A 'curse' has been put on all Russians who have seen the controversial movie 'Matilda' by the ultra-conservative former representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vsevolod Chaplin.
Chaplin, who was fired from the Russian Orthodox Church in 2015, effectively for being too right-wing, also placed the curse on actors who took part in the film, which was directed by Alexei Uchitel, and all members of the Russian Federation who failed to stop the 'blasphemy,' according to the website Stopru.
Chaplin has promised that soon 'the laughter of the actors and ordinary people will turn to tears, and the bright dresses [to] mourning'.
The film, which tells the story of Nicholas II's infatuation with ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, has angered hard-line nationalists, with some Orthodox believers seeing it as blasphemous. The tsar, who was executed along with his family by Bolsheviks in 1918, is glorified as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church.
There have been a number of incidents in the build-up to the film's release. Last month, police detained several activists accused of setting cars on fire outside the office of the attorney for the movie's director.
Also last month, Russia's largest operator of movie theatres said it would not screen the controversial film following threats of arson attacks. Russian news agencies quoted cinema chain director Roman Linin as saying, in reference to the decision: 'The security of our viewers remains a priority for us.' The chain, which is operated by Formula Kino and Cinema Park, has 75 theatres. The announcement came a day after two cars were set on fire outside the office of the attorney for the film's director Alexei Uchitel.
Set in the late 19th century, the film tells the tale of the romance between Nicholas II, before he became tsar, and half-Polish dancer Matilda Kshesinskaya, who described the relationship in her memoirs.
Nicholas 'loved me dearly', she wrote. 'I adored Nikki, I thought only of him, of my sweetheart.'
Opposition to the film has ranged from street demonstrations to appeals from prominent clergy, with some activists making physical threats against cinemas who plan to show it.
In 2015, the Russian Orthodox Church sacked Chaplin, one of its most high-profile priests, who had called for the Church to play a stronger and more independent role in public life.
Chaplin, who since 2009 had been head of the Church's department for cooperation with society, had called for the Church and the Russian government to take a more active role in east Ukraine, and referred to the Russian military intervention in Syria as a holy war. He also had criticised the current Russian political elite for corruption.
'Everything started a year ago, as I disagreed in principle with our Ukraine position. We should have not waited but worked to make sure our authorities heard the voices of people who think themselves Russian,' Chaplin told the newspaper RBK. Chaplin said that Russia's current political leaders were an 'immoral elite who are stopping the country from developing'.
