• Source: World History, Bank Imperial

      • World History, Bank Imperial (Russian: «Точность — вежливость королей», «Всемирная история») was a series of popular advertising spots aired in Russia and directed by Timur Bekmambetov between 1992 and 1997 for the bank "Imperial." Over time, this series of advertisements came to be called "classics of Russian advertising." The quotes from these commercials spread among the people. At the Moscow International Advertising Festival (MMAF) in 2012, the "Imperial" bank commercials were named the best of the 20-year advertising history in Russia.
      The bank itself lost its license in 1998. After lengthy legal proceedings, the license was restored, but in 2005 the bank was declared bankrupt.


      Production


      When negotiating with Bekmambetov about filming, the president of the bank, Sergei Rodionov, immediately set a condition: no animation, no computer graphics—only live-action shooting. However, according to Timur Bekmambetov, computer graphics were used.
      The scriptwriters of the commercials were Mikhail Lesin and Vladimir Perepelkin. The cinematographer was Georgy Rerberg.
      Some commercials featured Viktor Verzhbitsky (see plots), and the role of Catherine the Great was voiced by dubbing artist Larisa Danilina. The main voice-over was provided by TV presenter and producer Alexander Gurevich. In some commercials, the voice-over was done by Innokenty Smoktunovsky (commercials about Peter I and Tamerlane), Vladimir Mashkov (commercials about Dmitry Donskoy, Genghis Khan, and Ogedei, Conrad III), and others.


      List of commercials




      = Tamerlane

      =
      On his way to a campaign, Tamerlane ordered each of his warriors to take one stone and pile them up into a mound. Upon returning from the campaign, each warrior took a stone from the mound, but many stones were left on the ground. Then Tamerlane spoke to each remaining stone, remembered their names, and mourned them, for each remaining stone represented a fallen warrior of his army.


      = Catherine the Great and Alexander Suvorov

      =
      On Christmas Eve, at the palace of Catherine II (played by Evgeniya Uralova), guests gather for dinner. Everyone eats except for Alexander Suvorov (played by Ivan Ufimcev). The Empress notices this and asks the commander why he isn't eating. Suvorov replies, "It's the Christmas fast, mother, we can’t eat until the first star appears. We are waiting." Everyone stops eating. After a brief pause, the Empress orders Suvorov to be awarded a star-shaped order. Suvorov receives the award and joins the meal.


      = Alexander II

      =
      Emperor Alexander II received a report about a peasant uprising in the Kherson Governorate, with news that they were fleeing to Crimea. Alexander was asked to use troops to retain them. At that moment, the autocrat observed how a servant was trimming the wings of swans on a pond to prevent them from flying away. The Emperor said that swans "need to be fed better, then they won't fly away." The birds were released into the pond, but they still flew south in winter. The commercial ended with a reminder that in 1861, the first underground metro in the world was opened in London, and in Russia, serfdom was abolished.


      = Genghis Khan

      =
      One day, Genghis Khan asked his sons, "What is the greatest pleasure for a person?" "Hunting with an eagle," the eldest replied. "Great wealth," the middle one answered. And only the youngest, Ogedei, said what Genghis Khan wanted to hear: "Caring for the Fatherland—that is the greatest pleasure."


      = The Inca

      =
      In the Inca Empire, gold was not highly valued. The Incas made figurines of various insects and animals from it. Upon meeting the Conquistadors for the first time, they presented their gold items as a gesture of goodwill. The Spaniards were astonished by the amount of precious metal the Incas possessed and captured their ruler, Atahualpa. Afterward, they killed all the Incas and melted their gold into ingots. Before his execution, the Great Inca forgave the Spaniards, who had never seen anything more valuable in their lives than the golden bricks.


      = Ivan the Terrible

      =
      The Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible addressed the people, saying that the boyars had embezzled the treasury, refused to defend Muscovy, betrayed it to the Lithuanians, Germans, and Tatars, and thought only of their wealth. Therefore, the Tsar announced autocratic rule. To the question of one of those present (for which he was soon killed) "On what terms?" Ivan the Terrible quietly replied, "You’ll find out later."


      = Conrad III

      =
      The army of Conrad III was besieging the town of Weinsberg in southern Germany. In anger at the prolonged resistance of the besieged, the king ordered the women to leave the town and take only what was most valuable, what they could carry on themselves. When the city gates opened, the Emperor saw women carrying their wounded husbands in armor on their shoulders. Leading the procession was a young Guelph duchess. After this, Conrad III had no choice but to end the assault.


      = Nicholas I

      =
      Emperor Nicholas I was informed about the premiere of a play in Paris that somehow tarnished the honor of his grandmother, Catherine II. The Emperor ordered a letter to be sent to Paris, stating that if the performance continued, he would send a million spectators in gray overcoats (soldiers) to boo the play. Soon after, the play in Paris was canceled.


      = Nero

      =
      Emperor Nero loved to sing, and every day the people listened to their beloved emperor. Only a serious illness or death could stop him from fulfilling his civic duty. One of the listeners took advantage of this, but the next day, he was led to the amphitheater again.


      = Julius Caesar

      =
      Known for his principles, Julius Caesar, stuck on his way to the Senate, preferred to tear a piece of his costly imperial toga rather than be late for the session. The Roman senators pretended not to notice Caesar's exposed legs.


      = Jan Sobieski

      =
      King Jan III Sobieski played chess with a remarkable invention—a Chess automaton. After losing, the King distinctly heard the "automaton" sneeze. In a rage, he tore off the lid and found a legless man inside. The man begged for mercy as a veteran who had lost his legs in war. The King ordered all present to remain silent about the incident so as not to deprive those who defended the Fatherland of their livelihood.


      = Alexander the Great

      =
      Alexander the Great, having conquered the Parthian kingdom, could not move further toward the conquest of Asia because his army, laden with riches, had sunk into debauchery. The King ordered all trophies to be burned and led the army to conquer new lands.


      = Peter the Great

      =
      1692. The Russian Empire had no access to the sea. Peter I on his way to the place where his fleet was to be built, got stuck in the mud and personally pushed the carriage out to proceed. From there, within a month, Russia's first ships were dragged to the White Sea.


      = Napoleon (two plots)

      =
      During a battle, Napoleon, whose hat was knocked off by a shot, calmly picked it up under fire, put it on, adjusted it to the millimeter, and only then extinguished the fuse of a rolling bomb with his hand.
      In 1812, Napoleon's army was defeated, and he fled to Paris. A weary and exhausted emperor was approached by an elderly woman who wanted to admire him. Sighing, Napoleon handed her a coin with his likeness, saying, "I look much better here."


      = King Louis

      =
      Louis XIV dined, selecting only the cherry that adorned the roasted pheasant from a vast array of dishes. When he was tactlessly presented with a bill for ten francs, the courtiers were speechless with shock at such boldness. The King quietly adjusted the bill of the presenter, who then replied, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. Nine."


      = Dmitry Donskoy

      =
      Dmitry Donskoy went into battle against the Mongols, though no one had defeated them for centuries, and all his warriors knew that defeating the Mongols was impossible. A frightened warrior, shaken by the Horde, tried to persuade Dmitry Donskoy to retreat, but the prince gave him his helmet, and the battle continued until victory.


      = Advertising for "Slavyansky" Bank

      =
      One of the subsidiaries of "Imperial" was "Slavyansky" Bank, with its chairman of the board of directors being Sergei Rodionov, the former chairman of the "Imperial" board. Unsurprisingly, shortly after the end of the "Imperial" bank's advertising campaign, some of its commercials were used by "Slavyansky" Bank (particularly those about Peter I and Napoleon).
      In addition, commercials dedicated to Russian poets were made for "Slavyansky" Bank:

      Daniil Kharms: "I walked along the swamp in winter..." (1940)
      Sergei Yesenin: "Play, harmonica! Boredom... Boredom..." (1923)
      Alexander Blok: "The girl sang in the church choir..." (1905)
      Alexander Pushkin: "I remember a wonderful moment...". This work was awarded the Grand Prix at MMAF 1998.
      Osip Mandelstam: "Gilded with gilded gold..." (1908)
      Nikolai Baratashvili in translation by Boris Pasternak: "Heavenly color, blue color". The text was read by Rezo Gabriadze.
      The first three commercials were created by director Timur Bekmambetov and cinematographer Sergei Trofimov. The text in the commercials about Blok and Mandelstam was read by Vladimir Mashkov. In the commercial about Kharms, the text was read by Leonid Bronevoy. The commercial "Boris Pasternak" was directed by Leo Gabriadze (director and cinematographer).
      In the commercial about Pushkin, Ivan Shapovalov, the producer of the musical group "Tatu," appeared.


      Criticism


      The commercials won numerous awards at advertising festivals. Among the awards were the "Golden Apple" at the Moscow International Advertising Festival (MMAF) in 1992, 1994, 1995, and 1996, the Gold Medal of the International Film Festival in Houston in 1995, and others.


      Parodies


      The commercials were repeatedly parodied in 1990s comedy shows: "Gentlemen's Show" and especially often in the program "Gorodok," where the final slogan was "World History, Savings Bank No. 2."


      References




      Literature


      Salnikova, E. V. (2001). Aesthetics of Advertising. Cultural Roots and Leitmotifs. Moscow: State Institute of Art Studies of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. pp. 219–227. ISBN 5-89329-492-0.


      External links


      Frankl, Vladimir (1996-12-18). "How the "Imperial" Bank Proved Its Loyalty to Catherine the Great". New Look. Archived from the original on 2017-03-14.
      Sergei Rodionov about Timur Bekmambetov and Advertising on YouTube // Born in the USSR: TV program. — Nostalgia TV channel. — 2010. — April 21.

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