In the Agora: 1612

« Cleveland Rots | Main | Convention Time »

November 18, 2007

1612

Foreign cinema must be superlative if it wants to attract the attention of Americans. The new Russian film 1612 may be such a movie, and not just because of the spectacular cinematography one can see in the trailer. It is ostensibly a movie about the Time of Troubles, a chaotic interregnum in Russian history, and the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow on November 4, 1612.

Coincidentally, Russia recently moved its national holiday to the 4th from November 7th, the former date being a commemoration of the Bolshevik Revolution. The new date is more timely, and not just because it is the closest available date onto which the holiday could be heaped. The Kremlin commissioned the movie to help explain the switch, but they have been characteristically unsubtle in pointing out that there are powerful parallels between modern Russia and the Time of Troubles, parallels they are keen to exploit.

After the end of the Rurik Dynasty in 1598, Russia fell into disorder, just as it did after the fall of the Soviet Union. The weak state became prey to intrusive Western powers, only to be saved by the rise of a new Russian strongman. (Can you guess who the modern day equivalent is?) It may be somewhat disconcerting that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth stands in for the United States. The former were forced out of Moscow by a popular uprising -- just what will our comeuppance be?

The film depicts the Poles as ferocious warriors and the dominant military power (dare one say, a superpower). The winged plumage of the hussars is especially striking, which brings me to what I'd actually like to talk about: Indiana University Football!

Winged Hussars

Yesterday, the IU Hoosiers capped off their first winning season since 1994 with a close win over rival Purdue University in the 83rd Old Oaken Bucket game. In many ways, this was a tribute to the late Coach Terry Hoeppner, who sadly is not here to witness the triumph of a team he rebuilt after many dismal, losing seasons. Among the many changes Hoeppner made was the institution of some novel traditions (pardon the oxymoron), like The Walk and Defending the Rock. Now that the Hoosiers appear poised to go to their first Bowl in 14 years, I think it might be time for a new one, one inspired by 1612.

IU Professor of Folklore Eugene Eoyang has lobbied (perhaps facetiously) to introduce a mascot based upon one of the most tenuous etymologies of Hoosier, i.e., that we are named after the fearsome European cavalry units called Hussars. He's described how inspiring a crimson warrior on a white charger would be, but I believe he had the 18th-Century version in mind. Even though Europeans didn't set foot in Indiana until 1679, I think a winged hussar from the early 17th-Century, like those in 1612, riding around Memorial Stadium would be pretty friggin' cool. And now that the Football team have climbed their way into bowl contention, I think they deserve the panache.

Posted by Zach Wendling at November 18, 2007 12:10 PM

Comments

Splendid post.

Incidentally, for what it's worth, I was one of the many who stormed the field following IU's win.

Posted by: Joshua Claybourn at November 18, 2007 11:23 PM | permalink

Incidentally, for what it's worth, I was one of the many who stormed the field following IU's win.

Did this victory pass your previous standard for rushing the court (field)?

Posted by: Foltz at November 19, 2007 12:53 AM | permalink

Good question. Given (i) the general (low) quality of IU's football teams in recent history, (ii) the intense rivalry between PU and IU, and (iii) the amount of emotion tied up in the game due to the death of Terry Hoeppner, I'd say this game easily qualified as a legitimate one to storm the playing field.

Posted by: Joshua Claybourn at November 19, 2007 02:51 PM | permalink

Yes, yes, but do they work a scene of Moscow's Foreign Ministry Building into the film? It seems it's hard to find a Russian movie that doesn't.

Posted by: The Reticulator at November 19, 2007 11:28 PM | permalink