''Union of Salvation'' (russian: Союз спасения, Soyuz spaseniya) is a 2019 Russian

war epic Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...

period

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by

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'' ( ...

, written by Nikita Vysotskiy and Oleg Malovichko, and produced by

Konstantin Ernst Konstantin Lvovich Ernst (russian: Константин Львович Эрнст; born 6 February 1961) is a Russian media manager, producer and TV host. He is currently the CEO of Channel One Russia. Biography Early years and education His ...

. The film was created in collaboration with the Cinema Direction Studios with

Mosfilm Studios 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 inclu ...

and

Lenfilm Lenfilm (russian: link=no, Ленфильм) is a Russian production company with its own film studio located in Saint Petersburg (the city was called Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, thus the name). It is a corporation with its stakes shared betwee ...

with the support of the Russian state Cinema Foundation. The story is about veterans of the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

of 1812, who conspired to install

Konstantin Pavlovich Konstantin Pavlovich (russian: Константи́н Па́влович; ) was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. He was the heir-presumptive for most of his elder brother Alexande ...

as the new tsar of the Russian Empire, transform Russia into a constitutional monarchy and abolish serfdom. In Imperial Russia in 1816, several officers of the Russian Imperial Guard founded a society known as the Union 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 Tsar Nicholas I. This group of conspirators has become known as the Decembrist 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 on Senate Square in Saint Petersburg and the

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

of the

29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment The 29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Russian Imperial Army. In 1914, it was part of the 1st Brigade of the 15th Army Corps' 8th Infantry Division and was based in Warsaw. The regiment celebrated its feast day on ...

of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

, stationed in the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire ( Chernigov is now part of Ukraine). The main actors are:

Leonid Bichevin Leonid Aleksandrovich Bichevin (Russian: Леони́д Алекса́ндрович Биче́вин; born 24 December 1984) is a Russian film and theater actor. Early life Leonid Bichevin was born in Klimovsk, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Sovi ...

Maksim Matveyev Maksim Aleksandrovich Matveyev (russian: Макси́м Алекса́ндрович Матве́ев; born 28 July 1982Pavel Priluchny,

Ivan Yankovsky Ivan Filippovich Yankovsky (russian: Иван Филиппович Янковский; born October 30, 1990) is a Russian actor, best known for his role in '' Rag Union''. His father is actor/director Filipp Yankovsky, and his grandfather was the ...

, Anton Shagin,

Ivan Kolesnikov Ivan Sergeyevich Kolesnikov (russian: Ива́н Серге́евич Коле́сников; born March 18, 1983) is a Russian film, television, and stage actor. Nika Award's winner (2016). Early life Kolesnikov was born in Moscow, Russi ...

, Aleksandr Domogarov, Igor Petrenko, Sergey Peregudov, Vitali Kishchenko,

Aleksei Guskov Aleksei Gennadyevich Guskov (russian: Алексей Геннадьевич Гуськов, born 20 May 1958) is a Soviet and Russian actor and producer. He was awarded People's Artist of Russia in 2007. Early life Aleksei Guskov was born to ...

Aleksandr Ustyugov Aleksandr Sergeevich Ustyugov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Устюгов; born 17 October 1976) is a Russian actor, film director and musician. He is best known for his role as a main character Roman Shilov for 60 episodes o ...

Sergey Koltakov Sergey Mikhailovich Koltakov (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Колтако́в; 10 December 1955 – 7 September 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actor. Biography Sergey Koltakov was born in Barnaul, Altai Krai, Russian SFSR, ...

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 ...

and Artyom Tkachenko in supporting roles. According to the website of the

Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation The Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation ( ru , Союз кинематографистов России) is the trade union of cinematographers, actors, and other professionals of Russian cinema. Founded in 1991, it was preceded b ...

, the picture's budget in 2016 was estimated at 700 million rubles. 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 of Saint Petersburg and Belgorod Oblast. ''Union of Salvation'' was released in the Russian Federation by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

CIS Cis or cis- may refer to: Places * Cis, Trentino, in Italy * In Poland: ** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central ** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north Math, science and biology * cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...

(through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) on December 26, 2019, in 2D, Atmos.

Plot

In 1808, the Emperor of France,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, visits a boarding house in Paris, and asks to be shown the most talented student there. This is the son of a Russian diplomat in Paris, a subject of the Russian Empire, Sergey Muravyov-Apostol. In 1814 the Russian army has participated in the defeat of Napoleonic France and helped capture Paris. During the review of the Life Guards of the Semyonovsky Regiment by Emperor Alexander I, the guard officers offer to drink champagne with him in honor of the victory, but the sovereign refuses. In 1820 soldiers and veterans of the battles with Napoleon are outraged by frequent corporal punishment and excessive drill. A riot of the Life Guards of the Semyonovsky Regiment is pacified by the regimental officers Muravyov-Apostol and Bestuzhev-Ryumin, but despite this, the riot still forces the Tsar to send regiment's beloved commanders to the garrison in Little Russia, and ordinary soldiers to be driven through the ranks and sent to Siberia.

Podpolkovnik ''Podpolkovnik'' (russian: подполко́вник, lit=sub –, junior – , or lower regimentary) is a military rank in Slavic and nearby countries which corresponds to the lieutenant colonel in the English-speaking states and military. ...

Muravyov-Apostol, along with Polkovnik Pestel, leaves Saint Petersburg for the

in the Kiev Governorate. Some of the officers spend a year preparing to assassinate the Tsar during his review of the troops, and subsequently march on St. Petersburg. To cover the traces of regimental funds taken for the plot, Pestel forces the stubborn Captain Mayborod at gunpoint to write a receipt saying that he borrowed the missing amount from the regimental treasury. However, Mayboroda sends a letter to Alexander I, alerting him of the conspiracy. The Emperor, himself striving for reform, cancels the review. The conspirators get off with an unspoken warning. By 1825 the young officers are impatient for equality and freedom. For this, they are willing to sacrifice everything: their own well-being, position in society, and even their lives. Discussing the path of reform, the nobles consider whether they prefer Pavel Pestel's republican program of ''Russkaya Pravda'' ('Russian Truth"), or

Nikita Muravyov Nikita Mikhailovich Muravyov (russian: Никита Михайлович Муравьёв) ( – ) was an Imperial Guards staff officer and plotter in what led to the Decembrist revolt of 1825. Muravyov was active in a number of proto-Decem ...

's constitutional project, where Russia will remain a monarchy. General Yushnevsky visits the Chernigov regiment and informs Pestel that Captain Mayboroda has denounced Pestel to the Tsar and revealed his plans. Pavel is summoned to Tulchin and arrested. Muravyov reports this to Mikhail Bestuzhev. The soldiers are angered and prepare a revolt. On the morning of December 14, the Moscow infantry regiment, led by Prince

Yevgeny Obolensky Prince Yevgeny Petrovich Obolensky (russian: Евге́ний Петро́вич Оболе́нский, – ) was a Russian officer from the Obolensky family, one of the most active participants in the Decembrist revolt. Biography Yevgeny Obole ...

, Nikolai Panov, Mikhail Bestuzhev and Pyotr Kakhovsky, marches to Senate Square and prepares to attack the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, which has sworn allegiance to Nicholas. Governor-general Mikhail Miloradovich tries to persuade the soldiers to return to the barracks. He begins to convince them, but then Kakhovsky shoots Miloradovich in the back and Prince Obolensky stabs him with a bayonet. Realizing that the rebels would not give up, Nicholas I orders Aleksei Orlov's loyalist Horse Guards to attack and disperse them. The attack is not successful. Nicholas then orders the artillery to shoot grapeshot/ canister shots on the revolting soldiers. Many soldiers of the rebel regiments are killed, the remaining spontaneously flee to the ice of the

Neva River The Neva (russian: Нева́, ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it i ...

. The rebel officers are unable to rally them. On the Neva River, officers order the surviving rebel soldiers to line up on the ice in order to capture the

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early 1920s i ...

and Arsenal. In response, Nicholas orders the artillery to be moved and the ice to be broken by its fire. Many soldiers and officers are killed by shrapnel or falling through the ice. In January 1826 the Chernigov Regiment is marching in formation along the Rzhevsky road when suddenly they are surprised by an unexpected artillery barrage. The regiment officers notice guns and government troops opposing them. Muravyov-Apostol draws the line on the ground ahead of the troops, saying that if they cross it, a war will begin. Sergei Ivanovich takes the banner and goes ahead to negotiate. A few minutes later, Major Baranov, now demoted to a private, orders the soldiers to form up for attack. The officers are trying to dissuade the major, but Baranov convinces them with the words "Do you want him to just be killed?". The soldiers advance across the line, and the government troops open fire on them, seriously wounding Muravyov-Apostol. The Akhtyr hussars then charge the Chernigov regiment, throwing them back in defeat. In 1826, the execution of the five leaders of the uprising takes place. While waiting on death row Sergei Muravyov-Apostol imagines an alternate version of the meeting with Alexander I where this time the Russian Tsar agrees to drink champagne with his guards.

Cast

Most of the male performers with speaking parts in the cast played characters in the military, in particular the

. The female speaking parts represented Russian women in the nobility and royal family.

Production

Development

The film's historical consultant was Oksana Ivanovna Kiyanskaya. The film ''Union of Salvation'' is a project of the Direktsiya kino (the main partner of which is state-funded Channel One of Russian television) and the company

. 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 chair

, who worked with the Direktsiya kino on the films ''

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

'', a 2008 and ''Viking'' (film), a 2016 historical was film. The first teaser pictures have appeared in theaters. 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.

Filming

Principal photography began in summer 2018 and took place the selo of

Dmitriyevka Dmitriyevka (russian: Дмитриевка) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Altai Krai As of 2010, one rural locality in Altai Krai bears this name: * Dmitriyevka, Altai Krai, a '' selo'' in Lenkovsky Selsoviet of Blagoves ...

Shebekinsky District Shebekinsky District (russian: Шебекинский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.Law #248 As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Shebekinsky Municipal District.Law ...

, 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, Russian well, beehives,

awnings An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of Acrylic fiber, acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tig ...

and bridges. Now in the village a museum - a film company "Cinema Directorate Studio" donated the buildings of the local administration. 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 real

Russian stove The Russian stove (russian: русская печь) is a type of masonry stove that first appeared in the 15th century. It is used both for cooking and domestic heating in traditional Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian households. The Russian sto ...

. Now there is one less building in the movie village. The drinking establishment (shinok), as required by the scenario, burned down in the Belgorod Oblast. The events that took place in the city of Saint 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, a

chromakey Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a Visual effects, visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues (colorfulness, chroma range). The technique has b ...

was sewn, which actually covered the entire building from the inside. Full-scale shooting took place on Palace Square, in the

, Tsarskoye Selo, Yusupov Palace and Saint Michael's Castle. The Grand Gatchina Palace, the town of Gatchina,

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...

. Exact copies were made of 1806

12-pounder gun 12-pounder gun or 12-pdr, usually denotes a gun which fired a projectile of approximately 12 pounds. Guns of this type include: *12-pounder long gun, the naval muzzle-loader of the Age of Sail *Canon de 12 de Vallière, French cannon of 1732 *Cano ...

s which were used in the war with Napoleon, and then in the Senate 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, the Senate 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. Moscow listed building 7734368000 20150913 0148 ShiftN crop

Moscow listed building 7734368000 20150913 0148 ShiftN crop

Part of the shooting took place in a historical place: a house belonging to the Muravyev-Apostol family in Moscow. 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, when sideburns and mustaches 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 for uniforms 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.

Post-production

The film ''Union of Salvation'' was created using the latest technology. As its creators say, it is "almost fantasy" in terms of the number of computer 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 in Russian 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 the Winter Palace was pale terracotta in color.

Soundtrack

On 18 December 2019, the main premiere of ''Union 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 the ''Union of Salvation''. Dmitry's original author's compositions sound in the film, including the title theme of the ''Union of Salvation''. The soundtrack of the film was written by composer Dmitriy Emelyanov, the theme of the song 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 as

Mumiy Troll Mumiy Troll (russian: Му́мий Тро́лль ) is a Russian rock music, rock group, founded in 1983 in music, 1983 in Vladivostok by vocalist and songwriter Ilya Lagutenko (). The band's name translates as "mummy troll" and is a pun on ''Moo ...

's "Vladivostok 2000",

Nautilus Pompilius The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...

'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".

Release

''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 the Russian Federation by

(through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) on December 26, 2019.

TV series

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 named ''Union of Salvation: Time of Fury'' (''Союз Спасения. Время гнева'') produced by Direktsiya Kino and Konstantin Ernst from state-funded Channel 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 Tikhon Igorevich Zhiznevsky (russian: Ти́хон И́горевич Жизне́вский; born August 30, 1988) is a Russian theatre actor. Early life Zhiznevsky was born in Zelenogradsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now R ...

, 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.

Reception

The film was released on December 26, 2019. It was the most expensive Russian film of the year, with a budget of 980 million RUB (roughly $16.1 million at exchange rates at the time).

Critical response

Film critic Egor Moskvitin in an interview with Kommersant FM radio station noted:

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:

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, the ''Union 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, although it contains a number of distortions of historical facts (for example, the dialogue between Nicholas I and S. Trubetskoy), should not be criticized, because it is artistic, and in no way a documentary film, moreover, it is impossible to reproduce all the nuances of the development of the Decembrists movement within the framework of one picture. Union of Salvation received seven awards in Russia: for best supporting actor (Alexander Domogarov), cinematography, visual effects, costumes, makeup, sound engineer and production designer.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Union of Salvation (film) 2019 films 2010s Russian-language films Films directed by Andrei Kravchuk 2010s historical adventure films 2019 war drama films 2010s action adventure films Russian historical adventure films Films about rebellions Films about the Russian Empire Historical epic films Russian epic films Russian war drama films Films set in 1808 Films set in 1814 Films set in 1820 Films set in 1825 Films set in 1826 War epic films Russian adventure drama films War adventure films Historical action films Russian biographical films Biographical action films Films set in Europe Russian films about revenge Films about the French invasion of Russia Films set in Saint Petersburg Films set in the Russian Empire War films based on actual events Napoleonic Wars films Biographical films about military personnel 20th Century Fox films Films shot in Moscow Films shot in Saint Petersburg Films shot in Russia 2019 drama films Depictions of Napoleon on film Cultural depictions of Nicholas I of Russia