About the film
Russia is losing the First World War, the economy is falling apart and revolution is close. In St Petersburg the royal family, desperate for a miracle, puts its faith in Grigory Rasputin, a wild Siberian 'holy man' who seems able to heal the heir to the throne.
Klimov mixes drama with real newsreel footage to show a court sinking into mysticism, intrigue and decay, while a group of aristocrats plots to kill Rasputin.
Alexei Petrenko's ferocious Rasputin is unforgettable. The film was finished in the mid-1970s but held back by the censors for years.
Did you know?
- It was completed in the 1970s but only reached audiences in the 1980s.
- Director Elem Klimov later made Come and See.
- Alexei Petrenko plays Rasputin.
