Rasputin (1996)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Yes, I love Alan Rickman (how could I not?), but I happen to love the historical Rasputin even more. That said, Rickman's portrayal is the best ever! He brought Rasputin back to life! I finally saw "Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny" yesterday and it floored me. It was possibly his best on-screen performance! This is the most accurate depiction of Rasputin, hands down. There are some errors, mostly towards the end, but it showed who he really was. Tom Baker was also an excellent Rasputin in "Nicholas and Alexandra," but he sadly had limited screen time. I have yet to watch "Rasputin the Mad Monk" with Christopher Lee, but what I have seen of it shows him as the evil monster people assume he was. Lee definitely looks the most like Rasputin, and I would've loved to see him in a more factual version, alas! Alan Rickman has done a great service, bless his beautiful soul! Finally, we get to see Grigori Rasputin as a real person- he had his flaws, but was generally a good man. (Not to mention, the love scene was to die for!) Everyone involved with the production deserves accolades!

With such a great cast and that it's a film of a riveting, complex part of history and one of history's most interestingly colourful characters, Rasputin had a lot going for it. Historically it's not always very accurate but on its own merits Rasputin is a very impressive film, and much more preferable and of far higher quality to the Hammer film Rasputin: The Mad Monk, which was a fun film and had a towering Christopher Lee but had a shoddy script and didn't attempt to be true to history.It could have done with a longer length and could have gone into more detail as a result, with some parts feeling cliff notes-like, like why and how the revolution started and Rasputin's role in it. It could have focused a little more on Rasputin too and a little less on the Romanov Royal Family. The film looks wonderful though, it's beautifully photographed with lavish colour and evocative sets, whether depicting the contrast between the rich and poor, that captures the atmosphere of the time very well indeed. The music score has haunting power and pathos, but it is not just a great-sounding score on its own but it fits like a glove within the film.Rasputin has an intelligent and well-written script, that doesn't play things too staid and also doesn't feel like soap-opera-like melodrama. The story is well-told, tightly paced and cohesive, and has the right amount of emotion and tension. The film does a great job capturing the atmosphere of the time period, and even though one wishes that there was more of Rasputin there is still enough done with him to still make him a colourful and interesting character, with a reason being given for his carousing. The most effective scene here is the assassination of the Romanovs, a scene that is both terrifying and heart-wrenching. Uli Edel directs beautifully and sensitively yet with enough vigour to keep the drama alive.Alan Rickman is brilliant in the title role, it is one incredibly powerful performance that is dangerously scary but also played with gusty humour and nuanced humanity. Ian McKellen also gives a fine and well-studied account of the Tsar, even depicting some of his habits like with his thumb, his interpretation is very accurate of the man who was a good and loving father and family man but a bad ruler. Freddie Findlay as Alexei, the character from which perspective Rasputin is told, is very good and his is a more sympathetic and accurate portrayal than most of the young prince. Greta Scacchi is the only person who doesn't look anything like the role she's depicting, but she nonetheless touchingly underplays Alexandra and does so with regal dignity. David Warner, John Wood and James Frain acquit themselves very solidly in pivotal supporting roles.In conclusion, a very impressive film regardless of its historical accuracy or lack of. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I think most people already know the story of The Russian Revolution and the tragic end of the Romanov family. I'm not sure people really know all that much about Grigori Rasputin. this movie gives us a peak at a fascinating man.Alan Rickman gives a wonderful portrayal of the mad monk. Ian McKellan shows us the family man behind Nicholas the bloody.I have read some of the comments and I see that a lot of people seem to feel the movie wasn't accurate. I'm not sure it was supposed to be. This story was told through the point of view of a young boy.My only complaint is that I would have liked to have seen more of his childhood. Why was he the way he was? I mean, the first born male of the Romanov family had been told for 350 years that they were ordained by God to rule and that they were infallible. You may not have agreed with the choices they made, but you can see why they made them.I didn't end up seeing why Rasputin was the way he was. Was he truly a mad man? A holy man? A con artist? I know that relatively little is known about him, but the movie never even hazards a guess.The film still keeps you riveted as it slowly moves to it's inevitable end.Not a must see, but a good way to spend an evening.

This movie was pretty well acted, written, filmed, and directed. The problem was it was made a bit too soon to do much good. When "Nicholas and Alexandra" was released in 1971, the lavishness of it covered up the historical inaccuracies. "Rasputin", however, came out in a time when new information was just becoming available. Since 1996, the DNA tests have been performed, the bodies have been ceremoniously buried, and the nation of Russia has once again reformed itself. If the producers of "Rasputin" had just waited a few years, imagine the possibilities that could have been added to this film. It is inaccurate in many places. For example, Alexei could not have known that "Aunt Ella" was murdered. She, along with several other relatives, was murdered the day following Nicholas' own execution. It focuses too much on the Romanovs. Perhaps it should be called "The Romanovs" as opposed to "Rasputin". My personal pet peeve is the execution of the Romanovs. As in "N & A", the numbers are still wrong. There were 11 people executed in Ekaterinburg. In "N & A" there were 8, and in "Rasputin" there were 10.The film does flow rather nicely, and gives those interested a fairly accurate glimpse of the lives and deaths of the sadly inept Romanovs and the vile, vulgar Rasputin. I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in Russian history, especially to anyone teaching such a course.Alan Rickman was wonderful in his portrayal. Greta Scacchi and Ian MacKellan were as well, in view of the fact that they were portraying such boring, stupid characters. The supporting cast was a nice backdrop for the glory and pageantry of the Russian Court.