Matilda (2017 film)

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Matilda (Russian: ????????) is ? 2017 Russian historical romantic drama film directed by Alexey Uchitel. It was released in cinemas on October 26, 2017. The picture tells the story about the relationship between ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II.

The planned release of the film has become the subject of a public conflict that has started since November 2016. Elements of the conflict include fierce controversy, attempts to ban the film, threats to film distributors and arson.

The premiere of the film took place on October 23, 2017 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

Video Matilda (2017 film)

Plot

The film tells the story of the romantic relationship between the heir to the Russian throne, Nikolay Romanov, and the ballerina of the Imperial Theater, Matilda Kshesinskaya, from the time the 22-year-old crown prince and 18-year-old dancer met in 1890 to the coronation of Nikolay and his wife Aleksandra Fedorovna in 1896.

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Cast

• Michalina Olsza?ska as Mathilde Kschessinska
• Lars Eidinger as Nicholas II of Russia
• Danila Kozlovskiy as Vorontzov
• Grigoriy Dobrigin as Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich
• Ingeborga Dapk?nait? as Maria Fedorovna
• Evgeniy Mironov as Ivan Karlovich, director of the Imperial Theatres
• Thomas Ostermeier as Doctor Fisher
• Sergey Garmash as Emperor Alexander III
• Luise Wolfram as Alexandra Fedorovna
• Vitaliy Kovalenko as Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich
• Galina Tjunina as Mariya Pavlovna, Vladimir's wife
• Vitaliy Kishchenko as Vlasov
• Sarah Stern as Pierina Legnani
• Yan Ge as Kawakami, masseuse Legnani, Chinese
• Alexandra Serebryakova as ballerina
• Tamara Tax as ballerina
• Sergey Malyugov as grand duke
• Stepan Pivkin as grand duke
• Kirill Gorbunov as prince George
• Ekaterina Dar as princess at the coronation
• Oleg Pospolitak as priest
• Anna Chernovich as maid of honor of the Empress Maria Fedorovna
• Mariya Glazunova as maid of honor
• Anastasiya Lomachenkova
• Stanislav Lyamtsev
• Alina Suhareva as maid
• Sergey Korenkov as colonel
• Kirill Andreev as guard on the train
• Sergey Krasavin as general
• Roman Shalyapin as assistant director of the Imperial Theatres

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Reception

The film received mixed reviews in Russian media. Yury Grymov and Stas Tirkin from Komsomolskaya Pravda differed in their opinion; Grymow criticized the film, citing the muddled nature of the picture, while Tyrkin gave a positive review.

Egor Belikov from Time Out and Andrey Piskov from The Hollywood Reporter described the film as an overblown melodrama.

Meduza's Anton Dolin praised the film; he complimented the fairy-tale like atmosphere, cinematography, sets and costumes.

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Controversy

In 2016 when the official trailer of the film which contained in particular erotic love scenes was released, representatives of the public movement "King's Cross" found in the upcoming film a "distortion of historical events", and an "anti-Russian and anti-religious provocation in the field of culture". One cinema chain pulled out of showing the film after a group of self-described Orthodox militants threatened the film's director and cinemas preparing to screen it.

After a request to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation State from the Duma deputy Natalia Poklonskaya known for her veneration of Nicholas II, the film's material was audited and no violations were found. Chairman of the Duma committee on culture, film director Stanislav Govoruhin criticized the idea of checking the film, he expressed confidence that such scandalous initiatives should be "nipped right in the bud." In the Kremlin, Poklonskaya's request caused confusion and an uncertain delayed response. The Ministry of Culture of Russia said that the question of issuing certificates for rental of the film will be decided upon the completion of work on the picture.

Somewhat later in December 2016 it was reported that the prosecutor's office will request the movie's script for inspection at the request of deputy Poklonskaya.

In September 2017 Cinema Park and Formula Kino group, the Russia's biggest cinema chain, cancelled screenings of the film due to "extreme actions by opponents of the film" and threats made against cinemas. They later reversed the decision. Two cars were torched outside the Moscow office of a lawyer acting for Alexey Uchitel, the director of the film.

Attempts of a ban

Director of the office of the Russian Imperial House, Aleksandr Zakatov called the film "blasphemy", but added that "such works should be condemned, but to inflate a scandal around them and make a formal ban does not make sense". A similar position was taken by the Bishop of Egoryevsk Tihon (Shevkunov), who reviewed the film highly critically, but said that the demand to ban the film - "is an absolutely dead-end and wrong approach":

... An admonition regarding right and wrong - this is the goal that can and must be put in connection with the forthcoming wide screening of the film.

Nevertheless, Bishop Tihon pointed out, "most likely, individuals and groups, including Orthodox, will demand its prohibition".

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Production

More than 17 tons of fabric were used to create a total of more than 5,000 costumes.

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References

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External links

• Matilda on IMDb

Source of the article : Wikipedia