Here you will find a selection of the best Orthodox TV series of the 21st century that you want to review.
Many wonderful films have been made on the topic of Orthodoxy, most of them documentaries or in the form of interviews, where you can get answers to your questions.
U feature films the simpler task is to show a piece real life, draw attention to the episodes. Looking at the situation from the outside, perhaps even trying it on yourself, give the soul the opportunity to perk up and think, am I living correctly?
To check mental abilities We have been accustomed to this since childhood - we do mental exercises all the time, starting in school, and even earlier.
But to test the sensitivity of the soul, feature films are perfect, a kind of test for the soul, after which you can yourself assess the degree of its callousness. An example of such a test can be safely called 12 life stories “ Spas under the birches" and one-episode movie "Granny".
Many people have a stereotype that if a film is Orthodox, it must be sad and gloomy. This selection is against such a stereotype. Here you will not find the lives of saints; this includes films about ordinary people with their daily worries, during which there is no time to remember about God.
This selection is united by the fact that all series have an exciting plot, good humor and no moralizing. And their essence will sometimes become clear after re-watching. All films are about our era, with the exception of the historical series " Split«.
Before showing feature films, we will not break tradition and post newsreel. It will include non-format tapes:
- documentary "Death of an Empire" Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), who blew up society
- Meeting with the archpriest Andrey Tkachev. Answers to questions from the laity
Newsreel:
*** The death of the empire. Byzantine Lesson *** (2008)
Those who managed to be born in the USSR and go to school will confirm that in everything school course history did not even mention the Byzantine Empire, which lasted for more than 1100 years - not a single empire in the entire history of mankind can boast of this.
The reason was that, having come to power, the Bolsheviks began to write their history in 1917. And there shouldn’t have been any mention of a strong Orthodox empire.
After this is over documentary film it will feel as if something vitally important was deliberately hidden from you. After all, ignorance and forgetting of history leads to its repetition. And if forewarned, it means forearmed.
The film will show in a concise form the rise, prosperity and reasons for the fall of a powerful empire. In addition to showing the history of events, the film draws a parallel with the history of Russia, which became the recipient of Orthodoxy.
This fact and others, in particular those who like to hear that the now civilized Christian Europe robbed the richest empire for almost 50 years, caused heated debate after the film.
*** Archpriest Andrey Tkachev. Answers to questions from the laity *** (2016)
From Archpriest Andrei Tkachev you can get clear answers to almost all vital questions.
No, not like that - it would be more correct to say that you can hear answers to questions from him. domestic issues that most people face ordinary life. He is good at combining the teachings of faith in Christ with everyday “little things”, with reference to our time.
After his sermons, your head becomes clearer and it becomes clear how to act in difficult situations. You can safely call him an Orthodox psychologist.
TOP 7: The best Orthodox TV series (2000-2016)
1 . Father Matvey (2014)
Father Matvey is assigned to a parish in a quiet town where he comes to live. As you know, in a quiet city there is a lot of stuff. It just so happens that he ends up where something is happening, sometimes before the police themselves. Which causes indignation, especially when he tries to help in the investigation.
Against this background, it is very interesting to observe how a priest in the world communicates with people, helps them not only in word, but also in deed. This endears him to himself and becomes truly necessary not only in the church. So the number of parishioners gradually grows and the abandoned church comes to life. People are grateful for what he does. It is shown how he and his wife run the household and raise two boys.
2. Schism (2011)
A well-filmed, historical film about an event that caused a schism in our church. This happened in 1653. The new Patriarch planned to carry out a reform in the Church, to cleanse the faith of manifestations of paganism.
The clash of interests of the Tsar, Patriarch Nikon and Archpriest Avakuum led to a split in the church and persecution. The film helps to understand this long-standing and little-studied history, restoring the course of events and showing how Orthodoxy was established in Rus'.
3. Proverbs (Belarus, 2010-2014)
Parables are short instructive stories that are always listened to with great attention, but here is such a gift - not just one, but many, all in the form of artistic subjects. We must pay tribute, they were filmed with good humor, which helps to reveal their depth. We managed to avoid moralizing and, to a child’s eye, they look like Yeralash for adults.
Not everyone knows that the parables were filmed in Minsk, at the St. Elisabeth Convent. Most of the actors are not professionals, but novices and parishioners of the monastery. And despite this, or maybe thanks to this fact, the stories turned out to be very true, touching and sometimes funny. And most importantly, the meaning of the Gospel truths, which cannot be taken literally, begins to be revealed.
4. Father (2008)
The story of this series is unusual - as a rule, in most films about the church, the main thing is actor- this is the priest. Here we are talking about a caring person. Roman, 40, has spent most of his life at sea as a boatswain in the navy. A bachelor by conviction, accustomed to traveling, he briefly came to his village where he was born.
And in order not to sit idle until he went to sea again, he undertook to restore the Temple, destroyed under the Bolsheviks. At first they look at him with bewilderment, and there are only a few who want to help. Gradually he manages to attract local authorities and fellow villagers who enjoy authority.
Together the church was restored, life in the parish became lively. And the sea awaits Roman again. And I would have left if I had not fallen in love. As a result, he decided to stay - he married his chosen one and was ordained a priest - he became a priest.
5. Planet of Orthodoxy (2008)
This is the only documentary series. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is an Encyclopedia of Orthodoxy. Living in Russia, it will be surprising to discover how many different people are united by the Orthodox faith.
Turns out, Orthodox churches can be found all over the world. In 12 episodes you can see - Bulgaria and Serbia, Syria, Lebanon and Georgia, Japan and Hong Kong, Romania and Albania, Israel and Sinai, the USA, Poland, the Czech Republic and Finland, Tunisia, Tanzania and Egypt, Turkey and Cyprus, Australia and Indonesia, Greece and Russia.
It is surprising to learn about the peculiarities of the neighborhood of Orthodoxy in each country - with Protestants, Catholics, Lutherans, Muslims, Jews. It will be interesting to see and hear about the peculiarities of parish life. Despite the small number of parishes in some countries, new parishioners are constantly appearing.
The Patriarchs and Metropolitans of the countries listed above took part in the recording of these films. Calm, unhurried presentation creates the effect of presence. This is not a collection of tourist guides to the sights - life is shown here ordinary people and how faith helps them in everyday life.
6. Icon hunters (2005)
In 1998, a two-part film “ Siberian Spas“(***) about a unique icon that survived and did not fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks. And based on inaccurate data, you have to look in the dark Siberian village, which is cut off from the world and there are no roads to it. The artist, nicknamed Begun, is searching for old icons, or “boards,” as collectors and buyers call them. Financial difficulties drive him to Siberia in search of an ancient icon.
It is interesting to observe how a person will change once he gets to this village, which is not indicated anywhere. And how an icon protects itself and its guardians.
The plot of this story inspired new people and 7 years later a series appeared that told about this interesting story in even more detail.
7. Spas under the birches (2003)
This wonderful series consists of 12 hotel short stories, which tell the story of different people and their different paths to God. All roads led them to the old Moscow Church of the Savior under the Birches. Completely ruined under socialism, the temple was restored by joint forces.
It was headed by Father Georgy, a former combat pilot. He often has to look for non-standard solutions to get out of situations that seem hopeless. He has two adult daughters - one is an adult, has her own business, but does not have a husband, the second is younger, looking for herself and doesn’t know what to become, she almost became an artist. It’s interesting, and sometimes not without a smile, to watch how they communicate with their families. They find the right solutions and ways out of difficult situations.
It is noteworthy that the stories told in each episode are often far from the church, and the heroes are many non-believers who make mistakes and meanness. Family difficulties and misunderstanding border on love and fortitude. And when there is no one to go to for advice, people take their problems to the temple.
*** Siberian Spas *** (2 episodes, 1998)
The same story about the artist (TV series “Icon Hunters”), searching villages for old icons for sale abroad. When the legend about the ancient icon “Siberian Savior” turned out to be true, he miraculously did not die and ended up in a remote village of Old Believers, saw their way of life and the strength of their faith, and realized that he wanted to stay here forever.
If until this day you have been putting off regular reading of Christian literature, then two reasons have appeared for this grace-filled deed. Firstly, March 14th— Orthodox Book Day. The holiday is very young, introduced 4 years ago. But reading for a Christian is an important part of spiritual work. And now, the other day, a wonderful time for spiritual exploits begins!
The most important book for a Christian should undoubtedly be the Holy Scripture. In addition, these are patristic works, the lives of saints. In addition to this, in Lately a lot has appeared on the book market various books Orthodox authors. And, of course, we must remember that not all of them are equally valuable. Among these books there are completely non-Orthodox in essence, there are those in which genuine Orthodox teaching is mixed with occult or pseudoscientific ideas. Every person has their own favorite books. According to the website lib.pravmir.ru, we offer you 10 most read modern books , useful in spiritual work.
1. - book by Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov. Published in 2011. The book aroused great interest among the reading public. Thus, by October 2012, the total circulation of the book was one million one hundred thousand copies. As Archimandrite Tikhon himself said: “I told almost all the stories that were included in the book during sermons. All this is part of our church life.”
2. — last piece Orthodox author Viktor Likhachev, who passed away in 2008. The writer did not have time to finish his book, but he hoped that everyone who reads it would recognize himself in it, feel that boundless love for Russia, for the Russian village that the author had, and let into his heart faith in God and hope that that the Angels, our heavenly patrons, will never leave us...
3. " Prologue in teachings for every day of the year"— the book was compiled in 2007 by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. “Prologue” is an ancient Russian hagiographic collection, originating from Byzantine month books, in which the lives of saints are arranged in accordance with the days of their church memory. In addition, the “Prologue” is decorated with understandable and often entertaining passages from the ancient Patericons, parables imbued with thoughts of repentance, mercy, Christian love for one’s neighbor, spiritual perfection and salvation of the soul.
4. "Father Arseny"- this book, published from the pen of an unknown author, clearly shows the reader the triumph of love over evil, life over death. Father Arseny is the image of a holy elder - a zealous man of prayer, sober, meek, who has completely surrendered himself into the hands of God. The first editions spread throughout Russia and beyond its borders and made the book “Father Arseny” one of the most beloved in the Orthodox world.
5. "Soul after death"(O. Seraphim Rose) - there is probably no book that so clearly, accessiblely and clearly reveals the post-mortem experience of a person and gives the concept of angelic and other world. The book contains two thousand years of experience of the holy fathers. The publication has a twofold purpose: firstly, from the point of view of the Orthodox Christian teaching about the afterlife, to provide an explanation of modern “posthumous” experiences that have aroused such interest in some religious and scientific circles; secondly, cite the main sources and texts containing Orthodox teaching about the afterlife.
6. "Red Easter"(Pavlova N.A.) - it was after this book that the author became widely known. The book is already 11 years old, but it does not lose popularity. It tells the story of the three Optina new martyrs - Hieromonk Vasily and the monks Ferapont and Trofim. This is three absolutely different people, their paths to God were special. The ascetic life is amazing; many readers note that after this book they immediately want to visit Optina Pustyn.
7. “Who will hear the linnet?”(Likhachev V.V.) — a novel about the Motherland and the Russian soul. He leads the reader along the roads of the Russian province. The main character is drawn into real adventures: he carries miraculous icon, evading a gangster's pursuit... And internally, one goes through the path of spiritual growth: from unbelief to faith, from confusion to blessed peace, from mental blindness and deafness to insight and hearing the miracle of God.
8. "Heavenly Paths"(Shmelev I.S.) - a novel about the fate of the skeptic-positivist engineer Viktor Alekseevich Weidenhammer and the believer, meek and internally strong Darinka, a novice of the monastery who left the monastery to connect her life with Viktor Alekseevich. Through suffering and joy, in mysterious and incomprehensible ways to the worldly mind, these heroes are led to the Source of Life. The internal plot of the book is “spiritual warfare” with passions and thoughts, temptations and attacks of dark forces.
9. "Chief of Silence"(Vsevolod Filpyev) - the book addresses eternal questions - love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal, truth and lies. The characters in the book resolve these issues differently and sometimes unexpectedly. An action-packed, realistic narrative draws the reader into the events that take place in the winter of 2002 in Moscow and North America. Together with the heroes, the reader finds himself in St. Petersburg of the 19th century and in the historical times of princes Boris and Gleb. The parable story is intended for a wide range of readers, and everyone is free to interpret it in their own way.
10. "Repentance is left to us"(abbot Nikon Vorobyov) - letters addressed to his spiritual children, laity and monastics. Father Nikon edifies, instructs, calls for repentance and patience, shows what needs to be done, what thoughts need to be kept, consoles, teaches how to properly relate to sorrows: “The Fathers have long said about our times that people will be saved only by sorrows and illnesses. Healthy and happy people forget about God, oh future life: they live as if they will live on earth forever and will never die. And sorrows and illnesses force a person to break away from earthly interests and turn to God... Save your souls through repentance, patience and humility.”
Enjoy reading!
Prayer before reading spiritual books:
Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart, so that when I hear Your Word, I understand it and fulfill Your will. Hide not Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may understand the wonders of Your law. Tell me the unknown and secret of Your wisdom! I trust in You, my God, and I believe that You will enlighten my mind and meaning with the light of Your mind and that then I will not only read what is written, but also fulfill it. Make it so that I do not read the Lives of the Saints and Your Word as a sin, but for renewal and enlightenment, and for holiness, and for the salvation of the soul, and for the inheritance of eternal life. For You, Lord, are the illumination of those who lie in darkness, and from You is every good gift and every perfect gift. Amen.
Veronica VYATKINA
Island (2006)
Released : 2006
Genre: drama
Released: Russia
Duration: 01:54:26
Director: Pavel Lungin
Cast: Pyotr Mamonov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Dmitry Dyuzhev, Yuri Kuznetsov, Nina Usatova
Plot of the film: Second World War. The barge on which Anatoly and his senior comrade Tikhon are transporting coal is captured by a German patrol ship. Begging for mercy from the Germans, Anatoly commits treason - he shoots Tikhon. The Germans leave the coward on a mined barge, but thanks to the help of the monks living in a monastery on the island, he manages to survive... Years pass. Elder Anatoly is revered for his righteous life and the truly miraculous help he provides to people who come here. However terrible sin The murders he committed during the war haunt him. Feeling the approach of his death, Anatoly is preparing for death and does not yet know that he will soon be forgiven...
“The inexplicable is happening here...
Pop / The Priest (2010)
Name : Pop
Release year: 2010
Released: Russia
Duration: 02:08:54
Genre: Drama, military
Director :Vladimir Khotinenko
Cast: Sergey Makovetsky, Nina Usatova, Liza Arzamasova, Kirill Pletnev, Anatoly Lobotsky,
Plot of the film: The Pskov Orthodox mission is one of the least studied pages in the history of the Great Patriotic War. From August 1941 to February 1944, missionary priests from the Baltic states revived church life in the German-occupied territories of northwestern Russia. After these areas were occupied by Soviet troops, the participants of the Pskov mission were deported to camps.
Angel's Chapel (2009)
Year of issue: 2009
A country: Russia
Genre: Drama
Duration: 01:32:25
Director: Nikolai Drayden
Cast: Alexey Morozov, Alexander Bargman, Arthur Vakha, Vitaly Kovalenko, Dmitry Lysenkov, Helga Filippova, Ekaterina Novikova, Emilia Spivak, Alexander Zavyalov, Evgenia Kudinova and others.
Plot of the film: A film from the history of Soviet-Finnish relations. The film tells the story of a failed assassination attempt on General Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim. 1924 Soviet Russia. The young commissar Maxim Proshin (Alexey Morozov) is sent by the Soviet government to the island of Konevets to a monastery on a secret mission. Maxim, under the guise of a novice, must remove a high-ranking official in Finland - and his seemingly simple mission turns into a path of personal spiritual repentance for the mistakes and sins he has committed, including the murder of a clergyman...
Proverbs 1 (2010)
Released
: 2010
Released: Belarus
Duration:
00:55:35
Director: Vitaly Lyubetsky
Cast Stars: Alexander Tkachenok, Mikhail Yeisman, Elena Sidorova, Nikita Palchevsky, Andrey Volchek
Plot of the film:
The film “Parables” is a new word in modern Orthodox cinema. In each of the three parts of the film, the viewer is offered a soulful story. The parables are told in a sincere, human way, with homely warmth and humor.
The first parable, “Unusual Obedience,” will make you not only laugh heartily, but also, together with the hapless hero, think about the sin of pride and the value of Christian humility. “Tomorrow I bless you to go to the cemetery, and when you see that the dead man is being carried, revile him last words“, says the elder to the young novice. After such an intriguing beginning, an equally interesting continuation follows...
"God! Why can't you hear us? - asks the priest in the next parable. “People go to church, pray, but they don’t feel better...” The angel’s answer to this question discourages the audience, who ultimately receive an important spiritual lesson. This amazing story written at the beginning of the 20th century by Saint Basil of Kineshma.
“In one city there lived a woman,” says the third part of the film. “I kept fasts, read the Gospel, visited church...” And then one day she gives alms to a beggar, and she says: “Christ will come to you today”!
We are so often busy with ourselves that we do not notice how life passes us by. When we turn away from each other, we move away from Christ. The film “Parables” opens up an already familiar life in a new way, showing us ourselves.
Proverbs 2 (2011)
Year of issue:
2011
Genre: art
Duration:
01:01:29
Director: Vitaly Lyubetsky
Cast:
Plot of the film: This film is a continuation of the film “Parables”, released in 2010. And again, three stories, three reasons to watch old acquaintances with a kind smile and think about what they are right about and what they are wrong about.
The hero of the first story, “The Lamplight,” is a novice, the same one who went to the cemetery to scold the dead. Again he messed up. “Whatever you condemn someone for, you yourself will be guilty of it,” says the elder, and for edification he gives him a new obedience: to walk around the village with a lamp in his hands, without spilling a drop of oil or extinguishing the fire...
In the short story “The Shirt”, Mary, who was waiting for the Savior to visit, goes through new temptations. It is difficult for her to run a dacha farm alone, and it is even more difficult for her to forgive people in a Christian way. But Mary does not lose heart - she pays good for evil, prays and waits for a miracle. And it happens...
Three old fishermen lived on the same island, says the third story, “Three of You - Three of Us.” One day, a well-known and revered archimandrite sailed past on a ship. Having heard that holy wonderworkers lived on the island, he did not believe it and decided to see everything for himself. And when I learned that the fisherwomen didn’t even know the Lord’s Prayer, I began to teach them how to pray correctly. But you’ll see for yourself who taught whom and what…
Wanderer (2006)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 01:28:01
Director: Sergey Karandashov
Cast:: Vitaly Pichik, Tolya Klochiev, Ekaterina Gorokhovskaya, Konstantin Bykov, Alexey Tyurikov, Anatoly Dubinkin, Pyotr Kozhevnikov, Maxim Krivoborodov, Alexander Yuminov
Plot of the film: Once upon a time, God spoke to people in the language of signs and wonders. The thirst for a miracle still lives latently in every person. The hero of the film, Fyodor, witnesses an accident, as a result of which people close to him die. He decides that he was saved not by chance, and that now he must change his life. Living alone in the forest, in an abandoned bunker left over from the war, he tries to live as Orthodox hermits lived, in fasting and prayer. In this new world for him, Fyodor finds a guide - the elder Hilarion. But Father Hilarion is killed absurdly and senselessly. Having experienced deep despair, Fedor will return to people, to all worldly passions. He will experience love and jealousy, hatred and fear. And only having reached the edge - having decided to kill - will he witness a miracle.
Proverbs 3. Three words about forgiveness (2012)
Year of issue:
2012
Genre: Proverbs
Duration:
01:06:27
Director: nun Joanna (Orlova)
Starring in the film: National artist USSR Lev Durov, Grigory Solovyov, Ruslan Chernetsky, Sergey Vlasov, Valery Agayan, Anton Labko, Evgenia Kulbachnaya, Alexander Abramovich and others.
Description: THREE WORDS ABOUT FORGIVENESS continues the series of films beloved by viewers “Parables”. The theme of the new trilogy is the great, gracious power of repentance and forgiveness. A power that can transform the soul, revive a person, inspire him to life in God.
The film takes place in the 19th century. Place and time are allegorical, because the temptations are the same in all centuries, only the scenery changes. The first novella is based on a case described in the books of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) and Sergius Nilus. A thief, planning to steal, asks for help from St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It would seem, what a ridiculous request! But the Lord is merciful, and His holy saint appears to personally admonish the sinner.
The second part of the trilogy offers a Christian understanding of the problem of relationships between generations - old people and grandchildren, fathers and children. Parents little boy They confused good and evil, but a pure child, like a mirror, reflects the behavior of adults. And... awakens their conscience.
The third story is a film adaptation of a famous Eastern parable. The main character made mistakes many times, ruining his life. But sorrows and hardships made his heart wise. Now he strives to teach his hot-tempered son not to hurt people, to try to avoid mistakes that are then so difficult to correct.
Proverbs 4 (2013)
Year of issue:
2013
Genre: Orthodox cinema, parables
A country: Belarus
Duration:
01:14:16
Director: Vitaly Lyubetsky
Cast: Alexander Tkachenok, Mikhail Esman, Elena Sidorova, Sergey Novitsky, Vladimir Matrosov.
Plot of the film: Do you remember the heroes of the previous “Proverbs” - the wise confessor and his unlucky novice? Life does not stand still - in the monastery where they serve God, new buildings grow, and the monks and parishioners grow in spirit through work and prayer, learning to bear each other’s infirmities.
The first parable, “The Ladder,” is about a young and ambitious businessman. It is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. So Sergei Sergeich at least believed in God, but he relied too much on himself. Here there is jealousy beyond reason, haste in spiritual achievements, and absurd fantasies. So there is something to smile about and something to think about...
The second story is about a novice. The poor man was overcome by evil thoughts and condemnation. While I was confessing, my soul was like a pure spring, but I forgot about the power of confession - it became like a stinking swamp. I've messed up so much...
Thank God, the confessor is nearby - he will pray, and say a good word, and impose penance on time. Our hero corrected himself and even managed to reconcile two people who were deeply offended by each other. That’s why the third parable is called “The Wise Novice.”
Elder Paisios and me standing upside down (2012)
Original name: Elder Paisios and I, standing upside down
Year of issue: 2012
A country: Russia
Duration: 01:21:14
Genre: Drama
Director: Alexander Stolyarov
Cast: Sergey Sokolov, Daniil Usachev, Alexander Stolyarov
Short description: Hesychia means silence (in Greek). Monasticism is the path to silence. Our hero is a monk. He has a prototype - Elder Paisios, a Greek monk, now a saint, who died at the end of the twentieth century on Athos. Another monk, Christodoulus Agiorite, wrote down stories about him. And we wrote a script for an Orthodox comedy in which two monks, an old and a young one, confront evil. These are almost jokes. In them our main character simple-minded (Schweik in a cassock), and this despite the fact that the real elder Paisius himself wrote three theological books. In our film, the hero acts - he wins and gets into trouble - but hesychia does not leave him for a moment. And everything visible and audible, everything that happens to him are random rays of a huge mystery. Our second hero is a young monk, he is always next to the elder. In front of the elder’s eyes, he doubts and affirms the purity of love. Last days in the life of the elder and the first days of the monastic life of the young monk our film covers. Paisius dies, the young monk leaves the monastery in grief. It seems that everything is over. But suddenly - a miracle, again a miracle, there are many of them in our film, often they are ordinary, like our life, but that is what it is - a miracle.
How do people live? (2008)
Year of issue: 2008
Genre: art
Duration: 38:32
Director: Alexander Kushnir
Starring in the film: Valery Pleshko, Natalya Sinyavskaya, Alexey Shevtsov, Olga Kroytor, Vyacheslav Kolyuzhny, Marina Golyanova and others.
Description:“How do people live?” - a parable film.
The Lord sent an angel to earth so that he, living among people, could find out and understand: What is in people? What is not given to people? And how do people live? Only then can he return to heaven.
Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy.
Tsar (2009)Name: Tsar Released: Russia / Pavel Lungin Studio, Profit Cinema International About the film: 1565 Dark times. The reign of Ivan the Terrible. Rus' was torn apart by famine and the Livonian War. The ruler sees treason and betrayal in everything. His faithful servants, the guardsmen, flooded the country with blood. They are ready to see the sovereign’s enemy in everyone. The main law for them is the king. The only one who went against the royal will and the atrocities of the oprichnina was Metropolitan Philip, a faithful childhood friend of Ivan the Terrible. He raised his voice and sacrificed himself. This confrontation will tell about what Rus' was capable of both in its fall and in its greatness of spirit. |
For My Name (Maria Mozhar) (2005)
Year of issue: 2005
A country: Russia
Genre: Feature films
Duration: 00:27:45
Director: Maria Mozhar
Cast: Maria Korneeva, Vladimir Egorov, Elena Valyushina, Alexandra Nazarova, Danila Rassomakhin, Pavel Rassomakhin, Sasha Matyukova, Anatoly Shcherbakov
Description: This story is about a little girl and her difficult childhood. When Father Alexander, an old village priest, appears on the path of the hunted child, the new story- a story of domestication and love.
Peresvet and Oslyabya (Stanislav Podivilov) -
Name: Peresvet and Oslyabya
Year of issue: 2010
Genre: Cartoons, history, Orthodoxy
Duration: 30:03
Director: Stanislav Podivilov
Description: The cartoon tells about the Kulikovo massacre, about St. Sergius Radonezh, about the holy schema monks Alexander Peresvet and Andrei Oslyab, about Prince Dimitri Donskoy, about greatest heroes famous battle, about military and moral feats.
Many educated people today refuse TV and prefer to read interesting books. Modern television is truly mind-numbing, but good films are not like that. They spiritually enrich a person, motivate them to think and even change. Watch high-quality Orthodox films and you will see this. We offer our readers a selection of five feature films - from Tarkovsky to Lungin.
Island (2006)
Director: Pavel Lungin
Duration: 1:54:52
We have heard about the elders one way or another, but to imagine what their looks or looked like everyday life, very hard.
The Orthodox film by Pavel Lungin “The Island” tells the story of the fate of the holy fool Anatoly, who has been living in a monastery somewhere in the North for more than 30 years. He is perspicacious, but tries to hide his gift behind his eccentricities.
People who come to the “perceptive priest” mistake him for the elder’s cell attendant. Father Anatoly supposedly goes to the elder for advice, but in reality he hides his gifts from everyone. He denounces a pregnant girl who came to receive a “blessing for an abortion”; he tells the widow that her husband was captured during World War II and is now in France. With prayer he heals a boy on crutches and the admiral's possessed daughter.
Like a real holy fool, Father Anatoly very wisely denounces his brothers. His life is surprising in its modesty: he sleeps in a copter, right on the coal, without a bed, almost never dines with his brethren, and privately asks God for forgiveness. What? Father Anatoly has one sin that does not give him peace. Let’s not spoil it, it’s better to watch the Orthodox film “The Island” for yourself, in which the main roles were played by Pyotr Mamonov (Elder Anatoly), Viktor Sukhorukov (abbot of the monastery - Father Filaret), Dmitry Dyuzhev (monk Job).
The film motivates you to think about your own life.
Pop (2009)
Director: Vladimir Khotinenko
Duration: 2:03:34
The directorial work of Vladimir Khotinenko lifts the curtain on the history of the Church during the war. In 1941 - early 1944, the priests of the Baltic states tried to revive religious life - the so-called Pskov Orthodox mission operated.
Through the story of one rural priest, the fate of people in the occupied territories is revealed. War, devastation, the Germans kill someone’s last cow, in one family they shoot a girl who resisted violence. The local priest, Father Alexander, together with his mother, support and raise orphaned children. Among them is a girl from a Jewish family who believed and wanted to be baptized (she was played by Liza Arzamasova).
But not only disasters were associated with the arrival of the Germans. Thanks to them, Orthodox churches are being revived. Christian life Things are getting better in the village, but not for long. The power will change, and the priest will have to undergo a 30-year trial in the camps...
Khotinenko's film is Russian Orthodox cinema in a refined form (Christian themes are closely intertwined with the history of the Great Patriotic War). But historians criticize Khotinenko for superficiality and tendentiousness. But to a wide circle The audience, primarily believers, liked the film. Largely thanks to deep experiences and good actors(Sergey Makovetsky, Nina Usatova, Liza Arzamasova, Kirill Pletnev, Anatoly Lobotsky).
Cure Fear/Luca (2013)
Director: Alexander Parkhomenko
Duration: 1:47:10
Doctor. Artist. Priest. Bishop. Saint. Luka Krymsky, in the world - Valentin Feliksovich Voino-Yasenetsky (1877-1961), in Soviet time known as a professor, doctor of medical sciences, author of “Essays on Purulent Surgery” and laureate of the Stalin Prize. But this is only one side of the coin.
On the other hand, an Orthodox saint, a victim of Stalinist repressions, who spent 11 years in exile, a bishop Orthodox Church, author of the theological works “Spirit, Soul and Body” and “Science and Religion.”
His life, thoroughly saturated with antonymous irony, secular recognition and rejection of the atheistic system, looks like an Orthodox movie.
A family doctor and father of four children, after the death of his wife, becomes a priest and takes monastic vows. Born in sunny Crimea, he is serving exile in the Arctic. For achievements in medicine he receives the Stalin Prize, and for his religious beliefs he receives a ticket to Stalin’s camps. In his medical practice, he cures many of severe eye diseases, and in the last years of his bishopric he lost his sight, but still continued to serve.
Despite the number of videos about the life of the saint and surgeon, it is Alexander Parkhomenko’s film, in which the main roles were played by Vitaly Bezrukov (St. Luke) and Ekaterina Guseva (Voino-Yasenetsky’s prematurely deceased wife), that deserves everyone’s attention.
First of all, this Orthodox film is highly appreciated by believers, but it will also be interesting to “doubters” and neophytes.
For My Name (2005)
Director: Maria Mozhar
Duration: 0:27:45
Sometimes it feels like you experience half your life in 27 minutes. If you are familiar with this feeling, then you have probably seen the Orthodox film “For My Name.” This film describes the life of a post-war village. At the center of the action is a little orphan girl. She is a child of concentration camps. Her mother gave birth to her from a German policeman during her imprisonment, and she soon died.
A five-year-old girl does not understand why there is so much hatred towards her: local children tease and beat her. Only the priest, Father Alexander, sheltered the child. When the priest asked the girl what her name was, she sincerely answered: “Fascist” (that’s how the kids teased her). Nobody called her by name.
After this, the priest christened her Anna - in honor of her mother. For the first time, the girl felt that she was loved and cared for: they fed her, sewed dresses, made a doll out of straw...
But the day comes when they come for the priest. Father Alexander accepts everything calmly. To reassure the women, he says that he is going for a reward. What kind of reward could a priest go for at that time? But the father did not deceive. For what reward? If you haven't guessed it yet, remember the name of this Orthodox film.
The title is reminiscent of the Gospel warning of the apostles, who are facing persecution:
...and you will be hated by everyone because of My name; he who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22).
Find 27 free minutes in your schedule and be sure to watch the movie. Despite some mistakes and inconsistencies historical era, asceticism of shooting and lack of famous actors, the tape deserves attention. You can’t immediately say that this is not a film by a venerable director, but course work VGIK student Maria Mozhar.
Andrei Rublev/The Passion of Andrei (1966)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Duration: 3:26:50 (full version)
It is already 50 years since the release of Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece film, which became the face of Orthodox cinema and world cinema.
Tarkovsky managed to make not just a historical drama, but a film for the ages. The world opens before the reader's eyes medieval Rus' and the worldview of the protagonist. Very few reliable facts from the life of the amazing icon painter have survived to this day, but Tarkovsky is trying to reveal the image of the hero as much as possible.
From the monologues of Rublev (played by Anatoly Solonitsyn) we hear reflections on love and holiness, truth and sin, temporality and eternity.
You can analyze the dialogue between Andrei Rublev and Feofan the Greek (Nikolai Sergeev) into individual quotes. And the scene of the crucifixion of Christ, transferred by Andrei’s consciousness from distant Israel to the Russian snowy outback, evokes, at a minimum, a deep emotional experience. Those who have seen the film understand what it is about. And for those who are still planning to watch, we won’t spoil it. You won't regret spending three hours.
You will probably see this film in any list of Orthodox films. But “Andrei Rublev” is known and appreciated regardless of country or religious affiliation. Professionalism and love for your work can be felt in every detail. In addition to Solonitsyn and Sergeev, the film also starred Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko, Nikolai Burlyaev, and Rolan Bykov and Yuri Nikulin appeared.
Films, the plots of which, for a modern view, turn out to be filled with Orthodox characters, an Orthodox point of view on the events described, oddly enough, were filmed back in the “atheistic” USSR. Tarkovsky’s “Rublev” can be considered an unconditional Orthodox masterpiece. Or “The Legend of the Holy Princess Olga” by Yuri Ilyenko. Many TV viewers probably remember “Young Russia” with Ivan Lapikov in the role of Archbishop Afanasy of Vazhsky and Kholmogory.
The Orthodox historical film by Boris Karpov also played a major role in the religious influence on Soviet citizens. "On the Kulikovo Field". Unfortunately, this tape either remains undigitized or is simply very difficult to find for viewing online.
Filmed back in 1987, Dm’s graduation project. Zolotukhina "Christians"(based on the story by L. Andreev, revised ─ attention! - by the novice filmmaker Pavel Lungin), despite the declared criticism of Christian dogmas, it also has evangelical notes in the plot. The wonderful actor N. Pastukhov, who plays a priest in the film, created a rather capacious image of a Christian forced to participate in a “demonic” action (earthly judgment).
But the most striking project on the topic of the Christian worldview in Soviet cinema remains the duology of Viktor Tregubovich "Hop: Fortress" And "Hop: Exodus". The dilogy tells about the fate of the Decembrist saved by the Old Believers. The Old Believers directly declare to the rebel nobles: “we are not Russian people and not Orthodox, but true Christians.” The conflict between the secular (Decembrist A. Blok) and religious (Father Filaret Fyodor Odinokov) understanding of how the world can be improved is revealed boldly, without dogmatism. We highly recommend watching this film online.
The best Russian films about Orthodoxy
In the same 1991, a wonderful picture by Natalia Bondarchuk was released "Lord, hear my prayer" or “Ask and it will be given to you”(the name for the TV project) based on Leskov’s story, skillfully woven by the scriptwriters with "Life".
After perestroika: Russian films about Orthodoxy
The decade 1995 ─ 2005 turned out to be fertile for films on religious themes. Apparently, it is correct to say that the spirit can achieve the greatest freedom in the darkest times. In this era, the state with directives “from above” does not yet interfere in the creation of films, and the Church is more occupied with Christian documentaries, and not with the imposition of dogmas.
Foreign films about Christ, about the first Christians and about Christianity in Russia are instantly dubbed into Russian. modern world:
- "The Passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson.
- "Abraham" with Richard Harris leading role(1994).
- "Ben-Hur" - three versions at once, 1959, 2010 and 2016.
- "Prophet Moses" 1995
- “Demetrius and the Gladiators” is a 1954 film about early Christian martyrs.
And there are many similar Western films: sometimes very useful, from an educational point of view, sometimes ─ outright “crafts” that are hardly worth watching, like Philip Saville’s “The Gospel of John” (2003).
But in Russia, thanks to the activities of church documentaries during this period of time, stunning films about monasteries and holy monasteries appear, and both in the territory former USSR, and abroad. But educational documentaries should be especially highlighted
- "The Saints ",
- "Saint Ignatius Brenchaninov",
- “St. Paphnutius Borovsky Monastery”…
These, as well as other documentaries of those years, often created on the sheer enthusiasm of Orthodox Christians, with little financial but rich spiritual support from the church, should definitely be “put aside” for family viewing online on Orthodox YouTube channels.
"Island" by Pavel Lungin
In 2006, a low-budget film by Pavel Lungin was released, but immediately gained a huge influence on the minds of moviegoers, and is still, alas, unsurpassed in the sharpness of its concept and the breadth of its spiritual understanding of problems. "Island". Despite the “military-historical” beginning ─ the betrayal of the driver of a military boat on Lake Ladoga in the year of the Great Patriotic War ─ this small picture, shot for little money, remains to this day one of the most Christian, Orthodox films.
In “The Island” there is no direct condemnation of whoever it is (even betrayal: a person, after a moment of weakness, finds his way to God after repentance) and whatever it is: it is very vivid in the conversations of the main character (“the elder” Father Anatoly in a brilliant performance Peter Mamonov) with the rector Father Filaret, who is brilliantly played by Viktor Sukhorukov.
Thus, “The Island” touches not only on the topic of betrayal () and subsequent redemption, but also on the topic of the Russian Orthodox Church’s attitude towards “eldership” as a phenomenon of Russian Orthodoxy, which is not very readily covered today.
The film completely (and unexpectedly!) eclipsed the series "Spas under the birches", released a few years earlier.
It was the enormous success of “The Island” in Russia ─ the film was bought and DVDed, copied onto VCRs, watched online ─ it seems that influenced the fact that this masterpiece was subsequently practically drowned by a flood of films on Orthodox themes.
After “The Island”: new Russian Orthodox films
After “The Island,” there came a time of “flood” (sometimes blessed, sometimes flooding something reasonable in the water meadows of cinematography) of domestic feature films on Orthodox themes. Lungin himself, for example, failed to repeat the success of “The Island,” although he made a very interesting film: about the confrontation between Metropolitan Kolychev - the future Saint Philip of Moscow and Ivan the Terrible.
Unfortunately, the director, who may have consulted theologians and historians of Orthodoxy, was unable to reliably depict the era. According to many critics, the director also failed to characterize Tsar Ivan, or Lungin and Mamonov deliberately turned the cruel, cunning politician into the figure of a villain from a Western comic book. But the image of the metropolitan saint created by Yankovsky certainly turned out to be very worthy; the picture is definitely worth watching, at least for the sake of this character.
Another misfortune awaited the filmmakers "Horde": director A. Prokshin and screenwriter Yu. Arabov were able to recreate the era of the “Zamyatni” in the Golden Horde, the period when the Mongols and Tatars, who were pagans or Christians, began to be mercilessly destroyed by adherents of Islam. But the main figure of the Metropolitan of Moscow (after all, the film had the working title “Saint Alexy”), despite all the efforts of the artist Maxim Sukhanov, the efforts of the screenwriter turned out to be unconvincing. It is difficult to imagine a politician and a sage kicking a servant (his only assistant in the Horde), who learned for himself during his imprisonment by the Lithuanians in Kyiv that his life depended on such “servants.”
Nevertheless, from among the Russian feature films recent years with an Orthodox theme, “Tsar” and “Horde” should definitely be in the top ten.
TOP best Russian Orthodox films
Best Documentary Orthodox films recent years can be found on “church” YouTube channels, such as:
- Ray of Orthodoxy.
- Orthodoxy and modernity.
- The power of faith.
As for the most significant Russian feature films on Orthodox themes of recent years, we recommend that you start getting acquainted with the top ten that are offered to you.
- “Island”, 2006, director – P. Lungin.,
- “Pop” (“Pskov Mission”) directed by Vladimir Khotinenko,
- “Raskol” ─ series from chief director Nikolai Dostal,
- “Horde”, a collaboration project between director Alexander Prokshin and screenwriter Yuri Arabov.
- “Sophie” ─ a film for the little ones from Ilya Litvak,
- “Tsar”, the second film by P. Lungin, last role Oleg Yankovsky (Metropolitan Philip),
- “The Savior under the Birches” by Nikolai Eidlin ─ about the life and difficulties of church parishioners in a small village.
- “The Monk and the Demon” is another interesting project by N. Dostal.
- “Miracle” (“Zoya’s Standing”) is a semi-documentary film that received a special prize at the Moscow Film Festival, which became the second project of A. Proshkin (director) and Yu. Arabov (script) in the field of “Orthodox cinema.”,
- “Father” ─ series by Vasily Mishchenko, 2008
These films are a must see. Interesting, but less clearly revealing paintings can also be recommended for viewing:
- “Awakening” directed by K. Tishchenko, 2014
- “For My Name” ─ short film by Maria Mohar.
The youngest viewers may enjoy a very kind series of cartoons about St. George the Victorious, “Prince Vladimir” (about Saint Vladimir and Saint Olga) and even 3D animation "Seraphim's Journey".
Full list You can find Russian Orthodox feature films on the website "Orthodox Cinema"
Adults (preferably without the presence of a small child in front of the screen) are highly recommended to watch a foreign film "St. Augustine" from the Canadian producer and director, author of the wonderful series about Joan of Arc with Leelee Sobieski, Christian Duguay. Those who were not satisfied with how the theme of Orthodoxy is revealed in the notorious “Viking” can look at the painting by B. Mansurov on the same topic "The Saga of the Ancient Bulgars"(2005). Movies can be found and watched on any movie sites.