A prince plots to kill the mad monk Rasputin for the good of the czar, the czarina and Russia.
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Title: Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
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Nominated for
1
Oscar.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Ethel Barrymore | ... | The Czarina - Alexandra Feodorovna | |
| Lionel Barrymore | ... | Grigori Yefimovitch Rasputin | |
| Ralph Morgan | ... | The Czar - Nicholai Alexander | |
| Tad Alexander | ... | The Czarevitch -Alexis Nikolaiovitch | |
| John Barrymore | ... | Prince Paul Chegodieff | |
| Diana Wynyard | ... | Princess Natasha | |
| C. Henry Gordon | ... | Grand Duke Igor | |
| Edward Arnold | ... | Doctor Remezov | |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
As Europe looms on the edge of war in 1913, the family and members of the court of the Russian czar Nicholas come under the sway of a mysterious mystic named Rasputin. When Rasputin miraculously appears to cure the czar's son Alyosha of his hemophilia, the monk's reputation is cemented, particularly in the mind of the princess Natasha. Natasha's fiancé (and, later, husband) Prince Paul Chegodieff, however, suspects Rasputin is a charlatan who will cause the downfall of the royal family and perhaps of Russia itself. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
Taglines:
Beautiful girls who came to pray! Caught in the web of debauched Rasputin, whose crafty mind toppled a throne! See more »Parents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 March 1933 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Le moine et l'impératrice See more »Filming Locations:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
(Turner library print)Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Prince Chegodieff: Yes, your Majesty.
The Czarina: I've injured you. But, I've injured Russia more.
Prince Chegodieff: Your Majesty, I know how much you love Russia. Everything in your heart, everything that you've done, you thought was for Russia's good.
The Czarina: My heart is broken. What are we to do?
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(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Played during the opening credits and at the end
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Upon its initial release in 1932, the movie was the subject of a lawsuit issued by Prince Feliks Yusupov, who had actually been involved in the death of the real Grigory Rasputin. Although names in the film were changed (Yusupov's character, as portrayed by John Barrymore, was called Prince Paul Chegodieff), Yusupov also recognized Diana Wynyard's character of Princess Natasha to be that of his wife, Princess Irina. the Yussoupovs sued for libel as a result of a scene which suggested that his wife had been raped by Rasputin. MGM lost the suit, and the scene was cut from later releases. It rendered Wynyard's character somewhat incomprehensible if the viewer of the film is unaware of the cut - in the first half of the film, Princess Natasha is a supporter of Rasputin, and in the second half, she is inexplicably extremely afraid of him. The laserdisc release of this film includes the original theatrical trailer, which contains a portion of this deleted scene. See more »Goofs
In the movie Rasputin is showed how he was giving the Tsar advices to go to WW1. However in real life he wasn't giving these advices during World War 1. See more »Quotes
The Czarina: I need you.Prince Chegodieff: Yes, your Majesty.
The Czarina: I've injured you. But, I've injured Russia more.
Prince Chegodieff: Your Majesty, I know how much you love Russia. Everything in your heart, everything that you've done, you thought was for Russia's good.
The Czarina: My heart is broken. What are we to do?
See more »
Alternate Versions
Upon its premiere "Rasputin and the Empress" ran approximately 132 minutes. Due to the famous lawsuits against it, a number of scenes had to be cut for legal reasons. One critical scene that was deleted was one which implied that Rasputin had raped Diana Wynyard's character of "Princess Natascha". The removal of this scene tended to make the character of Princess Natascha somewhat incomprehensible - initially she is a supporter of Rasputin; in the latter part of the film she is very afraid of him. Unless the viewer is aware of the cuts made in the film, there does not appear to be any explanation for the change in Princess Natascha toward Rasputin. See more »Soundtracks
Russian National Anthem(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Played during the opening credits and at the end
See more »
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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."