Rasputin

1996

Overall rating: 3 hands
Rickmaniac rating: 3 hands

I'm probably the wrong person to review this movie. When I was a kid I saw Nicholas And Alexandra in a theater, and that film made such an impression that years later I spent the greater part of 20 months reading Cornell University's collection of books on the subject, plus every book the Masseys have written since. My friend Hope and I both felt that this film lacked the emotional impact of N&A, but then, we never had a chance to see Rasputin in a theater (not a trivial point, since films lose a lot when played on a small screen). Also, I find scenes involving drunkenness or other drug abuse very difficult to watch.

The HBO tv-film Rasputin is interesting, with a spectacular cast featuring some of the greatest actors of the British stage: David Warner as Dr. Botkin, and Ian McKellen as the Tsar, are especially memorable. The clothes are near-replicas of those worn by the Romanovs, and the locations appear authentic. Voice-overs narrate the story from Alexis's point of view at the beginning and at the end, but not consistently throughout the film. I would have preferred no voice-overs since to me film is primarily a visual medium. The boy Freddie Finlay, a wonderful actor, was very good, however.

Alan Rickman portrays Rasputin with great emotional force, and his scenes with Freddie Finlay are very moving. Mr. Rickman does a wonderful job of adding a human dimension to a character who is a mystery. He uses body movement to great effect. His Rasputin is tragic, funny, sexy, and appalling. He deservedly won a Golden Globe, a SAG award, and an Emmy for this role. Still, I would prefer to see him in roles where he is not playing a nut, a villain, or in a period piece.

Rickmaniacs will like his seduction scene, and the table dance ("I am a great man").

Reviewed by Fausta, 19 December, 1997. Rasputin (pronounced Ras-POOH-tin) is currently available for rent/purchase in VHS; you might have to search under Rasputin, Dark Servant of Destiny. Mr. Rickman won the following Best Actor awards: Golden Globe (1996), Emmy (1996), and SAG (1997)

Suggested reading

Nicholas and Alexandra, by Robert K. Massie, Bantam Books; ISBN: 0440363586
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter, by Robert K. Massie, Ballantine Books; ISBN: 0345406400

Links

The official Sir Ian McKellen site, one of the best celebrity sites anywhere
Cinephilia’s Tribute to David Warner
Mt Athos, Where "Every Stone Breathes Prayers", from Smithsonian Magazine, August, 1999

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