''Admiral'' (russian: Адмиралъ; stylized to resemble pre-revolutionary Russian, modern spelling: russian: Адмирал) is a 2008

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

about

Alexander Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought ...

, a vice admiral in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...

and leader of the

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

White movement during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

. The film also depicts the

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

between the Admiral, his wife, and the poet

Anna Timiryova Anna Vasilyevna Timiryova (russian: Анна Васильевна Тимирёва; 18 July 1893 – 31 January 1975) was a Russian poet. Born Anna Safonova, she was the daughter of composer Vasily Ilyich Safonov. At the age of 19 she married Ad ...

. An extended version of the movie was made into a 10-part TV mini-series which was shown by Channel One in 2009.

Plot

During the production of ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' at

Mosfilm Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...

in 1964, an elderly Russian noblewoman is set to appear as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

. The film's political commissar demands her dismissal, but director

Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...

is adamant she stays. In 1916, Captain Alexander Kolchak's ship is laying

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

when they are blocked by of the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

. Kolchak leads his men in

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

prayers for protection as they lure the German ship towards their mines and it sinks. At the naval base in the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

, Kolchak is promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and introduced to

, the wife of subordinate officer and close friend Captain Sergei Timirev. Although Sergei reminds his wife, that they took vows before God, Anna is unmoved and wants nothing more than to be with the Admiral. Terrified of losing Kolchak, Sofya offers to leave for

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, but Kolchak is adamant about their marriage. When Anna delivers a letter to Kolchak he informs her that they can never meet, professing his love for her.

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

personally promotes Kolchak to vice admiral and commander of the

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

in 1917, Tsarist officers are disarmed and

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

at the

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...

naval base. Sergei barely escapes with Anna. A group of enlisted men arrive aboard Kolchak's flotilla demanding all officers surrender their arms. Kolchak orders his subordinates to obey and throws his own sword into the harbour. Kolchak is summoned by

Alexander Kerensky Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; Reforms of Russian orthography, original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months ...

and offers to make him Minister of Defense. Kolchak accepts on the condition they restore old Imperial Army practices. Kerensky refuses and offers him exile in the United States, ostensibly because the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

need him as an expert to take

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

by naval attack. Shortly after, his wife and son are rescued from their home in Crimea and whisked away to a British ship, just before the house is attacked by

Red Guards Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...

. In 1918, Anna and Sergei are travelling on the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...

when she learns Kolchak is setting up an anti-Bolshevik army in

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

. Sergei is dismayed when Anna announces that she is leaving him and becomes a nurse in the

. Kolchak learns the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

is advancing on Omsk, he orders an evacuation and seizes

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is ...

as the new capital of anti-communist Russia. Anna is recognized by a White officer who informs Kolchak; they meet and he vows never to leave her again, explaining he has asked Sofya for divorce. He proposes to Anna, but she insists that there is no need for marriage. Eventually, she relents and they are seen attending the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...

together. Meanwhile, Irkutsk is under the nominal control of French General

Maurice Janin Pierre-Thiébaut-Charles-Maurice Janin (October 19, 1862, Paris – April 28, 1946) was a French general (from April 20, 1916) and military commander who was the chief of the Allied military mission in Siberia during the Russian Civil War. As s ...

and the

Czechoslovak Legion , image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg , image_size = 200px , alt = , caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms , start_date ...

. With their defenses disintegrating, the Red Army offers a way out alive. As a result, General Janin agrees to hand over Kolchak. Kolchak and Anna are arrested by the Czechs and handed over to the Reds. Reinforcements, led by Kolchak's ally General

Vladimir Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel (russian: Влади́мир О́скарович Ка́ппель, – January 26, 1920) was a White Russian military leader. Early life Kappel was born into a Swedish-Russian family. He graduated from the Saint ...

, eventually reach Irkutsk just in time to rescue Kolchak; however the offensive fails. Kolchak is put on trial by the Irkutsk

soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and executed with his former Prime Minister along the banks of the frozen

Angara River The Angara ( Buryat and mn, Ангар, ''Angar'', "Cleft"; russian: Ангара́, ''Angará'') is a major river in Siberia, which traces a course through Russia's Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai. It drains out of Lake Baikal and is ...

. His last words are, "Send word to my wife in Paris that I bless our son". Their bodies are dumped into an opening in the ice, hewn up by the local Orthodox clergy for the

Great Blessing of Waters Among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern-Rite Catholic Christians, holy water is blessed in the church and given to the faithful to drink at home when needed and to bless their homes. In the weeks following the Feast of Epiphany, clergy visit the h ...

Theophany Theophany (from Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of a deity") is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way. Specifically, it "refers to the temporal and spatial manifest ...

Epilogue

* Anna was arrested numerous times following Kolchak's execution and survived nearly 40 years in the

Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

before her release in 1960. She died in Moscow in January 1975, aged 81. * Sergei became a rear admiral commanding the White Russian Navy in Siberia before fleeing to China, where he captained Chinese steamers. He settled in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

's White Russian community, where he died in 1932. * Sophya Kolchak joined her son in exile in Paris. She died in the

Longjumeau Longjumeau () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Longjumeau are known as ''Longjumellois'' (). History Longjumeau Party School In 1911, Lenin founded the Longjumeau ...

Hospital in 1956. * Kolchak's son Rostislav fought with the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He died in Paris in 1965.

Cast

Konstantin Khabensky Konstantin Yurievich Khabensky, PAR (russian: link=no, Константин Юрьевич Хабенский; born 11 January 1972) is a Russian actor of stage and film, director and philanthropist. From 1997 he was part of the Saint Petersbu ...

– Admiral

Sergey Bezrukov Sergey Vitalyevich Bezrukov (russian: link=no, Серге́й Вита́льевич Безру́ков, born 18 October 1973) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor, singer, People's Artist of Russia, the laureate of the State Prize of th ...

– General

Vladislav Vetrov Vladislav Vladimirovich Vetrov (russian: Владислав Владимирович Ветров; born 9 February 1964) is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, director and writer. Biography Vladislav Vetrov was born in Senaki, Georgian ...

– Captain *

Elizaveta Boyarskaya Elizaveta Mikhailovna Boyarskaya (russian: Елизаве́та Миха́йловна Боя́рская, born 20 December 1985) is a Russian theater and film actress. Biography Early life and education Elizaveta was born on 20 December 1985 ...

–

* Anna Kovalchuk – Sofia Kolchak *

Egor Beroev Egor Vadimovich Beroev (russian: Егор Вадимович Бероев; born 9 October 1977) is a Russian actor of film, television and theater. He appeared in more than thirty films since 1994. Early career Beroev graduated from the Mikha ...

– Mikhail Smirnov *

Richard Bohringer Richard Bohringer (born 16 January 1942) is a French actor. Personal life Bohringer was born in Moulins, Allier, to a French mother and a German father. He is the father of actress Romane Bohringer, and has three other children, Mathieu, Richa ...

– General

Viktor Verzhbitsky Viktor Alexandrovich Verzhbitsky (russian: Виктор Александрович Вержбицкий) born 21 September 1959, in Tashkent, Soviet Union (now Uzbekistan) is an Uzbekistani-Russian film and stage actor. He is well known for playi ...

–

Nikolai Burlyayev Nikolai Petrovich Burlyayev (russian: Николай Петрович Бурляев; born 3 August 1946) is a Soviet and Russian actor and film director. Born into a family of actors, Burlyayev started his career in film and theatre when he was ...

–

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

Fyodor Bondarchuk Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...

– Director

Olga Ostroumova Olga Mikhailovna Ostroumova (russian: О́льга Миха́йловна Остроу́мова; born 21 September 1947) is a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian theater and film actress. Best known for her roles in films ''We'll Live Till Monday'' ...

* Nikolay Reutov *

Igor Savochkin Igor Yurievich Savochkin (russian: Игорь Юрьевич Савочкин; 14 May 1963 – 17 November 2021) was a Russian theater and film actor. He died in Moscow on 17 November 2021, at the age of 58 due to liver disease. Filmography Fi ...

* Mikhail Eliseev

Themes

According to director

Andrei Kravchuk Andrei Yurievich Kravchuk (russian: Андре́й Ю́рьевич Кравчу́к; born 13 April 1962 in Leningrad) is a Russian television and film director and screenwriter best known for his films '' The Italian'' (2005) and '' Admiral'' ( ...

, "

he film is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

about a man who tries to create history, to take an active part in history, as he gets caught in the turmoil. However, he keeps on struggling, he preserves his honour and his dignity, and he continues to love." Actress Elizaveta Boyarskaya said of her character, "She was a woman of such force, of such will, with such magnanimity... I feel an amazing resemblance to her... When I read script, I was even a bit scared: because she has the same vision of history as me. All that can arrive at is me. And when I played Anna, I did not play, I was her. It is my epoch, my attitude regarding love." After being asked about the film ''

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago and deals with love and loss during ...

'', she stated, "The only thing that these two films share consists in the love which the Russian women can carry; it is a topic approached by many novels. They love up to the last drop of blood, till the most dreadful end, to the death; they are capable of leaving family and children for the love of the man which they have chosen."

Production

The film had 210 shooting days. Work on the picture took four years. Principal photography lasted for a year-and-half with a two to three-month break. Locations included

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Torzhok Torzhok (russian: Торжо́к) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Tvertsa River along the federal highway M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway division of the Russian Railways. The town is famous for its folk craft of g ...

and

. The twelve-minute battle scene took a month to shoot. Twenty-four thousand CGI shots were incorporated into the film. Khabensky had to wear an orthopedic corset due to poor posture.

Release and reception

The first screening of the film took place on October 9, 2008. Reception of the movie by Russian critics was mixed. Because Kolchak had been portrayed as a villain in

Soviet historiography Soviet historiography is the methodology of history studies by historians in the Soviet Union (USSR). In the USSR, the study of history was marked by restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Soviet historiography i ...

, the film encountered some controversy in Russia due to its reversal of roles. In the United States, Leslie Felperin of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "Strictly as a film, however, ''Admiral'' is entertaining enough in a retro ''

''/''

'' sort of way, with its big setpieces, lavish costumes and string-laden orchestral score. For all intents and purposes, pic reps a virtual mirror image of those old patriotic Soviet-era movies wherein the Reds were the heroes and the White Army the baddies."

Awards

MTV Russia Movie Awards The MTV Russia Movie Awards (Before 2009 MTV Movie Awards Russia (russian: Кинонаграды MTV Россия)) made its debut in 2006 and have celebrated local Russian movies as well as International. The MTV Russia Movie Awards (RMA) is the ...

** Best Film ** Best Male Actor (Konstantin Khabensky) ** Best Actress (Elizaveta Boyarskaya) ** Best Spectacular Scene * Golden Eagle Award ** Best Male Actor (Konstantin Khabensky) ** Best Cinematography ** Best Costumes ** Best Sound

Soundtrack

The main original song for the film, "Anna", is performed by Russian singer

Victoria Dayneko Victoria Dayneko (born May 12, 1987) is a singer, songwriter, and actress. In 2004, she started her career in Russia after her victory at the Star Factory-5 All-Russian TV show. Dayneko's songs have topped the Russian charts, and the music video ...

and composed by

Igor Matvienko Igor Igorevich Matvienko (russian: Игорь Игоревич Матвиенко; born February 6, 1960, in Moscow, RSFSR) is a Soviet and Russian producer, composer, founder of the bands Lyube, Ivanushki International, Korni, Fabrika, KuBa. ...

. The poem itself was written by Anna Timireva in memory of the Admiral. "Vopreki" ("Despite") was written by

Konstantin Meladze Konstantin Shotayevich Meladze (russian: Константин Шотаевич Меладзе, ka, კონსტანტინე მელაძე) (born 11 May 1963 in Batumi) is a Ukrainian-Russian composer and producer. He is the older b ...

and performed by

Valery Meladze Valerian Shotayevich Meladze, ka, ვალერიან შოთას ძე მელაძე (born 23 June 1965), known professionally as Valery Meladze , is a Georgian singer and a Meritorious Artist of Russia. He is the brother of c ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Admiral 2008 films Cultural depictions of Alexander Kolchak Biographical films about military leaders Russian historical films Russian biographical drama films Films directed by Andrei Kravchuk Russian Civil War films World War I naval films Films set in the Baltic Sea Films set in Siberia World War I films based on actual events Films about Soviet repression Russian Revolution films World War I films set on the Eastern Front Films set in 1916 Films set in 1917 Films set in 1918 Films set in 1919 Films set in 1920 Films set in 1964 Films shot in Crimea Films shot in Moscow Oblast Films shot in Saint Petersburg Films shot in Siberia Biographical action films Historical action films Russian war films War romance films 2008 biographical drama films Channel One Russia original programming 2009 Russian television series debuts 2009 Russian television series endings 2000s Russian television series Russian television miniseries Cultural depictions of Nicholas II of Russia 2008 drama films Russian World War I films