If present official Russian teachings place country's great (military) victories into a foundation stone of this state - then this biopic is not for you. Count Leo Tolstoy (born aristocrat, former officer and gambler, but in his mature years one of worlds' greatest humanitarian) wrote several stories depicting the Great Empire's reality. In this reality, if you have to survive, you better turn into a shrewed bureaucrat (or a low rank cheater) - and let all your youth ideals go.
Russian Empire is the state to die for - and it feasts on deaths to survive. Faults are covered, or blamed on lower class, (apparently faulted) victimized individuals whose life cost nothing laid into unmarked graves and over our borders are our enemies only - all those values are seen in later days as well (compare with those of Stalin, or from present time). Authors show us a mirror to see us present through our past. Widows, corruption - who cares... As long as our victories are with us, and Czar (the Father) is well and alive in his grandiose - the country stays. Take all that away - what will be left of it?...
