'Some of them were given human qualities, but the overall impression is of brutal, bloodthirsty, evil-minded, greedy people. And the depiction of the Mongols, he said, was deeply degrading.

Most of his suggestions about historical accuracy had been ignored, he told RFE/RL. He came away from the first meeting feeling enthusiastic that Russia would 'finally' have an accurate depiction of life under its Mongol forbearers, who are widely credited with establishing regional government, a postal system, census-taking, and military organization.īut once the script was developed, Rudakov was crestfallen. Vadim Rudakov, a researcher specializing in the Golden Horde, was the first consultant hired by the Orthodox Encyclopedia staff in June 2009. Vadim Rudakov: 'The overall impression is of brutal, bloodthirsty, evil-minded, greedy people.' But what can you do?'Īmong those offended are the very researchers who were hired to help Proshkin and his screenwriter re-create the sights and sounds of life under the Mongol Empire. 'Probably, people are going to be offended.

'It's difficult to predict what kind of reaction there's going to be ,' Proshkin says. Still, he has acknowledged that the movie is likely to displease many viewers in Tatarstan, Russia's prosperous and predominantly Muslim republic that is home to the majority of the country's Tatars. The film's director, Andrei Proshkin, has defended the film as a work of 'historic fiction,' saying it was never intended as a true-to-life depiction of the Golden Horde. They say the film - which received financial backing from Orthodox Encyclopedia, a company that has backed numerous movies glorifying the Russian Orthodox Church and the lives of its saints - falsely depicts the Golden Horde as an empire dominated by random violence, greed, and ignorance. The main detractors are expected to be Russia's nearly 6 million Tatars, who are considered the country's modern-day descendants of nomads who joined Genghis Khan's army and eventually helped to create the Golden Horde. With its $12 million budget, lavish sets, and elaborate costume designs, 'The Horde' is expected to draw large crowds of movie fans when it opens in Russia on September 20.īut not everyone is eager to see the film, which depicts life under the Golden Horde, the Mongol khanate that controlled large portions of Eurasia during the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries.

Download the horde 2016