Films about Orthodoxy in Russian culture are a relatively new phenomenon that appeared only after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the moment, it is considered very popular and widespread. Many people prefer to watch these paintings, as they contain a good beginning, they teach the observance of biblical truths, which are based on mercy and kindness. In this article we will talk about the most popular tapes of this subject, which deserve your attention.
"Isle"
One of the most famous Russian films about Orthodoxy is the drama of Pavel Lungin's “Island”. The main roles in it were played by Peter Mamonov, Dmitry Dyuzhev, Viktor Sukhorukov, Victoria Isakova.
The action of the picture at the very beginning takes place in 1942 on a Soviet barge, which the Germans capture. Under torture, the fireman issues the captain. The Nazis offer to save his life if he agrees to shoot his commander. He fulfills the order. He is left on a mined ship that explodes. A seriously wounded sailor is picked up by the monks.
Further, the action of this film about Orthodoxy is transferred to 1976. The stoker is very old. He became a monk, now called Anatoly. The main character works as a stoker. This is his main obedience in the monastery. As an old man, people with diseases and needs come to him from afar. It is believed that Anatoly has the ability to heal and the gift of perspicacity.
Moreover, the monk has many oddities that other novices do not understand. This is especially true of Father Job, who envies the gift of providence. Despite repentance and humility, Anatoly does not give rest to his sin. Therefore, often he gets on a boat and floats to a distant island, where he turns to God in solitude.
The events in this film about Orthodoxy begin to develop rapidly when an admiral arrives at an old man with an obsessed daughter. It turns out to be the very captain of the barge Anatoly shot at. It turned out that he only wounded him in the arm, so he managed to survive. He long ago forgave the stoker, who realizes that he can now die peacefully.
Reviews
This is one of the most famous feature films about Orthodoxy filmed in recent years. Critics and viewers left mostly positive reviews about him.
They noted that the atmosphere is saturated with the spirit of the Orthodox faith. It’s not easy to watch the picture. The action develops slowly, each scene lasts a lot of time. The main idea of the tape is forgiveness, the importance of which the director is trying to convey.
The play of Peter Mamonov deserves special mention. Once again, he proved to be an exceptional actor.
"Pop"
In 2010, Vladimir Khotinenko removes the military-historical drama Pop. This is another film about Orthodoxy, the main roles in it were played by Sergey Makovetsky, Elizabeth Arzamasova. The cast also included Nina Usatova, Kirill Pletnev and Anatoly Lobotsky.
It is believed that this is one of the best films about Orthodoxy. It tells about such a difficult and little-studied page in the history of the Russian church as the Great Patriotic War. The focus is on the activities of the Pskov Orthodox mission.
Few people know that between 1941 and 1944 the Baltic priests sought to revive church life in the Soviet occupied territories. They worked in cities from Leningrad to Pskov.
At the center of the story is the abbot of a tiny parish, Father Alexander. Soon after the Germans occupy the village, the most important mission in his life begins. There is no place for biblical miracles in it, but the main thing is the return of faith to their people. His duty as a priest turns into a sacred feat.
Viewers Opinions
In the Russian Orthodox Church, this Orthodox film was actively discussed. Orthodoxy is shown in it as a religion of goodness, compassion and concern for one's neighbor, which was highly praised by the Moscow Patriarch Kirill. He congratulated the creative team working on the painting. He noted that this was a true and important story about the life of domestic priests during the war.
At the same time, there were those who were dissatisfied with the tape. Archpriest George Mitrofanov emphasized that she leaves a feeling of half-truth. It arbitrarily sets out many historical events. Moreover, in his opinion, the picture is also vulnerable from a spiritual point of view. In the main character we see not a preacher, pastor and confessor, but a social worker and agitator.
"Rev. Seraphim of Sarov"
Among films about children, Orthodoxy primarily comes to mind animated paintings. For example, in 2008, directors Alina Ivakh and Vladislav Ponomarev shot the cartoon "Rev. Seraphim of Sarov". This is a colorful animated picture, which tells in full detail about the Orthodox saint and the miracle worker who lived in the 18th-19th centuries. Describes in detail his fate, service to God, perfect miracles.
"Proverbs"
From 2010 to 2013, the director Vitaly Lyubetskiy embodied the Orthodox parables on the screen. There were four episodes in total, each of which had three stories.
Starring Mikhail Esman and Alexander Tkachenko. This is a Belarusian picture, shot at a studio in the name of the holy confessor John the Warrior.
For example, the first episode opened with a story called Unusual Obedience. Its plot is based on a parable from the ancient Paterik. The idea is to refuse excessive praise and teaches us not to complain when a person is scolded for work.
The second parable, “Silent Prayer,” is based on the stories of St. Basil of Kinesham. It tells about people who dream of being heard by God. At the same time, they often come to the temple, immersed in their worldly thoughts, therefore they have no chance to earn the attention of the Almighty.
The third parable is called "How the Savior went to visit." It is based on the story of Father Paul about Christ, who, dressed in earthly robes, went home, but was repeatedly rejected by people who considered themselves Orthodox, obeying the biblical commandments.
The painting received positive reviews from the Orthodox Church. She was awarded several awards at festivals dedicated to religion and morality.
"Elder Paisius and I, standing upside down"
In 2012, Alexander Stolyarov, in his own script, shot the biographical drama "Elder Paisiy and I, standing upside down." This is an attempt to speak in such simple and accessible language as possible about such complex things as silent prayer and hesychia.
The protagonist of this film is a monk who has a real historical prototype. This is a Greek priest, the elder Paisius, who died on Athos at the beginning of the 20th century. Tales of him were recorded by another monk, Christodoulos Agiorith.
In fact, this is an Orthodox comedy in which a young and old monk come out to fight evil. The main character is rustic, constantly gets into anecdotal situations, while everything that is audible and visible, everything that happens to him, is the rays of a certain enormous secret.
The young monk is always next to the old man, filming him on camera. The film shows the last days of the old man’s life in the monastery and the first time spent as a young monk in the monastery.
The main roles in this picture appear Sergey Sokolov, Daniil Usachev, Yuri Kosin, Albert Arnautov, Matvey Stolyarov.
“How are people alive?”
This is a philosophical question that was very popular in the 19th century. Even became the title for several literary works. For example, the story of the feuilletonist and publicist Vlas Doroshevich, the poem of Vladimir Solovyov, the story of Leo Tolstoy.
It was the adaptation of the work of Lev Nikolaevich that became the short film by Alexander Kushnir, filmed in 2008. The director himself outlined the genre of his film, a parable. In it, he gives a story about an angel who seeks to find out how and how people live on earth.
The leading roles were played by Valery Pleshko, Alexei Shevtsov, Natalya Sinyavskaya, Olga Kroytor, Vyacheslav Kalyuzhny, Marina Golyakova.
Once on the earth, the angel settles in the shoemaker's house after he was cast down from heaven. He disobeyed after he was sent to earth to take the soul of a woman who lost her husband. He will be able to return to heaven when he finds answers to questions about the human nature.
Angel lives as an apprentice with a shoemaker, reflecting on life.
Mamontov Documentary
Several documentaries about Orthodoxy were filmed by the journalist and TV presenter Arkady Mamontov. It all started with the picture “Athos. Ascent ”, dedicated to life on the Holy Mountain. A look at one of the most famous and revered Orthodox places is given by Russian pilgrims who annually come to the mountain in large numbers.
In 2017, another Arkady Mamontov film about Orthodoxy is released. This is the painting “Monk”, dedicated to the ordinary soldier and Russian peasant Semen Ivanovich Antonov, who turned into a true monk, known to everyone under the name Siluan Athos.
In 2018, Mamontov shoots the documentary “Saint Spyridon” about the fate of the Christian saint of the 3rd-4th centuries Spiridon of Trimyphuntes, who is revered as a miracle worker.
The works of Arkady Mamontov, who in recent years has become one of the most prolific documentary filmmakers in the country, have been praised not only by colleagues and critics, but also by most representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church.