TOP-10 movies about Grand Duchy of Lithuania

National propaganda is indivisible from cinema. Therefore visual form (movies) of presenting our history plays a huge role in defining not only visual acknowledgement, but also provides a perfect base to build stories about national heroes and their deeds.

I had no luck to find similar list of movies online in English, therefore I will complete it myself step-by-step adding new movies (excluding documentaries and animations), where at least partially are involved persons and events related to the history of Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

I will also provide my personal evaluation for movies I had luck to watch. It will be based on four criteria: scenario (0-40), biased history (0-15), history of GDL (0-30), special effects (0-15).

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September Eleven 1683
Produced: 2012, Italian-Polish co-production

IMDb (link) – 3,1/10. In 1683 300 thousand warriors of the Ottoman Empire began the siege of Vienna. The fall of the city would have opened the way to conquer Europe. On September 11 the main battle between the Polish cavalry and the Turks took place.

Excerpts on Youtube (official trailer).
Full movie via torrents (PirateBay link).

My opinion: Very weak scenario, no plot to follow, no nice actress for a romance story. Awful special effects, weak historical illustration (costumes, surroundings, etc.). Jan Sobieski pictured only in the II half of the movie, his role and activities are weakly told. Polish/GDL army represented very poorly.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
10	10	15	0	35

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Taras Bulba
Produced: 2009

IMDb (link) – 5,6/10. This is a story about Ukraine’s Cossack warriors and their campaign in the 16th century to defend their lands from the advancing Polish armies.

Official trailer (Youtube).
Photo gallery (ruskino.ru).
Full movie via torrents (ThePirateBay).

My opinion: Kremlin financed and therefore totaly Russian-biased version of the history. Nevertheless worth to watch for several battle shots and well made costumes.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
25	0	20	10	55

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1612
Produced: 2007

IMDb (link) 5,8/10. The period in the late 16th and early 17th century has been called “The Time of Troubles.” There are many impostors who claim to the right to rule, but there’s only one heir, the Czarina Kseniya Godunova. She has married a Polish military leader who wants to claim the Russian throne in her name so he can rule all of Russia. As the Poles move in on Moscow in an attempt to install the czarina on the throne, Andrei, a serf with a life-long infatuation of the czarina attempts to save her from her brutal Polish husband.

Official trailer (Youtube).
Full movie via torrents (ThePirateBay).

My opinion: Kremlin financed, therefore biased, but not that heavily as in “Taras Bulba”. Worth to watch for the best available visualisation of flyling husars and other GDL requisites.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
30	5	25	15	75

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With Fire and Sword
Produced: 1999

IMDb (link) – 6,9/10. A story about the Ukrainian uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth magnates in the 17th Century.

Official trailer (Youtube).
Full movie via torrents (ThePirateBay).

My opinion: One of the best of its kind. Scenario is not so predictable, all players have white and black shades. The only drawback – too slow motion (total lenght almost 3 hours). At the same time too much attention is paid to hitorical representation, threfore part of movie attractiveness is lost. The role of GDL is covered only indirectly.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
35	15	15	15	80

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Cheat
Produced: 1994

IMDb (link) – 6,8/10. The year is 1750. Europe is in a ravaged state following a plague. Victor Moritz and Rufolf de Sevre are gamblers, frequenters of elegant casinos and fashionable brothels. Rudolf is a young aristocrat, charming and charismatic. His degenerate behavior has an animal intensity. Victor, though leading the life of libertine, remains to one side. He is a man of a refined taste despite his low birth and buys his noble title thanks to his gambling skills. Victor and Rudolf have been inseparable friends for years. Then two young, beautiful and innocent people – a brother and sister – enter their life…

My opinion: GDL/Polish issues are in fact not mentionedc at all, threfore no points for history. It is a weak costume drama with only indirect relation to our country history.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
20	0	0	5	25

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Седая легенда
Produced: 1991

IMDb – no data.

Excerpts of I episode (Youtube).

My opinion: historical costume drama weakly made. No real battles, only a clash between two GDL magnates.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
15	15	20	5	55

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Marius
Produced: 1990-1992

IMDb (link) – no evaluation.

The TV series built in 1990-1992 are based on Kazys Almenas story and scenario by Vytautas Žalakevičius. The story depicts conflict between two noblemen in GDL about 1711.

S.Macaitis review (lfc.lt), introduction on TV (lrt.lt)

My opinion: not watched yet.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Deluge
Produced: 1974

IMDb (link) – 7,6/10. No description.

Official trailer (Youtube).
Full film 1/2 (Youtube).

My opinion: not watched yet.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Herkus Mantas
Produced: 1972

IMDb (link) – 6,0/10. No description.

Excerpts (Youtube).

My opinion: not watched yet.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Colonel Wolodyjowski
Produced: 1969.

IMDb (link) – 7,0/10. No description.

The film is based on the novel Pan Wołodyjowski by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It tells a story about polish colonel, fighting for the Republic on the Southern border in Ukraine. At the same time it depicts interesting episode of Deluge.

Full movie (6 parts in Youtube)

My opinion: slow, but interesting story. I would rate it as one of the best of it’s kind. The only serious drawback – media technology and special effects, which are really bad. Nothing unexpected – it was 1969…

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
35	15	20	5	75

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Knights of Teutonic Order
Produced: 1960

IMDb (link) – 7,0/10. A tale of a young impoverished nobleman, who with his uncle returns from a war against the order of the Teutonic Knights in Lithuania. He falls in love with a beautiful woman and pledges an oath to bring her “three trophies” from the Teutonic Knights.

Full movie (Youtube).

My opinion: not watched yet.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Barbara Radziwiłłówna
Produced: 1936

IMDb (link) – 7,0/10. Barbara Radziwillówna accidentally meets the future Polish king Zygmunt August under embarrassing circumstances. She introduces herself as a member of a forester’s family, whereas the heir to the Polish throne describes himself as a squire serving the king. Their passionate love affair leads to a secret marriage which is revealed shortly before Zygmunt’s coronation. However, the queen mother is furious at this turn of events as she has always planned a truly royal spouse for her son. Members of the parliament refuse to sanction the marriage, but the king’s plea for recognition of his bride eventually breaks down all opposition. But the queen mother reverts to Borgia-like tactics to get rid of the unwanted daughter-in-law and the tragedy pursues.

Youtube – (full film 9 episodes)

My opinion: not watched yet.

scenario	biased history	history of GDL	special effects	overall
n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a