity of natural landscapes. The objects in the hollow during the filming were grouped so that one was the background for the others. The movie village was created specifically for filming. It consists of 22 houses, a temple, Russianwell,beehives,awnings andbridges. Now in the village a museum - a film company "Cinema Directorate Studio" donated the buildings of the local administration.[9][10][11]
The four houses in the cinema are "game houses", they are rented not only outside but also inside. They have almost everything necessary for life, even a realRussian stove. Now there is one less building in the movie village. The drinking establishment (shinok), as required by the scenario, burned down in theBelgorod Oblast.[12][13]
.jpg)
The events that took place in the city ofSaint Petersburg had to be partially filmed in the pavilions. For the mass scene of the uprising on December 14, 1825, the largest pavilion in the country with an area of more than 40 thousand m2 was equipped. Specifically for this purpose, achromakey was sewn, which actually covered the entire building from the inside.Full-scale shooting took place onPalace Square, in thePeter and Paul Fortress,Tsarskoye Selo,Yusupov Palace andSaint Michael's Castle. TheGrand Gatchina Palace, the town ofGatchina,Leningrad Oblast.[14][15][16][17][18]
Exact copies were made of 180612-pounder guns which were used in the war with Napoleon, and then in theSenate square during the uprising.
The banners of the rebel regiments in the film exactly repeat the standards of the rebels. It took at least a month to create one canvas manually.
During the filming of the climax, theSenate square in Saint Petersburg was freezing - the air temperature dropped to -24 °C, which felt like -30 °C due to high humidity, so rosy cheeks and reddened noses are not make-up. Actors and extras were saved by thermal underwear and warmed up in vehicles in between takes.
Part of the shooting took place in a historical place: a house belonging to the Muravyev-Apostol family inMoscow.
The military and reenactors advised the crew so that the costumes, and movements and the cast of the actors were appropriate for the era. In addition to the main characters, they worked with actors of mass scenes. During the filming, about 1800 people acted in the role of soldiers, and each of them underwent special training.
Most of the costumes created for the film are military.Broadcloth for them was woven at a factory near Moscow, which preserved the traditions of production at that time.
Since the film takes place at the beginning of the 19th century, whensideburns andmustaches were in fashion, make-up artists had to make hundreds of different designs so that each actor got a set of the right color.
Gold epaulettes foruniforms were made by hand.
The craftsmen made 500 overcoats for ordinary infantrymen. With the help of parts and accessories, the costumes were modified for the filming of different regiments.
For the main characters of the film, 5-6 costumes were sewn, because in different years they served in different ranks.
Hats were made for the ladies. Handbags, umbrellas, gloves and shoes were searched at flea markets or made to order. References were sought in the literature and painting of that time.
The filmUnion of Salvation was created using the latest technology. As its creators say, it is "almost fantasy" in terms of the number ofcomputer graphics. However, there was no need to build new worlds; the graphics were needed to restore the old ones. As a result, the viewer is able to see Petersburg exactly as the Decembrists saw it.
The scale of events is transmitted using lighting, computer graphics and photogrammetry. For example, a soldier was photographed with a device consisting of many cameras. Thus, it was possible to create 3D models of real actors, which then filled the frame. And if during the shooting of mass scenes on the site there were 300-500 artists, then on the screen there will be several times more.
For a year and a half, the entire production process was recorded on a 360-degree camera Samsung 360 Round. This is the first such experience inRussian cinema. With the help of computer graphics, Saint Petersburg was recreated in the first third of the 19th century:Saint Isaac's Cathedral stands in the woods, because then it was only being built, and theWinter Palace was pale terracotta in color.
| Union of Salvation: The Movie Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Dmitriy Emelyanov | |
| Released | 6 March 2020[19] |
| Genre | soundtrack |
| Length | 1:10:00 |
| Label | Navigator Records(in Russian) Hollywood Records(in English) |
| Producer | Aleksey Vladimirovich Kozin |
On 18 December 2019, the main premiere ofUnion of Salvation was held in Moscow. The musical design of the picture was done by Navigator Records (ru).
The famous film composer Dmitriy Emelyanov (ru) worked on the soundtrack for theUnion of Salvation. Dmitry's original author's compositions sound in the film, including the title theme of theUnion of Salvation.
The soundtrack of the film was written by composer Dmitriy Emelyanov, the theme of thesong was written by singer Vasiliy Vakulenko ("Basta") and was called "Sensara". The film was produced by Hollywood Records, with Dmitriy Emelyanov processing at the request of producer, Konstantin Ernst, other famous tunes in Russia such asMumiy Troll's "Vladivostok 2000",Nautilus Pompilius's "Water Walks", Med Dog's "Fly Away", All are played in a film accompanied by symphony. Aleksey Kozin, the film's music producer, said collaboration with Emelyanov is an interesting and enjoyable process since Emelyanov is a professional and talented person in his field.
Dmitriy Emelyanov, composer and arranger of the film, said, "It was a great pleasure for me as a musician to become part of such a large-scale project and collaborate with famous film producers - Konstantin Lvovich Ernst and Anatoly Vadimovich Maksimov".
Aleksey Kozin, musical producer of the film, said, "Cooperation with Dmitriy Emelyanov is always a very interesting and enjoyable process. Dmitriy is a true professional and talented person with his own style".[20]
Union of Salvation is the premiere of the film took place on December 18, 2019, at the Moscow cinema "October". The film was released in theRussian Federation by20th Century FoxCIS (throughWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) on December 26, 2019.
The preparations for the production of a TV series began in August 2020, when its producers submitted a request for support to the Russian Ministry of Culture. On January 24, 2021, filming began for the TV series namedUnion of Salvation: Time of Fury (Союз Спасения. Время гнева) produced by Direktsiya Kino and Konstantin Ernst from state-fundedChannel One Russia who also produced the motion picture. The series is an addition and sequel to the movie. Nikita Vysotsky attached as writer and director with Anatoly Maximov as executive producer. The project is based on the idea of a more detailed description of the events presented in the film itself.
The series includes actor Kirill Kuznetsov, who plays the Chernigov Battalion soldier Mikhail Shchfilo, Anton Momot as staff officer Dmitry Shchepin-Rostovsky, Andrei Martinov as Apollyt Moraviov-Apostol,Tikhon Zhiznevsky, with most of the film's actors: Ivan Yankovsky, who returns to play Mikhail Stuhzhev-Ryumin, Anton Shagin, Maxim Matveyev, Sergei Agaponov, Pavel Vorozhzov, Leonid Bitchevin, Alexei Goskov, Ivan Kolesnikov, Alex Pavel Prilucniy and Igor Petrenko.
The film was released on December 26, 2019. It was the most expensive Russian film of the year, with a budget of 980 millionRUB (roughly $16.1 million at exchange rates at the time).
Film critic Egor Moskvitin in an interview with Kommersant FM radio station noted:[21]
On the one hand, you can really perceive this movie as complementary to young people, idealists who are ready to give their lives for the fatherland. On the other hand, this film can be interpreted as the story that any upheaval leads to even greater tragedies. The rush of the Decembrists was more idealistic than sensible.
In turn, the critic of the network publication "Kanobu.Ru" Angelina Gura said:[22]
There are many characters and they are disclosed exactly as much as a two-hour film allows about one of the most famous events of the past. Therefore, theUnion of Salvation can be attributed to the category of historical films only, without any life inside.
According to S.N. Rudnik, head of the Department of History of St. Petersburg Mining University, the film contains a number of distortions of historical facts (for example, the dialogue between Nicholas I and S. Trubetskoy).[23]
Union of Salvation received seven awards in Russia: for best supporting actor (Alexander Domogarov), cinematography, visual effects, costumes, makeup, sound engineer and production designer.[24][25][26][27]