Whew!
Wanting to add this into my reviews collection as just so - well: just what precisely? Just worth seeing!
Rather than comment on the historical accuracy, or not, of this, I would only wish to recommend it for director Klimov's interesting presentation and take on the whole matter, not least to see lead actor Alexei Petrenko's quite 'committed' portrayal of Rasputin, i.e. its Westernised = easier to comprehend, title, but also because of Klimov's conceit to have interspersed and juxtaposed it throughout with early - presumably rare? - genuine (I believe, it seems) contemporary black and white archive film footage. To which then renders the Mosfilm colour palette, a then even more quite striking contrast, too.
Version seen ran c.145 minutes (split in two - 'Russian Cinema Council' version - of note, apparently 'forbidden' to be exhibited in any of the former Soviet states according to the standard introductory warning inserts!), so longer than that indicated here on IMDB, yet seemingly still shorter than that listed in its Wikipedia entry (at supposedly another ten minutes longer), but over which length, surprisingly, was still so engrossing that I didn't get that usual feel of such long film duration storytelling drag at all: and incidentally, so perhaps it was also in that latter (longer timed) version is all the alleged notorious sex and licentiousness, that apparently got it stymied for release in the then Soviet Union, because I couldn't discern any here beyond a blink and you'll miss it full frontal flash (in black and white ..) and latterly rear end shot of turfed out of bed Tsarina ...(perhaps?)
What does come across -so, surprisingly to have been suppressed in the era it was made in - is the undertone of pure contempt the ruling establishment elite have for the abject conditions and poverty that affect the Tsar's subjects: one scene right at the beginning of part two, with a clearly portrayed rich guy stiffing a carriage driver out of just "one kopek" goes on long enough to make you feel it was put in and focused on for more than just story pacing. (Although one scene with the battle commanders questioning the Tsar Nicholas' following of Rasputin's insistence to divert the ongoing battles to an area where tens of soldiers would meet inevitable death, does show at least some of those commanders questioning that .. no idea if historically accurate, but perhaps that was not the point ..?)
Then, although this film is concerned with just Rasputin's (supposed) death, quite oddly, interestingly this 'authorised' 'Russian Cinema Council' issue home screener dvd copy came with an extra that showed the far more recent newsreel footage of Boris Yeltsin dedicating the now exhumed remains of the Tsar's family (in c. 1998) to be interred (into the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in St Petersburg) with him now castigating ("monstrous crime") how they were murdered and exculpating their culpability. (Then, since being a newsreel short, it is fair to say doesn't rightly belong here, but still to add on this: further odd note is that The Russian Orthodox church Patriarch disputed those found bones' authenticity, though!)
Side by side, real weird.
Fabulous visual pleasure and an acting tour de force verging on manic (beserker!*) from lead role Petrenko (*just wait for the village picnic scene!)
Rather than comment on the historical accuracy, or not, of this, I would only wish to recommend it for director Klimov's interesting presentation and take on the whole matter, not least to see lead actor Alexei Petrenko's quite 'committed' portrayal of Rasputin, i.e. its Westernised = easier to comprehend, title, but also because of Klimov's conceit to have interspersed and juxtaposed it throughout with early - presumably rare? - genuine (I believe, it seems) contemporary black and white archive film footage. To which then renders the Mosfilm colour palette, a then even more quite striking contrast, too.
Version seen ran c.145 minutes (split in two - 'Russian Cinema Council' version - of note, apparently 'forbidden' to be exhibited in any of the former Soviet states according to the standard introductory warning inserts!), so longer than that indicated here on IMDB, yet seemingly still shorter than that listed in its Wikipedia entry (at supposedly another ten minutes longer), but over which length, surprisingly, was still so engrossing that I didn't get that usual feel of such long film duration storytelling drag at all: and incidentally, so perhaps it was also in that latter (longer timed) version is all the alleged notorious sex and licentiousness, that apparently got it stymied for release in the then Soviet Union, because I couldn't discern any here beyond a blink and you'll miss it full frontal flash (in black and white ..) and latterly rear end shot of turfed out of bed Tsarina ...(perhaps?)
What does come across -so, surprisingly to have been suppressed in the era it was made in - is the undertone of pure contempt the ruling establishment elite have for the abject conditions and poverty that affect the Tsar's subjects: one scene right at the beginning of part two, with a clearly portrayed rich guy stiffing a carriage driver out of just "one kopek" goes on long enough to make you feel it was put in and focused on for more than just story pacing. (Although one scene with the battle commanders questioning the Tsar Nicholas' following of Rasputin's insistence to divert the ongoing battles to an area where tens of soldiers would meet inevitable death, does show at least some of those commanders questioning that .. no idea if historically accurate, but perhaps that was not the point ..?)
Then, although this film is concerned with just Rasputin's (supposed) death, quite oddly, interestingly this 'authorised' 'Russian Cinema Council' issue home screener dvd copy came with an extra that showed the far more recent newsreel footage of Boris Yeltsin dedicating the now exhumed remains of the Tsar's family (in c. 1998) to be interred (into the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in St Petersburg) with him now castigating ("monstrous crime") how they were murdered and exculpating their culpability. (Then, since being a newsreel short, it is fair to say doesn't rightly belong here, but still to add on this: further odd note is that The Russian Orthodox church Patriarch disputed those found bones' authenticity, though!)
Side by side, real weird.
Fabulous visual pleasure and an acting tour de force verging on manic (beserker!*) from lead role Petrenko (*just wait for the village picnic scene!)