An American Pickle True Story The Russian Cossacks History Explained

An American Pickle True Story: The Russian Cossacks History Explained

An American Pickle includes a subplot involving the Cossacks, but doesn’t explain the religious and historical subtext. Here’s what you need to know.

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An American Pickle True Story The Russian Cossacks History Explained

An American Pickle includes a subplot involving the Cossacks, but doesn’t explain the religious and historical subtext. The HBO Max feature stars Seth Rogen in dual roles, and mostly takes place in modern day Brooklyn. However, an introductory sequence establishes the Cossacks as a group of early 20th century killers. Here’s why An American Pickle’s depiction isn’t entirely unreasonable.

In An American Pickle, a Polish Jew named Herschel Greenbaum (Rogen) dreams of a better life in 1919 Slupsk. He works especially hard to impress a local named Sarah (Sarah Snook), and suggests that they can achieve their dreams together. The couple have a unique bond, as their parents were killed by Cossacks, a group of people described by Herschel as “blood-thirsty, Jew-hungry Russian maniacs drunk from vodka.” The Cossacks violently crash the Greenbaum’s wedding party, which sets in motion the film’s primary storyline. Herschel moves to America with Sarah, and then falls into a pickle vat which keeps him brined for 100 years.

The Cossacks weren’t just a group of vodka-drinking Russians. In reality, the “free men” were a band of outlaws from different nations who formed in 13th century Ukraine and became more powerful in the 15th century. The group of Orthodox Christian warriors found a home in Russia, and welcomed various outsiders who wanted to contribute in some form, or just wanted to be part of the gang while looking after families in nearby villages. Between 1648 and 1658, the Cossacks reportedly massacred 300,000 Jews, so that’s the point of historical conflict for An American Pickle’s Herschel, who was trying to live a normal life in Poland after meeting Sarah. Because Herschel is a proud Jew, he’s naturally well-informed about what the Cossacks have done to his people all over the years.

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An American Pickle begins in 1919, a time when the Cossacks would’ve been a real threat to Herschel and Polish Jews. The Russian Revolution was underway, and the Russian Cossacks had defected rather than deciding to support the new Bolshevik regime. In February 1919, Cossacks killed approximately 1,500 Jews over the course of three days in Proskurov, Ukraine. The year 1919 is significant because Poland gained independence through the Treaty of Versailles. Still, the Greenbaums of An American Pickle decided to leave for America, seemingly to get away from the looming danger threatened by the Cossacks.

When Herschel visits a Brooklyn graveyard in An American Pickle, the Cossacks are referenced once again to create conflict with Ben. The elder Greenbaum worries about the state of his wife’s final resting place (and the family plot in general), and then learns that a new billboard for vanilla-flavored vodka is about to loom over Sarah’s grave. Herschel then remembers the Cossacks and decides to “do violence.” The moment references Herschel’s origin story, and also ends with both of the Greenbaums being arrested, which thus complicates Ben’s attempts to secure financing for “Boop-Bop.”

The Cossacks aren’t prominently featured in An American Pickle on HBO Max, but their inclusion underlines the film’s subtext: time is cyclical, and racism (specifically anti-Semitism) doesn’t just go away. Meaning, Herschel faces the same problems that he dealt with 100 years prior, both in American and in Eastern Europe. Some people are direct with their messages, like the Cossacks. In contrast, some Americans are known to be passive-aggressive with their thoughts on race, evidenced by a movie moment when Herschel arrives at Ellis Island. To him, some insults aren’t that bad when compared to what he dealt with back home. So, the Cossacks of An American Pickle are symbolic of threats that just never seem to go away. Herschel can move forward with his life, but he’ll never forget about the past. And it’s that concept that Ben struggles with, as he avoids trauma from the past (his parents’ deaths), yet finds solace through his great-grandpa – who is technically the same age, but has been around the block once or twice over the years.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/american-pickle-movie-true-story-russian-cossacks-explained/

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