History of the Brain: A Historian's Review of the 1937 Rus script

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Or about the fact that it is difficult to rob cows, lined up as a "pig", and also sleep in armor on the stove, although Eisenstein, of course, is a genius. Reviewed by the famous historian professor Mikhail Tikhomirov. The text delivers deep enjoyment of its satirical and emotional richness, usually unusual for learned men. Enjoy.

A mockery of history (about the scenario "Rus")

The magazine "Znamya" No. 12 for 1937 published the literary script "Rus", compiled by P. Pavlenko together with director S. M. Eisenstein. The main theme of the script is the Battle of the Ice - a very interesting and historically important theme. The Battle of the Ice in 1242 was a turning point in the struggle of Russia against German aggression. Therefore, the staging of a picture on the theme of the Battle of the Ice should be welcomed, but, unfortunately, the resolution of this topic in the scenario under consideration cannot be welcomed in any way. The authors of the script, as we will see later, made many factual mistakes, unforgivable for people who are at least in some way familiar with Russian history, and gave a completely distorted idea of Russia in the 13th century.

The script begins with a "preface" in which the authors give a general idea of the theme they have developed. This short preface (one and a half pages) is already full of many errors. “In the 13th century,” the script authors write, “the Mongols enslaved Russia. Its northwest, Novgorod, remained the last corner of free Rus. Russian patriots gathered here from everywhere, here they accumulated forces for future liberation."

ATTENTION! THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE FIRST VERSION OF THE SCENARIO, NOT THE FINAL FILM

Thus, the authors put forward a new concept, in their opinion, Novgorod was the center of the movement for liberation from the Tatar yoke. But such a concept contradicts the entire historical process. The struggle against the Tatars was fought not by Novgorod, but by northeastern Russia, led by Moscow. The authors of the script also understood this, putting forward at the end of his (p. 136) memories of the Battle of Kulikovo. Then it turns out that the Germans, trying to take possession of Novgorod, thereby wanted to lock up the European markets for the Mongols (p. 103). In the very scenario, the master declares to the knights and “pastors”: “So, Novgorod is yours. Baptize him however you like. Your Volga, Dnieper, churches. In Kiev, I will not touch a log or a person”(p. 115). The authors, apparently, do not at all understand that the order was not even able to set such tasks for itself.

In the preface, all historical facts are, as it were, deliberately confused. According to the authors of the script, “Dmitry Donskoy completed the work started by Nevsky on the Kulikovo field” (p. 103). But, firstly, the Battle of Kulikovo has not yet completed anything, although it was of tremendous importance for the history of Russia, and secondly, the fight against the Germans did not stop after the Battle of the Ice. The statement of the script's authors sounds quite strange: “Russia growing up in battles against Asia and the West is the theme of the picture” (p. 103). Who should be understood by Asia and the West, the authors do not say. But to generalize the West with the Germans, and Asia with the Tatars, ideologically opposing Russia to the West and Asia is completely inappropriate.

The text of the script is preceded by a list of characters, it lists 22 persons, but of them only a few can be said that they really could have taken part in the Battle of the Ice. Leaving aside the characters deduced by the authors, let us dwell only on those characters whose names are borrowed by the authors of the script from some sources. These include: Alexander Nevsky, Vasily Buslaev (!), Gavrilo Oleksich, Tverdilo Ivanovich - the Pskov voivode, Bryachislavna - the wife of Alexander Nevsky, Ivan Danilovich Sadko, Pelgusiy, Amelfa Timofeevna, German Valk, Berke - the khan of the horde.

Unfortunately, of all these characters, only one Alexander Nevsky can be considered a truly historical person, the rest, as we will see, are endowed by the scriptwriters with features that take them far from the historical events described in the script. First of all, we can assure the authors of the scriptthat in 1242 the khan of the Golden Horde was not Berke, but Batu. Berke became Khan much later. Pelgusy, according to the legend about the Battle of the Neva, was an elder in the Izhora land, not a monk. He confirmed, indeed, betrayed Pskov to the Germans, but he was not a voivode in Pskov simply because there were no voivods in Pskov in the 13th century. was not, since the city was ruled by mayors. Ivan Danilovich Sadko, if ever he existed, then, in any case, in the XII century, and not in the XIII century, moreover, he was a Novgorodian, and not a Volga merchant. The chronicle knows a certain Sotko Sytinich, who staged in the XII century. the Church of Boris and Gleb in Novgorod. This Sotko was the prototype of the epic Sadko, but why the epic hero got into the historical film is not clear.

Even more incomprehensible is the appearance of a completely legendary hero - Vasily Buslaev with his mother Amelfa Timofeevna. Meanwhile, the scriptwriters could find real historical characters if the chronicles, and not the libretto of the opera "Sadko" and distant memories of epics read in childhood, served as a source for them.

Let's move on to the analysis of the script itself, divided into chapters, or episodes. “Forest in autumn. The knights, lined up like a wedge, "like a pig", burst into the villages near Pskov "- this is how the scenario begins. We fully agree with the authors of the script that I am in the ranks as a "pig" (that is, in a wedge), and even in armor it is difficult to rob villages, this explains, apparently, "the heavy breathing of the knights."

But we continue further. There is anxiety in Pskov: "On the fortress wall of the voivode, the lord scold the head of the defense of Pskov, boyar Tverdila Ivanovich." There is also the "five-hundred-man" Pavsh, who offers the "bishop" to remove the sword from the traitor Tverdila. We can assure the authors of the script that the bishop appeared in Pskov only from the end of the 16th century, while only the authors of the script know about the position of the “five hundred”: there was no such position in Pskov and Novgorod.

The second chapter of the script describes Pereyaslavl. Five people pull the seine and sing. However, Alexander Nevsky himself is among the fishermen. He is arguing with some Horde who, apparently, does not know the prince, although he was sent to him. Leafy, thoroughly incorrect picture, forcing the Russian feudal lord of the 13th century. pull the seine with fishermen. However, the wife of the “prince-lapotnik”, already mentioned by Bryachislavna, cooks cabbage soup herself and goes to fetch water.

The third chapter begins with a description of the bargaining in Novgorod. This description should be given in its entirety:

“Novgorod is celebrating a magnificent bargaining. The city is cheerful as on a holiday. Rows rustle. Merchants sing at the stalls. There a Persian beats a tambourine, there an Indian plays a stringy song on a strange pipe; there the Varangian sings, there the Swede put up three singers, the Greek is trying to follow him. Polovchanin shows a trained bear. The Volga residents are singing in chorus. A Venitsean merchant wearing an atlas plays the mandolin and sings a serenade. Foreign merchants, sitting in a circle, drink ale. Noisy, fun, careless at the fair. Piles of skins, fox and sable furs, grain, carpentry items are piled up. Bogomaz sell icons and immediately write them to the surprise of everyone passing by. Blacksmiths forge chain mail and, like tailors, having taken a measure from the buyer, immediately make what he needs”(p. 109).

The city, of course, can be like "a holiday of merry", but whoever was not led to Novgorod by the complete ignorance of the authors of the script, and moreover in 1242, when all of Europe was afraid of the Tatar invasion. A Venetian merchant came here, although Novgorod did not trade with Venice. Through the conflagrations of the southern Russian cities, a Greek reached. The Polovtsian came too. He brought a bear with him from the treeless steppe, as these animals in the wooded north, apparently, were more lacking. A certain "Varazhin" also arrived. Do not confuse him with a Varangian, because the Varangians are Scandinavians, and yet it was just said that the Swede has already put up three singers, the Swedes, as you know, are also Scandinavians.

Why did these multi-tribal merchants come? Trade? No. They came to Novgorod, having overcome great dangers, in order to arrange a divertissement in imitation of the corresponding act from the opera "Sadko": a Venitsean guest with a mandolin, a Persian with a tambourine, an Indian with a pipe. Right there in the bazaar, chain mail is made by surprisingly dexterous craftsmen, whom our "cold" shoemakers can envy. But Sadko is the best seller, he has a sign on the storage shed: "Ivan Danilovich Sadko, has arrived from the Persian lands." Quite Kit Kitich from Ostrovsky's play or from Gorbunov's stories! The point is only that about the signs in the XIII century. we do not know anything, and the signs of the XIX century. have long been described many times.

However, the authors quickly end up with the fair and right there, on the square, arrange a veche, which decides to call on Prince Alexander to fight the Germans. The authors continue their journey through the historical wilderness further in all 18 episodes, or chapters, of the script. It's boring to follow all the incongruities of the script.

In the fifth chapter, smaller and larger ones fight on the bridge over the Volkhov. The "lesser" - for the call of Alexander, the "big" - for "conspiracy with the Germans" (p. 113). In fact, both big and small went against the Germans, while Prince Alexander was supported not by the lesser, but by the big ones. In general, the authors of the script completely in vain give Alexander uncharacteristic democratic features. Vasily Buslai, of course, is involved in the fight on the bridge.

The sixth chapter shows how the Germans are in charge in Pskov. The assertive rides in a sleigh drawn by girls, like the legendary obrin of the early chronicle. Rare passers-by fall on their knees when passing Tverdila, etc. And this is a proud Russian ancient Pskov! Only complete historical ignorance and perverted imagination of the scriptwriters could afford to humiliate the great people so much, which even in the most difficult years of its history did not allow themselves to be mocked.

In the eleventh chapter, a mysterious ceremony takes place: Tverdil is "ordained" a knight. Among those present there are also some "Norman knights", the origin of which is known only to the authors of the script.

In the twelfth chapter, a wagon rushes through the fields. “The Khan's ambassador is in it. He sits, looks into the drawer. There is a ring, a lasso and a dagger. Smiling, he looks at the defeated Russia”(p. 122). We doubt that the Khan's ambassador would race in the wagon. Not only warriors, but even the clergy in Russia usually rode on horseback: in the absence of good roads, it was difficult to race in a wagon. The ring, the lasso and the dagger were taken by the authors of the script from some novel; it is not clear why they were needed in the historical scenario.

In the thirteenth episode, the poor "princes", that is, the children of Alexander Nevsky, "sleep side by side in amusing armor on the stove, muttering in their sleep" (p. 122). The authors of the script could at least undress the children, because it is very uncomfortable to sleep in funny armor, and even on the stove.

But the focus of this episode is the description of the Battle of the Ice. And now it turns out that its main character is Vasily Buslay, who is fighting at the end of the battle with shafts. Alexander Nevsky shouts in Latin and cuts off the hand of Master Herman Balk. Particularly strange is the description of a “beastly dressed chud”, some half-people, called upon by the authors of the script to portray the ancestors of Latvians and Estonians. This entire fantastic scene worthily ends with a picture of a battlefield, on which a certain Olga walks, she is also Petrovna (formerly Yaroslavna), in contrast to Bryachislavna, called by name and patronymic. She is looking for Vasily Buslay with a lantern (!).

In further episodes, it is told that Alexander goes to the Horde and dies on the way back on the Kulikovo field. The ghosts of the army of Dmitry Donskoy appear on the field … There is no need that Alexander Nevsky died in Gorodets on the Volga, - with the Kulikov field you can effectively finish the picture, and hence all the conclusions! We have listed only a small part of the mistakes and distortions made by the authors of the script …

We should also dwell on the script language. The language of ancient Russia was distinguished by a number of features and does not always lend itself to modern interpretation. The scriptwriters were not at all obliged to stylize the language spoken by the characters in the language of the 13th century. But they had to find ways to convey the characteristic features of the 13th century language. The scriptwriters had an excellent example of reproducing the Old Russian language, though of a later time - this is the language of "Boris Godunov" by Pushkin. But Pushkin wrote more than 100 years ago, when Russian philology almost did not exist. However, he did not make a single anachronism, and not only because he was a brilliant artist, but also because he diligently studied the Old Russian language.

The scriptwriters acted differently. They decided that the Old Russian language is the language of Leikin's shopkeepers and Ostrovsky's merchants, spiced in addition with Ostap Bender's jargon from The Twelve Chairs.

So, for example, Buslay says: “Well, how is it - I don’t know … Why pull the ox by the tail” (p. 110). In the script we find the following gems: “Brother, we don't need war” (p. 111); "Oo-oo, outrageous" (!); “And you will not take us dead, your soul is a plague” (p. 127).

And here is how Alexander Nevsky himself speaks: "What is their secret?" (p. 121); “I am the baptist prince. Not like you, I didn’t drink ale (!), I didn’t taste sweets from overseas”(p. 117); or “to fight a war - do not break a comed” (p. 118). What can be added to this language, except to say together with the authors: "Writing a script is not a comedy to break." Note that the very concept of comedy was not known in Russia in the 13th century.

The Tatars speak a very strange language. The scriptwriters force them to talk in broken language borrowed from chauvinistic anecdotes: “Go our Horde, there is a lot of work” (p. 108); "Buyuk adam, yakshi adam"; “He beat the Swedes, but the Czechs beat us”, etc. (p. 119). The Germans do not lag behind the Tatars either: “Zer gut is a horse. Korosh, korosh”(p. 116); or "Oh, short" (p. 116); the Persian does not lag behind: "Make the city merry, the city is beautiful" (p. 112).

But, perhaps, the script's shortcomings are atoned for by its ideological content? Alas, this side is also lame in the script. It was not by chance that the authors of the script made Alexander Nevsky a lapotnik; it was not by chance that they turned a glorious historical event into some kind of "miracle": Russia of the 13th century. depicts him poor and wretched. Representatives of this Rus are legendary and, moreover, unbridled heroes like Vasily Buslai or beggars and monks. In Pskov, beggar Avvakum summoned the military men, he sings: "Get up, Russian people." The old beggar says: “We order the Russian business to be remembered. Arise, Russian people. Rise, strike”(p. 107). An especially important role is given to a certain monk Pelgusius, into whom the authors of the script turned the elder in the Izhora land. Pelgusius is the main agitator.

During the Battle of the Ice “they whispered, gasped, swore in the Novgorodian regiments” (p. 123); “The Novgorod dodgers screamed and cursed” (p. 124). Wretched, bastard Russia looks from everywhere at the authors of the script. All peoples are stronger than her, all more cultured, and only a "miracle" saves her from German enslavement. How far all this is from historical reality. The iron regiments of Novgorod and Pskov defeated the Germans and Swedes not by "miracle", as the scriptwriters want to prove, but by their courage and love for their homeland. The Battle on the Ice is only the most important link in the chain of Russian victories over the Germans. And contemporaries perfectly understood this.

Here are the words in which a contemporary describes the Battle on the Ice: “After Aleksandrov's victory, as if defeating the king (Swedish), in the third year, in winter, go to the German land in great strength, but do not boast of the river:“we will reprove the Slovenian language”. The city of Pleskov was already taken more byash and they planted tiuni. Those same prince Alexander was seized, and the city of Pskov was freed and the land of their war was taken away, and they were taken without number, but they were not numerous. Inii Hradi, however, copulated with Germanicity and decided: "Let's go, we will defeat Alexander and his imam with our own hands." Whenever their guards came nearer and ochyutish, Prince Alexander took up arms against them and covered the lake with a multitude of both howls … … return with a glorious victory Prince Alexander. " If the scriptwriters had worked seriously on historical sources, they would have been able to understand the beauty and grandeur of our past and could have created a script worthy of the name “Rus” and the great historical past of the Russian people.

WHAT WAS NEXT

A review of the first version of the film script "Alexander Nevsky" was published in the journal "Historian-Marxist", 1938, No. 3, pp. 92-96.

Rereading it 35 years after the film of the brilliant filmmaker appeared on the screen, it is easy to notice the excessively harsh tone of the review and the presence in it of some unreasonable provisions regarding the introduction of epic and artistic images created by scriptwriters into a historical film. However, both are dictated not by the desire to abuse the script at all costs, but by the concern for creating a full-fledged film, true to the historical truth, which would be a hymn to the courage and exploits of the ancestors in their struggle for the independence of the Motherland, would serve the lofty ideas of Soviet patriotism …

After the appearance of the review by M. N. Tikhomirov, a discussion of the scenario "Rus" was held, which was sent for review to the largest expert on the history of Novgorod, the head of the Novgorod archaeological expedition, prof. A. V. Artsikhovsky. The main provisions of his detailed review coincided with the main provisions of the review by M. N. Tikhomirov.

CM. Eisenstein and P. A. Pavlenko took into account the criticism and wishes contained in the reviews and reworked the script twice. Responding to criticism, they wrote: “… As a result of the great work we have done in collaboration with historians, the script“Rus”ended its existence on the pages of the magazine. Its successor is the scenario "Alexander Nevsky", in which, as it seems to us, we managed to avoid historical liberties … "(Literaturnaya Gazeta, April 26, 1938). To participate in the work on the film, prof. A. V. Artsikhovsky.

As he recalls, S. M. Eisenstein, despite the sharply critical tone of the review by M. N. Tikhomirov, appreciated her very highly and accepted most of the comments. Thus, he completely removed the “Tatar-Mongolian” theme of the script, eliminated specific historical errors, and carried out a lot of work in relation to the language of the characters. At the same time, S. M. Eisenstein defended the artist's right to his interpretation of historical and epic characters, giving them new features, chronological displacement of events. This received the most vivid expression in the preservation of the image of Vasily Buslai and his mother in the film.

About the history of work on the script and film "Alexander Nevsky" S. М. Eisenstein recounts in Autobiographical Notes, published posthumously in the first volume of his writings. (S. M. Eisenstein. Selected works. In 6 volumes, vol. I. M., 1964, p. 500). The same edition published the last revision of the script for the film "Alexander Nevsky" with a detailed commentary from the edition of the volume, which tells about the work of the authors of the script, its discussion and review (ibid., Vol. VI. M., 1971, pp. 153-196 - script, pp. 545-547 - comment).

The film by S. M. Eisenstein's "Alexander Nevsky" became one of the masterpieces of Soviet cinema, and its creators were awarded the State Prize in 1941.

In 1947 P. A. Pavlenko reworked the script into the film story "Alexander Nevsky" (PA Pavlenko. Selected. M., 1949). In this film story, published in the posthumous edition of his works, P. A. Pavlenko omitted the highly criticized preface, but for some unknown reason restored not only the entire Tatar-Mongolian part of the script "Rus", but also all its factual errors, historical incongruities and flaws in the language of the characters, corrected and absent in the film (P. A. Collected works in 6 volumes, vol. 6. M., 1955, pp. 190-191, 195-198, 202, 204, 206-209, 212, 214-220, 223-226, 230-231) …