How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor
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How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor (Russian: Сказ про то, как царь Пётр арапа женил, Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil) is a 1976 musical film directed by the Russian filmmaker Aleksandr Mitta. The film features Vladimir Vysotsky as the protagonist Abram Gannibal, the North African godson of Peter the Great. Also starring in the film are Aleksei Petrenko as Czar Peter, and Irina Mazurkevich as Natasha Rtishcheva. It's an adaptation of the book The Moor of Peter the Great by Gannibal's great-grandson Aleksandr Pushkin, written in 1827. The music for the film was done by the composer Alfred Shnitke. In 1976, the film was the sixth most popular film in the Soviet Union, being seen 33,100,000 times.
Contents
Plot
The beginning of the film contains some animations depicting Abram's acquisition from his native land and eventually we find him in the courts of Paris. He gets himself in trouble when a French countess, whom he had romances with, bears a black child. Abram is challenged to a duel which is played out humorously in a sped up timeframe. He leaves Paris shortly thereafter to return to his home in St. Petersburg where his godfather, and czar of Russia Peter the Great enthusiastically awaits his return. Upon arriving Abram expresses he is done with love, as his lover denounces him as a savage and his son is never fated to know his father. In an attempt to help Abram, as well as tie him into the nobility of Russia, Peter announces Abram and Natasha Rtishcheva are to be wed, to the despair of the family and her current suitor. Abram, however, refuses the marriage on the grounds that he believes Natasha is in love with another. This angers the czar who in turn begins to alienate both Abram and Natasha's family from his favor. The conundrum plays out in humorous and dramatic ways and eventually resolves in a pleasant and light-hearted manner.