Rasputin and the Empress

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Rasputin and the Empress

This movie is important because of course, it is the only one that had all three Barrymores. But it is really Johm's Film. Every scene he is in he steals. Spoiler: In particular the scene where the young Czarevitch bites him, and the final fight against Rasputin. What is amazing is everyone else in this film is either naive or totally evil. John's Paul Chegodieff is the only one who is neither. I have never seen a Barrymore silent film (When everyone says he was at his best), but I have seen most of his talkies, and he is always good. Lionel's Rasputin is way over the top and Ethel, even though it was supposed to be history, essentially plays the same kind of character we saw in "Kind Lady", and the "Portrait of Jenny". I give it 5 out of 10 stars, mostly for John.

For it's time, this movie is a bit over long. As far as how accurate it is, I really wonder if Rasputin is really the person Lionel Barrymore plays. There is no doubt Lionel is the meaty role here and this might be his best role. The film does present the fact accurately that Rasputin is considered dangerous at the end so he is poisoned. Kind of surprised to hear the Russian President advocating a British or American style of government for Russia. Think that might be dreaming historically as when the Czar falls, there is no doubt the Communists and then Stalin were more ruthless and Dictatorial than ever. This is to play for US Audiences I am sure.

A true example of the assembly line style film-making of the old studios, where one doubts if the screenwriter ever visit the set, or did the director ever sit at an editing bench. Lionel Barrymore, however is a treat as the grimy, kooky Rasputin. He doesn't go for one-note scary. He's seen as a fun party animal, a believable healer, and the world's worst dinner guest. Other than that, John is wasted as the hero, as is their sister Ethel.

The only film with all three Barrymores together and it's a good film, however, the direction is very poorly done, especially the ending scene. Other than that, Lionel Barrymore portrays an excellent Rasputin and Ethel Barrymore is wonderful as the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. John Barrymore is great as Prince Paul, the assassin of Rasputin (in real life, it was Prince Yussupov who assassinated Rasputin). This is a good film, but if you want a better interpretation of Rasputin's "reign," rent the 1996 HBO version with Alan Rickman or the 1971 movie, "Nicholas and Alexandra."

This could have been a true classic. However, it strays far from actual events and abridges the period between the outbreak of the Great War and the killing of the royal family. The three Barrymores -- Lionel, Ethel and John -- are fine as Rasputin, the Empress and Prince Paul, a fictional character who assassinates Rasputin (the real assassin was Prince Feliks Yusupov, who was distressed by the damage that Rasputin was doing to the public image of the royal family). The film correctly shows how Rasputin was interfering with the government and the execution of the Great War. But we don't actually see any sign of the February and October revolutions and the abdication of the czar. In the movie, the royal family is taken by train to a house where they are shot by the Bolsheviks. All of these events happen so suddenly in the film that a casual viewer would lose sense of the chronology. Moreover, the direction is poor and many scenes last too long, making the movie drag.

This is a reasonably decent movie, well acted (particularly by Lionel, who practically chews the scenery as Rasputin) and the sets and costumes are fairly nice. But the main selling point is that this is the only time the three Barrymores -Ethel, John and Lionel did a movie together. It's a good movie but could have been much better.

A prince plots to kill the "mad monk" Rasputin for the good of the czar, the czarina and Russia. In something of a minor epic, this film tells of the rise and fall of Rasputin, the "mad monk". How much is true and how much is legend is open to debate, but all the classic parts of the story are told here. If you are vaguely familiar with the story of Rasputin, this film should feel like you've seen it before (in a good way). Everything about the film is quite good, from the acting to the costumes and beyond. This is, of course, a showcase for the Barrymore family, and it really does show how much they each contributed to the acting greatness of American cinema.