Belarus is a small state comfortably located in the center of Europe. Because of the huge number of reservoirs, residents affectionately call their country "blue-eyed". It is home to many talented people who have become famous all over the world. Due to its convenient geographical location, these lands have repeatedly found themselves in the center of the most incredible events. For those who like to watch historical films, we have prepared an online selection of the most interesting films about Belarus and Belarusians.
The Lion's Tomb (1971)
- Genre: Drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 6.3, IMDb - 7.0
- Director: Valery Rubinchik
- The film is based on the poem by Yanka Kupala and Belarusian legends.
In ancient times, when all disputes were resolved with the help of a sword and a bow and arrow, the Polotsk prince Vseslav fell in love with the simple girl Lyubava. And she answered him in return and broke off relations with the groom, the blacksmith Masha. Unable to withstand such a betrayal, the young man decides to take revenge on his rival and gathers the people's squad.
Princess Slutskaya (2003)
- Genre: history, drama, military
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 4.9, IMDb - 5.6
- Director: Yuri Elkhov
The events of the painting take the audience to the beginning of the 16th century. Crimean Tatars constantly organize raids on the Belarusian lands (at that time they were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania). The conquerors rob, kill and take civilians into captivity, leaving behind ashes. A brave squad of the small town of Slutsk, led by Princess Anastasia, stands in the way of the invaders. The brave woman was forced to take on the role of commander after the death of her husband.
I, Francisk Skaryna ... (1969)
- Genre: history, biography
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 6.3, IMDb -6.2
- Director: Boris Stepanov
- The main character was played by Oleg Yankovsky, for whom it was one of the first roles.
The film tells about some events in the life of the Belarusian publisher, educator and philosopher-humanist Francisk Skaryna, who lived in the first half of the 16th century. He was born in Polotsk, where he received his initial education. Later he studied at the Krakow Academy, from which he graduated with a doctorate in free arts.
In Italy, at the University of Padua, Skorina successfully passed the exams and received the title of Doctor of Medicine, after which he returned to his homeland. In Vilna, young Francis was engaged in medical practice, trying to open a hospital for the poor. And at the same time, he established the work of a printing house, in which he printed books in a language understandable to ordinary people.
The Adventures of Prantish Vyrvich (2020)
- Genre: Adventure
- Director: Alexander Anisimov
- Screen adaptation of the first book from the trilogy written by Lyudmila Rublevskaya
The action of this historical adventure tape takes place in the Belarusian lands in the 18th century. The main character, a young nobleman Prantish Vyrvich, together with the alchemist doctor Baltromey Glacier from Polotsk, finds himself in a whirlpool of incredible events. The powerful families of the Radziwills, Sapegas and Baginsky are fighting for the throne of the Commonwealth. Friends are waiting for chases, battles, fights, shootings and, of course, love.
Shlyakhtich Zavalnya, or Belarus in science fiction stories (1994)
- Genre: Drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk -4, IMDb - 6.0
- Director: Victor Turov
- The film is based on the book of the same name by Yan Barshchevsky, who is called “Belarusian Gogol” or “Belarusian Hoffman”.
The action of the film takes the audience into the first half of the 19th century. In the north of the Belarusian land, on the shores of the huge lake Neshcherdo, there is a manor in which the nobleman Zavalnya lives. Every traveler can find refuge with him in bad weather. The hospitable host does not deny anyone a shelter and does not require payment. The only thing he asks his guests about is to tell some interesting story. And the guests do not refuse Zavalna, tell about ancient times, remember the legends and myths of their ancestors.
King Stakh's Wild Hunt (1979)
- Genre: Horror, Drama, Detective, Thriller
- Rating: KinoPoisk -9, IMDb - 6.9
- Director: Valery Rubinchik
- The first mystical thriller in Soviet cinema
The main character of this feature film is the young ethnographer Andrei Beloretsky. In 1900, he came to the small estate Bolotnie Yaliny, located in the Belarusian Polesie. The purpose of his visit is to study folk traditions. From the hostess who provided him with temporary housing, the man learns a mysterious story about Stakha Gorsky, who once lived in these parts.
According to legend, he was a descendant of the Grand Duke Alexander, who dreamed of national happiness and universal freedom. He paid for his views, becoming the victim of a dastardly murder. Since then, his soul knows no rest. And the ghost of King Stakh periodically returns to his native land to arrange a wild hunt for the descendants of his killer.
Local (1993)
- Genre: tragedy, comedy
- Director: Valery Ponomarev
- The film is based on the play by Yanka Kupala "Tuteishyya", which was banned during the Soviet era
Our online selection of historical films about Belarus and Belarusians continues with a picture that has not lost its meaning today. It will be especially pleasant and interesting to watch it for everyone who speaks or at least understands the Belarusian language. This satirical tragicomedy tells about the period from 1917 to 1921, about a life far from stability and prosperity.
Local residents, tutishyya, are incredibly tired of the fact that their land has become a gateway for the West and East. The authorities replace each other, and ordinary people constantly have to adapt to new regimes. And in such conditions national self-consciousness disappears, but passivity, obedience and lack of principle flourish.
People in the swamp (1982)
- Genre: Drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 6.9, IMDb - 5.9
- Director: Victor Turov
- It is based on the novel by Ivan Melezh.
In the courtyard of the 20s of the last century. The Soviet power reached the most remote corners of the Belarusian Polesye, cut off from the "mainland" by impenetrable swamps. However, wealthy owners are not eager to give property and land to the peasants. They intimidate local residents and threaten with reprisals. But nothing can stop the change. And the inhabitants of the small village of Kureni go out to the construction of a gate through the swamp. After all, for them it is not just a road, but also a symbol of a new life.
On black lads (1995)
- Genre: Drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.3
- Director: Valery Ponomarev
- On the night before the 1995 premiere, the only copy of the film disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Later, the cassette was found, but the film was never released for wide distribution.
This dramatic story takes viewers back to 1920. The agreement on the division of Belarus between Russia and Poland caused a huge wave of protests among the residents of the republic. An armed uprising broke out near Slutsk, the main goal of which was the struggle for independence. But it was brutally suppressed by the Soviet government.
In order not to fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks, the rebels hid in deep forests. But they were still found and shot. And later they took the bodies to the surrounding villages in order to identify and punish relatives. This was done so that no one else had a desire to oppose the Soviets. In such conditions, the commander of the rebel detachment decides to take an ambiguous step: to commit group suicide.
Brest Fortress (2010)
- Genre: Drama, Military
- Rating: KinoPoisk -8.0, IMDb - 7.5
- Director: Alexander Kott
This feature film tells about the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress, the garrison of which took the first blow of the fascist invaders in June 1941. The story is told on behalf of Alexander Akimov, who met the beginning of the war as a trumpeter of a platoon of musicians of one of the rifle regiments. Through the eyes of a child, viewers see all the horror that was happening in the fortress. Given the complete technical and numerical superiority of the enemy, Soviet soldiers and officers managed to organize three centers of resistance. The Hitlerite command allotted only 8 hours to capture the garrison, but the defenders held out for more than a month, showing unprecedented heroism and courage.
Badge of Trouble (1986)
- Genre: military, drama
- Rating: 7.6, IMDb - 7.8
- Director: Mikhail Ptashuk
The main characters of this highly rated film are Stepanida and her husband Petrok, residents of a Belarusian farm. They worked hard all their lives, but they never gained wealth. The piece of land they got after the revolution turned out to be infertile, the only horse died from illness. At the time of collectivization, they were written into kulaks by someone else's libel.
When the war broke out, the Nazis chose the house of the spouses, and they themselves were sent to live in the barn. The former village proletarians, who once stood up for universal equality, also add fuel to the fire. They easily go over to the side of the invaders and, as policemen, scoff at Stepanida and Peter.
Climbing (1976)
- Genre: military, drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 8.0, IMDb - 8.3
- Director: Larisa Shepitko
- The film is the winner of the Berlin Film Festival.
1942 year. The territory of the occupied Belarus. Two partisans, Rybak and Sotnikov, go to the nearest village for provisions for the detachment. On the way back, they come across a German patrol. As a result of a short skirmish, the Nazis die, and Sotnikov is wounded. The heroes have to hide in the house of one of the villagers, but, unfortunately, policemen find them there. From this moment, the search for a way out of this situation begins. And if one of the heroes prefers to die heroically, then the second makes a deal with his conscience to save his own life.
Franz + Pauline (2006)
- Genre: Drama, Military
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.2, IMDb - 6.8
- Director: Mikhail Segal
- The film is based on the story of Ales Adamovich "The Dumb", based on real events.
The events of this dramatic story take viewers back to 1943. All of Belarus is under fascist occupation. An SS unit is stationed in one of the villages. And a strange thing, instead of being ferocious, the Nazis treat the villagers almost humanly. And one of the soldiers, young Franz, falls in love with the local girl Polina, who loves him. But one day an order comes: to burn the village together with the inhabitants. Saving his beloved, Franz kills his commander. And later the heroes go into the forest to escape from both the punishers and the partisans. But will they be able to survive in inhuman conditions? Do they have any hope for the future?
Come and see (1985)
- Genre: history, drama, military
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 8.1, IMDb - 8.3
- Director: Elem Klimov
- In 1985, the picture became the winner of the Moscow International Film Festival.
The action of the film takes place in the Belarusian outback during the Great Patriotic War. In the center of the plot is the village boy Florian Gaishun. First, at the hands of the Nazis, all his relatives are killed. Later, he witnesses an incredibly brutal Nazi punitive operation, during which several dozen residents of a neighboring village were burned to death. Fleur miraculously managed to survive, but because of the experienced fear and horror, in a few minutes he turned from a teenager into a gray-haired, exhausted old man. And the only feeling that makes him live on is the desire to avenge the death of loved ones and relatives.
Long live Belarus! (2012)
- Genre: Drama
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 6.3, IMDb - 4
- Director: Krzysztof Lukashevich
- The film was not released in cinemas of Belarus.
We recommend everyone who loves to watch historical pictures to get acquainted with this film about Belarus and Belarusians, which concludes our small online selection. The action of the tape takes place in 2009-2010 and is incredibly reminiscent of what is happening in the republic at the present time.
Electoral fraud, the cult of personality, discrimination of the Belarusian language, the split of society into supporters and opponents of the existing regime, the forceful solution of the problems that have arisen and the complete absence of dialogue on the part of the authorities. The main character, 23-year-old musician Miron Zakharka, sings a song with political overtones at one of his concerts. Immediately after the concert, his group is included in the list of those who are prohibited from listening. The guy himself is called up to serve in the armed forces, despite the most serious medical contraindications.
The army meets Miron with brutal hazing, violence and discrimination. The hero tells the subscribers of his blog about everything that is happening to him and soon finds himself in the very center of the confrontation with the current regime.
