During an interesting era in the history of Eastern Europe when Russia, under Peter the Great, and Sweden, under King Charles XII, struggled for power, Ukraine was the pawn in the middle. In 1709, Ivan Mazepa, Hetman of Ukraine, which was part of the Russian Empire, signed a pact with the Swedish king promising to support Sweden in its war against Russia provided that Ukraine was given its independence.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a Caravaggio come alive
Acting
Stupka's Mazepa burns with wounded dignity
Direction
Illienko's operatic vision defies conventional storytelling
Director
Yurii Illienko
Bohdan Stupka
Hetman Mazepa
Lyudmila Efimenko
Liubov Kochubei
Nikita Dzhigurda
King Charles XII
Viacheslav Dovzhenko
Tsar Peter I
Viktor Demertash
Judge General Kochubei
Serhii Romaniuk
Cossack Leleka
Pylyp Illienko
Young Mazepa
Les Serdyuk
Hetman Samoilovych
Ostap Stupka
Chancellor Orlyk
Mikhail Golubovich
Zaporozhian Leader Sirko
Oleh Drach
Prince Vasili Golitsyn
Rayisa Nedashkivska
Gypsy Sorceress
Kostiantyn Stepankov
Leader of Free Will
Yurii Illienko
Marshall Zhukov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film was essentially buried upon release, only finding its audience after 2014 and especially 2022 made its themes unbearably relevant.
Illienko was already a Soviet cinema legend for 'White Bird with Black Mark'; this was his final film, completed as his health failed.
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