Having failed to ban the film, its opponents will receive a documentary response that challenges the events described in Uchitel’s movie.
The documentary will be directed by Sergey Aliyev. His film is supposed to “dispel myths” around the image of Nicholas II shown in Matilda. Aliyev decided to shoot the documentary after watching the trailer for Alexei Uchitel’s film. The work on the script is about to complete. Shooting is to begin next week in Yekaterinburg, Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
“I took this decision [to shoot the documentary] under the influence of the trailer. I haven’t seen the film about Nicholas II, the sacred person for Orthodox believers in our country. Besides the myth about the emperor’s relationship with Mathilde Kschessinska, the documentary will explore other myths that still exist today,” the director of the upcoming documentary says.
Aliyev says he is even thankful to Alexei Uchitel for giving a good reason to “figure out what is false and what is true”. He claims Matilda is “defamation of the tsar.” According to the director, his work will last about an hour and consist of seven stories, each focusing on dispelling a particular myth about the Russian tsar.
The documentary Matilda’s Lies will feature famous figures, such as actors Andrey Merzlikin and Aleksei Nilov, MP Vitaly Milonov, Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, speaking about Nicholas II. The filmmaker stresses that a number of historians will be involved in the project.
Matilda focuses on the relationship between future emperor of Russia Nicholas II and ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska. The film will premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre in Moscow on October 6. The wide release is scheduled for October 26. Polish actress Michalina Olszańska plays ballerina Kschessinska, German actor Lars Eidinger plays Nicholas II. The film also stars famous Russian actors, among them Sergei Garmash and Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė.
Earlier, Russian MP Natalya Poklonskaya filed a complaint to a prosecutor’s office, asking to ban the film. She referred to conclusions by experts who said that the movie distorts the image of Emperor Nicholas II canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church and insults the religious feelings of believers. The Duma’s committee on ethics noted that Poklonskaya’s appeal was lawful as the MP had received a lot of complaints from citizens who were concerned about the film. The film was criticised by the Russian Orthodox Church, and archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin warned the film screening would cause Russia’s death. Alexei Uchitel responded to criticism from the Russian Orthodox Church and said Natalya Poklonskaya’s complaints were a manipulation of public opinion.
Photo: news.rambler.ru
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