Film Review

FILM REVIEW

UNION Of SALVATION  {2019}

By Stephen Wilson

       

Directed by Andrei Kravchuk ,

Ivan Kolensnikov as Nicholas 1st, Leonid Bichevin as Decembrist Myravev,

Maxim Matreev as Sergei Trubetskoi, Pavel Piliuchin as Pestel, Sofia  

Ernest as Anna Belskaya.

 

           

The film Union of Salvation, about the failed Decembrist Uprising of 1825, is a must. The sheer beauty on the huge screen is awesome. The marvelous costumes, military uniforms of soldiers as well as superbly shot angles of Saint Petersburg make this a pleasant watch. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where rebel soldiers poured out of the barracks to take up positions on formation and the victory celebration in Paris of 1814.  But this is not all! The film promises compelling drama as you wonder who will stand by the rebels or defect to the Tsar. At times the film is confusing especially to people who have not read up on the historical background to those events. Of course, as you might expect, poetic drama often supersedes the actual course  of events because film directors are more concerned with drama. What might be surprising is how many scenes in the film actually mirror real events. For instance, there was a cavalry charge made on the rebels, an envoy certain to negotiate the troops was killed and the Tsar reluctantly bombarded the rebels who were stunned, shocked and driven into fleeing over the River Neva. 

           

At first I and my colleague wondered if it was worth watching this film. At the last minute my sleepy colleague changed her mind and said: " Let's go". I thought it might be just another boring cliched film with too many special effects. Maybe it would be another of those crude digital disordered patriotic films. But we were mistaken. My colleague never slept through it. Instead she asked, "Who is that?" 'Is that Pestel? Who is that ridiculous man running around in the crowd? " I honestly did not care. I just enjoyed the acting. Andrei Kolesnikov certainly played a convincing Nicholas the First. He looks very strict, stubborn and uncompromising. He declares: "I can forgive cruelty, but not weakness." As in real life, he displayed complete presence of mind. Anticipating that an uprising was imminent in advance through his informers he was thought to have written: 'In the early hours of the day after tomorrow, I shall either be a sovereign or a corpse.' Kolesnikov stated in one interview with Evening Moscow that although he had read all he could about the tsar there were some scenes which were difficult to do. He stated: "There was one scene where Nicholas 1st received news that of the death of his older brother Alexander. And I had to weep. To cry before the camera is not a problem, but when this is shot for 12 hours, it becomes difficult: in order to play tragedy, you need to summon up all the burden of your own feelings and memories".

            

The film does not take any side in this conflict. It looks more at events as a tragedy for both sides. There are the rebels prepared to risk their very lives, prestige and position for what they see as the common good. Some of the best scenes of the film are where we witness soldiers carousing, playing tricks and amusing themselves. In one of the first memorable scenes the Tsar Alexander refuses to drink with his soldiers to celebrate the victory over Napoleon in Paris during 1814. But the last scene ends with an event which never happened; Alexander agrees to drink with his soldiers. The latter scene suggests what if history unfolded differently and Alexander had truly respected his soldiers? 

           

If this film briefly awakens an interest in this fascinating period of history then justice is served. For those who don't know the historical background, it is worth mentioning. Following the end of the Napoleonic wars, many Russian soldiers returned home as different men. The war had profoundly transformed them. They came back with new habits, uncouth speech and different values to the older generation. For them, what mattered most was not their social rank or position in the civil service or a career, and observing manners, but the importance of friendship, comradeship and remedying the injustice they noticed around them. They wanted to treat the peasants better, abolish serfdom, and create a more justified and fairer society.

           

All kinds of secret societies were formed to create a society where serfdom would be abolished, the tsar's power limited or completely abolished as well as a freer atmosphere where everyone would be equal before the law. From 1816-17, a number of high-ranking officers, Colonel Paul Pestov, Muravyov and Prince Sergei Trubetskoy came together to found the Union of Salvation in Saint Petersburg. There were other societies such as the Society of United Slavs.

           

However, they had strong disagreement in aims as wells as methods. For instance, many members did not agree with Pestov's blueprint for a republic which not only called for the assassination of the Tsar, but the deportation of troublesome Caucasian people and forced resettlement of Jews as well as the development of a police force which would control all activities. Many of the leaders simply sought a constitutional monarchy modeled on Britain.

           

The leaders had planned for an uprising to take place in 1826. However, the unexpected death of the Tsar Alexander led to a period where there was no authorized tsar in Russia for 6 weeks. Constantine, who was next in line for the throne had been disqualified by Alexander for marrying a Polish princess.

           

Despite appeals by his brother, he refused to take up the throne and Nicholas assumed power as a tsar. There was a confusing situation where it was not known who would become tsar. The Decembrists attempted to exploit this confusion by organizing a mass uprising in Senate square of Saint Petersburg where they would advance on the Winter Palace, capture the tsar and seize power via a military coup. They had counted on 20,000 soldiers coming out in support. Instead, only 3,000 soldiers came out. Under a strong and well-organised leadership they might have carried the day. However, the rebels proved too indecisive, hesitated and stood around for 5-6 hours doing nothing.

           

The person who was meant to lead them, Sergei Trubetskoy, never turned up on the square. Instead, he had a nervous breakdown and fled to the Austrian embassy where he was later arrested. After a fruitless cavalry charge and the failure of negotiations, Nicholas the First ordered his cannon to start bombarding them. When a gunner refuses to light the fuse an officer goes ahead and does it.

           

Many of the soldiers under the command of the rebel officer had been misinformed that Constantine had promised to free the serfs and create a new constitution. Scenes from the film show soldiers shouting for "Constantine and the constitution." Some peasants had never heard of the word constitution. They thought it was the name of Constantine's wife. 

           

After a horrific bombardment which killed many soldiers, as well as women and children, the rebels fled in panic. One estimate states that as many as 1,000 people may have been slaughtered. After this and subsequent crushing of the rebels in Ukraine, the rebellion was finished. As many as 500 Decembrists were arrested and interrogated, but most of them were released after agreeing to provide information for the prosecution. The five main ring-leaders were hanged and secretly buried. When the hangman failed to successfully hang three of them, one Decembrist stated, "What a country which can't even competently hang people." 

           

It is interesting to note that during interrogations some prisoners blamed the poet Pushkin because his poems inspired him. Mikhail Ryumin stated: "I heard everywhere Pushkin's verse being read with enthusiasm. This more and more strengthened my liberal opinions". Pushkin actually confessed to writing the lines, 'Where are freedom and the law? Over us alone the ax reigns.' But poetry was not the only culprit. The education system was also blamed along with many tutors and teachers. Benckerdorf stated that the experience of the uprising on 14th December was the fatal consequences of a false educational system.

            

It is unfortunate that the true legacy of the Decembrists has never been fully acknowledged. They are mainly viewed as the losers in a badly organised rebellion. However, many of the Decembrists set up special schools in the army where they taught peasant soldiers to read and write, and offered free medical treatment and care. For example, the Decembrist Pavel Semenov organised a medical clinic for serfs as well as aid to the widows of soldiers. From 1818 to 1821 Count Mikhail Orlov and Vladimir Reavsky founded schools for soldiers. The historian Orlando Figes wrote: 'Together the Decembrists formed a veritable 'university'. Between them they had an encyclopedic range of expertise, from folklore, history and archaeology to mathematics and the natural sciences, and they published many learned works,as well as poetry and literature, in the leading journals of the day.' {see Orlando Figes ' Natasha's dance, a Cultural History of Russia, 2002,New York}

           

This is one thing which might only be hinted at by this film. The legacy of the Decembrists deserves more than what posterity has granted them. They were not just hapless rebels, but much more. In deed, they were great educators!