Canvas (2022 film)
| Canvas | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tertk Dekelin |
| Screenplay by | Renat Isaev Tertk Dekelin |
| Produced by | Lavrentiy Filippov Adrian Lebedev Tertk Dekelin Tatlia Kalásina Nikita Zima |
| Starring | Alexei Smirnov Tatoch Bekçin Ekaterina Taisia Romanova Lazar Fyodorov Zinoviy Lebedev Yegor Viktorov |
| Cinematography | Wevel Taréin |
| Edited by | Lonoch Qepinin |
| Music by | Nel Rahin Tatoch Bekçin |
Production companies | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 163 minutes |
| Country | Skarmia |
| Languages | Skarmic and Beleroskovi |
| Budget | SRB 139.4 million |
Canvas (Skarmic: Golst, Beleroskovi: Kholst) is a 2022 Beleroskovi- and Skarmic-language historical epic drama film produced in Skarmia and directed by Tertk Dekelin. The screenplay by Renat Isaev and Dekelin is based on Leonty Ignatiev's 1955 novel Portrait of a White Lion, which in turn is based on the writings of painter and aristocrat Igor Razumovsky in 1759 and early 1760. The film stars Alexei Smirnov as Razumovsky and Tatoch Bekçin as the Skarmic mountain man Kekçe-Wa, with an ensemble cast including Ekaterina Taisia Romanova, Lazar Fyodorov, Zinoviy Lebedev, Yegor Viktorov [...]
In 2019, it was announced that plans were in place to adapt Ignatiev's novel to film. In March 2020, it was announced that Dekelin had signed on to direct and write the screenplay. Principal photography began in late 2020. Canvas is set to premier at the 2022 Tofino Film Festival on 11 July 2022, and is expected to release in Skarmia a week later.
Plot
In mid-1759, Igor Razumovsky, a Beleroskovi painter separated from his guides, is alone in whiteout conditions during a blizzard. Musing in a journal entry about the nature of beauty, Igor drops to his knees in exhaustion, seeing a black shape edging closer, fading to white as he whites out.
In a flashback to one and a half years earlier, Razumovsky is painting Knyaz Ivan Aminov in Beleroskov. The two begin talking about their prospects for the future, to which Razumovsky states that he wants to begin courting Ilyana Dolgorukova, a young debutante. Aminov states that he is well aware, and states the young painter should make a move or make do without her, as he knows Lord Grigory Potemkin is also interested in the eligible Ilyana. He invites Igor to a ball that Ilyana will attend.
At the ball, Igor, encouraged by his friend and confidant Gavril, goes to talk to Ilyana. They immediately find a lot of common ground, and Igor shows appreciation for Ilyana's cutting wit and education. Ilyana is impressed when Igor points out the noblemen that he has painted, but he expresses that he tires of painting noblemen, and that he yearns to 'capture beauty'. Ilyana invites the painter to her family's summer home, near to the forest, where he will be given patronage by her family, an offer he eagerly accepts. Over the next year, Igor paints an exhibition's worth of natural landscapes, pictures of animals, and a number of portraits of Ilyana. Their relationship is seen growing also, and at the end of the year, Ilyana's family hosts a display of Igor's paintings, attended by many of the important noblemen of Beleroskov. By this point, the fact that Igor and Ilyana are romantically involved is fairly well understood by high society, yet Lord Potemkin hangs around Ilyana and begins to harass her while Igor is preoccupied with some of the other nobles. Igor rushes to try and defuse the situation, to Potemkin's feigning bemusement. Potemkin subtly mocks the painter and belittles his work, to which Ilyana defends Igor's work, stating in his words that he is "capturing beauty". Potemkin proclaims loudly that if his aim is to capture beauty, the most beautiful animal in the world is the white lion; that Igor should try to paint that elusive beast if he wants to complete this quest of his. Knyaz Amynov attempts to protest on Igor's behalf, but Igor accepts Potemkin's challenge loudly, despite Amynov's protestations.
Amynov meets with a determined Igor after the ball, as he is packing his things to leave the city. He tries to dissuade Igor, but he is already preparing to travel to Zalivzokhov. Amynov points out that no-one has ever painted a true white lion; that Potemkin is trying to get Igor out of the picture to take Ilyana's hand for himself. Igor believes his honour is at stake. A resigned Amynov offers Igor his Satoii aide, Raepel, to assist with translating and help with navigating the Krai. He wishes the young painter good fortune, and expresses his hope that Igor returns and proves Potemkin the fool he is. Igor bids farewell to a tearful Ilyana, and promises to return, before setting off with Raepel to Zalivzokhov.
Upon arrival there, he finds that his arrival was expected, and for the first few nights he is to stay in the home of the governor, Vitaliy Sobol. Sobol informs Igor that Knyaz Amynov had arranged for some local guides to assist him to the mountainous highland region. As winter is just beginning, it is the perfect season to find white lions, but the treacherous conditions of the highlands make travel dangerous. Sobol invites Igor to dine with him, and over dinner expresses some ignorant views towards the Satoii people, portraying them as a kind of 'noble savage', but ultimately unintelligent and simple, which Igor is visibly disconcerted by. Sobol appears to imply that he would like Igor to paint a portrait of him, though Igor does not pay attention to this desire. The group departs from Zalivzokhov and over the next week makes its way up to Kisakum on the edge of the highland region. The snow, even on the road, is by this point very thick, with more coming down gently. One of the guides warns Raepel that it will be dangerous to get much higher until after the next blizzard, where local superstition dictates that the weather will let up for a few weeks. Igor agrees to wait, and upon reaching his lodgings, the window of which looks right up the mountains, Igor is inspired to paint, and creates a painting of the view, which he instructs to be sent back to Knyaz Amynov as confirmation that he has arrived in Kisakum, with a note, written in Skarmic, "A white lion next!"
Sure enough, in the next week, a heavy snowstorm batters Kisakum, after which, an excited Igor prepares to leave. However, as they travel through the town, a number of tribesmen from higher in the highlands are angrily shouting at Satoii from the city. Igor asks Raepel what they are saying, to which Raepel explains that the highland Satoii claim that the storm was not the expected blizzard, and that more bad weather is coming. The local Satoii nobility are disputing this. Igor asks Raepel what he thinks, but one of the guides interjects that superstition is superstition - it does not matter what the highlanders think, as none can tell the future. As they make their way up the hill path, light snow begins to fall, obscuring the path. A wheel on the cart breaks, and the guides say that it would be safer for Igor to proceed to Neyamet on foot with Raepel and one of the guides rather than wait for the cart to be fixed - the rest of the guides would come behind and pick them up on the way past. Igor decides to take three canvases with him, as well as some painting supplies, despite warnings that this will slow them down. As they set off, the snow slowly worsens. After they have travelled a way, the guide with them becomes very quiet suddenly - he gestures behind, as he has seen a bear. The bear takes chase, and the three run along the path. Igor loses his footing, and falls down a ravine and is knocked unconscious.
When he awakes, he has lost his bearings and has a head wound. He checks his art supplies, and finds that one of the canvases has become torn quite badly across the top right corner. He keeps it with him despite this, and sets off in a random direction, the snow still falling quite heavily, and appearing to get worse. As he goes, he begins to hallucinate due to the whiteout conditions coupled with his injury, believing he sees Ilyana, and he reaches out for her, only to find that the snowstorm has elevated to a full-on blizzard. As he staggers on, the timeline meets up with the opening of the film, and Igor collapses to his knees, before falling over sideways.
Igor awakens again in a barn, with a sheepskin wrapping on his head and a bed of hay beneath him. He stands and sees a yak urinating on one of his intact canvases. Igor angrily chases the beast away, and a man enters, hearing that Igor is awake. Igor protests to the man, but the tribesman does not understand him in Beleroskovi, so he translates to broken Skarmic that it is ruined. The tribesman states that if it is not useful for its initial purpose, it can be used otherwise, and throws it onto a fire, to Igor's dismay. Igor tries to take his things and leave, but the tribesman stops him as it isn't safe, taking him inside to eat dinner with him. The tribesman introduces himself as Kekçe-Wa (meaning "Strong White Lion"), and Igor realises that he recognises him from the argument in Kisakum.
Igor stays with Kekçe-Wa for a while, meeting his family and learning about Satoii culture. He goes hunting with Kekçe-Wa, where he sees the tribesman shoot a deer with his musket, and the two drag it back to the house. Kekçe-Wa explains that nothing is wasted in Satoii culture, and that all of the bear must be used somehow. Igor expresses his wish to paint a white lion in still-broken Skarmic, and Kekçe-Wa flat-out refuses, saying it is not safe.
Cast
- Alexei Smirnov as Igor Razumovsky
- Tatoch Bekçin as Kekçe-Wa
- Ekaterina Taisia Romanov as Ilyana Dolgorukova
- Lazar Fyodorov as Knyaz Ivan Aminov
- Zinoviy Lebedev as Grigory Potemkin
- Yegor Viktorov as Vitaliy Sobol
- Kamej Rilagin as Raepel
- Svyatoslav Tchaikovsky as Gavril
- Saliis Sipipacin as the lead guide
- Roeh Qepinin as the walking guide