This is an interesting film in that it is one of the lesser known and seemingly not talked about from Hammer. I first came across the title when I was looking through a horror encyclopedia. All I knew was that it was from the 60s and from this production company, which I tend to enjoy these works. I did like to see that the late great Christopher Lee was playing the title role as well. I did give this a rewatch as a potential Summer Challenge Series pick for the Podcast Under the Stairs as well.
Synopsis: thrown out of his monastery for licentious and drunken behavior, Rasputin (Lee) travels to St. Petersburg to try his luck. Through a dalliance with one of the czarina's ladies in waiting, he soon gains influence at court with his power of healing and hypnotism. But he also makes enemies.
We start this in a small inn. The keeper's wife is ill and it doesn't seem like the doctor can do anything to help her. There is a somber feeling until Grigori Rasputin enters. He demands two bottles of wine. He learns through the patrons why the mood is so down. He goes upstairs and with his hands, he cures the woman of her fever. A party is thrown in his honor. Rasputin drinks a lot and goes off with the innkeeper's daughter to a barn. As they're kissing, her suitor shows up and a fight ensues. The daughter is no longer in the mood, but Rasputin won't take no for an answer. He is chased away from the barn by the rest of the men.
Much as the synopsis states, Rasputin is banished from his monastery as he is using it for his own carnal needs as well as food and shelter. He is in a horse drawn coach, hearing stories about St. Petersburg. He takes the reigns and they head toward this destination instead.
Rasputin is determined to make his way and finds the chance when Dr. Zargo (Richard Pasco) comes into the same tavern with a friend. His friend boasts that Dr. Zargo can out drink any man there. Rasputin takes up the challenge. Also coming this to tavern is Sonia (Barbara Shelley). She was at a ball thrown for the Tsarina (Renée Asherson), but Sonia convinces her brother Peter (Dinsdale Landen), his friend Ivan (Francis Matthews) and his sister Vanessa (Suzan Farmer) to come here instead. Sonia has a wild side and when she drinks strong vodka, she starts to laugh to the point where she can't control herself. Rasputin was finishing his dance and believes her to be laughing at him. He confronts the table, noticing the beauty of Vanessa. This upsets the men and they must be broken up.
Rasputin takes advantage of a drunken Dr. Zargo by taking him home and staying there. Things all turn when Rasputin gets his in when Sonia comes looking for him to apologize. He then hypnotizes her with a plan that will get him in front of the Tsarina. This is just the start of his master plan.
Now to start this review off, I will admit that I don't know a lot about Grigori Rasputin other than that he was crazy, made some interesting predications and he was evil. I also heard about his death according to reports was quite legendary. Just by glancing at a few things, this film is not historically accurate. This will probably be the most that I talk about it, but you shouldn't come into this thinking it will be.
What I like about this is the presence of Rasputin. A lot of this goes to Lee. The moment he comes into the inn at the beginning, with his long beard he just commands the screen. This is in due part to how tall he is. He chews up the scenery every time he's on screen. What I also love is that he's a scoundrel. I know that in his latter years with Hammer, he was over playing Dracula. I can tell here that he probably enjoyed this role of drinking, dancing and just being this evil character. He could showcase his screen presence.
I want to shift a bit to talk about the pacing, because it is a bit slow and I think that is in part to the type of movie this is. It only runs 91 minutes, but I'll be honest, I felt most of them. I don't want you to think that I hated it though. This is a character study where not a lot happens to be honest. It is a good chunk of seeing Rasputin come up with a plan to get him into a place of power and then we see those trying to figure out a way to stop him. I did like the ending and sticking with how strong-willed Rasputin was. He ruins the lives of so many people around him.
Shifting then to the acting. I've already touched on this, but Lee was amazing. He's an actor that I've seen in many different roles, but I think he's marvelous here. He does such a great job in this performance. I would also say that Shelley is quite attractive, but what I like is that we see her taken advantage of by Rasputin. He can sense her wildness and uses it for his own gains until she's no longer needed. Then there's Pasco who is such a broken character and much like Sonia, Rasputin's strong will takes him over. Farmer is also quite attractive. We don't see a lot of her and she's fine in the role she has. I'd say that the rest of the cast also rounds this film out for what is needed.
All that is left is filmmaking. First would be the effects, but to be honest we don't get a lot of them. It isn't that type of movie though either. I think that the look and make-up of Rasputin is spot on to pictures I've seen. We do get a little bit of blood and it is that Hammer, bright colored kind. I have a soft spot for that. There are burns from acid that are fine. Overall, I'd say what we get works and the settings don't really scream Russia, but I can overlook that. There is a gothic feel that Hammer was known for. Other than that, I think the cinematography is good to capture that feel of it being in the past. It doesn't do a lot to stand out though. The soundtrack also works. Again, I'm not getting heavy vibes of music from this country. I'm also not an expert either.
In conclusion, this film follows a character that historically is scary and it isn't that beyond question that someone like this could pop up again. It was genius to have Lee take on the role, as he does a great job with his screen presence and his performance to match it. This isn't the most exciting film, so keep that in mind. It's more of a character study. The things we see for Rasputin to continue his rise is good. I do think the rest of the acting compliments him and the ending is solid. This is a well-made movie from cinematography to make-up. I'm not sure it gives off a heavy Russian feel since the settings themselves didn't necessarily do that. I'd recommend this if you're interested in seeing a version of this character on screen or you're a fan of Hammer from this era.
My Rating: 7 out of 10.
Synopsis: thrown out of his monastery for licentious and drunken behavior, Rasputin (Lee) travels to St. Petersburg to try his luck. Through a dalliance with one of the czarina's ladies in waiting, he soon gains influence at court with his power of healing and hypnotism. But he also makes enemies.
We start this in a small inn. The keeper's wife is ill and it doesn't seem like the doctor can do anything to help her. There is a somber feeling until Grigori Rasputin enters. He demands two bottles of wine. He learns through the patrons why the mood is so down. He goes upstairs and with his hands, he cures the woman of her fever. A party is thrown in his honor. Rasputin drinks a lot and goes off with the innkeeper's daughter to a barn. As they're kissing, her suitor shows up and a fight ensues. The daughter is no longer in the mood, but Rasputin won't take no for an answer. He is chased away from the barn by the rest of the men.
Much as the synopsis states, Rasputin is banished from his monastery as he is using it for his own carnal needs as well as food and shelter. He is in a horse drawn coach, hearing stories about St. Petersburg. He takes the reigns and they head toward this destination instead.
Rasputin is determined to make his way and finds the chance when Dr. Zargo (Richard Pasco) comes into the same tavern with a friend. His friend boasts that Dr. Zargo can out drink any man there. Rasputin takes up the challenge. Also coming this to tavern is Sonia (Barbara Shelley). She was at a ball thrown for the Tsarina (Renée Asherson), but Sonia convinces her brother Peter (Dinsdale Landen), his friend Ivan (Francis Matthews) and his sister Vanessa (Suzan Farmer) to come here instead. Sonia has a wild side and when she drinks strong vodka, she starts to laugh to the point where she can't control herself. Rasputin was finishing his dance and believes her to be laughing at him. He confronts the table, noticing the beauty of Vanessa. This upsets the men and they must be broken up.
Rasputin takes advantage of a drunken Dr. Zargo by taking him home and staying there. Things all turn when Rasputin gets his in when Sonia comes looking for him to apologize. He then hypnotizes her with a plan that will get him in front of the Tsarina. This is just the start of his master plan.
Now to start this review off, I will admit that I don't know a lot about Grigori Rasputin other than that he was crazy, made some interesting predications and he was evil. I also heard about his death according to reports was quite legendary. Just by glancing at a few things, this film is not historically accurate. This will probably be the most that I talk about it, but you shouldn't come into this thinking it will be.
What I like about this is the presence of Rasputin. A lot of this goes to Lee. The moment he comes into the inn at the beginning, with his long beard he just commands the screen. This is in due part to how tall he is. He chews up the scenery every time he's on screen. What I also love is that he's a scoundrel. I know that in his latter years with Hammer, he was over playing Dracula. I can tell here that he probably enjoyed this role of drinking, dancing and just being this evil character. He could showcase his screen presence.
I want to shift a bit to talk about the pacing, because it is a bit slow and I think that is in part to the type of movie this is. It only runs 91 minutes, but I'll be honest, I felt most of them. I don't want you to think that I hated it though. This is a character study where not a lot happens to be honest. It is a good chunk of seeing Rasputin come up with a plan to get him into a place of power and then we see those trying to figure out a way to stop him. I did like the ending and sticking with how strong-willed Rasputin was. He ruins the lives of so many people around him.
Shifting then to the acting. I've already touched on this, but Lee was amazing. He's an actor that I've seen in many different roles, but I think he's marvelous here. He does such a great job in this performance. I would also say that Shelley is quite attractive, but what I like is that we see her taken advantage of by Rasputin. He can sense her wildness and uses it for his own gains until she's no longer needed. Then there's Pasco who is such a broken character and much like Sonia, Rasputin's strong will takes him over. Farmer is also quite attractive. We don't see a lot of her and she's fine in the role she has. I'd say that the rest of the cast also rounds this film out for what is needed.
All that is left is filmmaking. First would be the effects, but to be honest we don't get a lot of them. It isn't that type of movie though either. I think that the look and make-up of Rasputin is spot on to pictures I've seen. We do get a little bit of blood and it is that Hammer, bright colored kind. I have a soft spot for that. There are burns from acid that are fine. Overall, I'd say what we get works and the settings don't really scream Russia, but I can overlook that. There is a gothic feel that Hammer was known for. Other than that, I think the cinematography is good to capture that feel of it being in the past. It doesn't do a lot to stand out though. The soundtrack also works. Again, I'm not getting heavy vibes of music from this country. I'm also not an expert either.
In conclusion, this film follows a character that historically is scary and it isn't that beyond question that someone like this could pop up again. It was genius to have Lee take on the role, as he does a great job with his screen presence and his performance to match it. This isn't the most exciting film, so keep that in mind. It's more of a character study. The things we see for Rasputin to continue his rise is good. I do think the rest of the acting compliments him and the ending is solid. This is a well-made movie from cinematography to make-up. I'm not sure it gives off a heavy Russian feel since the settings themselves didn't necessarily do that. I'd recommend this if you're interested in seeing a version of this character on screen or you're a fan of Hammer from this era.
My Rating: 7 out of 10.