Mad? or merely human?
the 1996 made for TV movie, Rasputin is a lost masterpiece. Almost devoid of big names, with the exception of Alan Rickman (Die Hard, Robin Hood - The Prince of Thieves, Harry Potter series) and Sir Ian McKellen (The X-men trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy). The former plays the (in)famous "Mad Monk", Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin is shown as a pauper initially. When Tsar Nicholas is worried about his Hemophiliac son, Rasputin grabs the opportunity to enter the royal household and mystically cures the boy. That can be called the point where the Romanov family started disintegrating.
This film throws a lot of myths surrounding Rasputin into sharp relief. Was the man really visited by divine visions? or was he merely demented? Did he use holy powers to cure the Tsarevitch? or did he use an advanced form of hypnosis? Were the sessions with the empress merely sessions between priest and devotee? or was there something more.....carnal?
The film never solidifies the mythical elements of Rasputin's story, merely uses them for dramatic effect, and because they're part of folklore. This film, unlike other films, shows us Rasputin the man, instead of Rasputin - the legend. It shows us that Rasputin is merely a human, merely a greedy, unscrupulous human. He seduces wives of noblemen and streetside whores with equal relish. He consumes cheap liquor and royal wine with the same gusto. it makes you sympathise with Rasputin, while making you look upon the man with utter loathing.
Onto the actors themselves. It was an utterly masterful performance as Rasputin by
Alan Rickman(right). He's done a fine job of portraying the mad monk and he does it with great gusto and panache. The scene where he's being chased by royalty intent upon murdering him is heartrending. you almost want him to escape. but you know he will not, because it's all part of history. You dont see the mad monk running, you see a man frightened for his life, trying to save it. He creates a beautiful sense of duality when he's playing out the scenes in which the monk had his "visions". On one hand, you are made to believe that he is indeed having visions. On the other, you can be pretty damn sure he is "off his rocker", so to speak. Alan Rickman does a very effective job of stripping the Legend of all its myth and presenting the man, made of flesh and blood.
Sir Ian M
cKellen plays Tsar Nicholas II, the last monarch from the ill fated Romanov family. McKellen portrays the character as a gentle man, who, out of love for his wife and children, and out of anguish for his ailing son, loses grip on ruling the country. This, wrongly interpreted, makes the people of his country think he's a tyrant with no regard for his subjects and thus, sows the seeds for the great Russian Revolution. The scenes with his wife, Tsarina Alexandra, played by Greta Scacchi, are filled with tenderness. They make you feel like you're actually intruding upon a real couple's private moments.
Every scene is filmed with a sense of reality. The scene where the whole Romanov family is massacred is shown in all it's brutality. You want to wrench your eyes away from the screen, but you are riveted. It's made all the more effective as it's shown in slow motion black and white.
Beautiful film. If you're a fan of gripping storytelling, this movie's for you. if you're not, even then this movie's for you.
This film throws a lot of myths surrounding Rasputin into sharp relief. Was the man really visited by divine visions? or was he merely demented? Did he use holy powers to cure the Tsarevitch? or did he use an advanced form of hypnosis? Were the sessions with the empress merely sessions between priest and devotee? or was there something more.....carnal?
The film never solidifies the mythical elements of Rasputin's story, merely uses them for dramatic effect, and because they're part of folklore. This film, unlike other films, shows us Rasputin the man, instead of Rasputin - the legend. It shows us that Rasputin is merely a human, merely a greedy, unscrupulous human. He seduces wives of noblemen and streetside whores with equal relish. He consumes cheap liquor and royal wine with the same gusto. it makes you sympathise with Rasputin, while making you look upon the man with utter loathing.
Onto the actors themselves. It was an utterly masterful performance as Rasputin by
Alan Rickman(right). He's done a fine job of portraying the mad monk and he does it with great gusto and panache. The scene where he's being chased by royalty intent upon murdering him is heartrending. you almost want him to escape. but you know he will not, because it's all part of history. You dont see the mad monk running, you see a man frightened for his life, trying to save it. He creates a beautiful sense of duality when he's playing out the scenes in which the monk had his "visions". On one hand, you are made to believe that he is indeed having visions. On the other, you can be pretty damn sure he is "off his rocker", so to speak. Alan Rickman does a very effective job of stripping the Legend of all its myth and presenting the man, made of flesh and blood.Sir Ian M
cKellen plays Tsar Nicholas II, the last monarch from the ill fated Romanov family. McKellen portrays the character as a gentle man, who, out of love for his wife and children, and out of anguish for his ailing son, loses grip on ruling the country. This, wrongly interpreted, makes the people of his country think he's a tyrant with no regard for his subjects and thus, sows the seeds for the great Russian Revolution. The scenes with his wife, Tsarina Alexandra, played by Greta Scacchi, are filled with tenderness. They make you feel like you're actually intruding upon a real couple's private moments.Every scene is filmed with a sense of reality. The scene where the whole Romanov family is massacred is shown in all it's brutality. You want to wrench your eyes away from the screen, but you are riveted. It's made all the more effective as it's shown in slow motion black and white.
Beautiful film. If you're a fan of gripping storytelling, this movie's for you. if you're not, even then this movie's for you.
posted by Vijay Anand at 4:16 AM
2 comments
