Nicholas and Alexandra
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| Nicholas and Alexandra | |
|---|---|
 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| Written by | James Goldman (screenplay) Robert K. Massie (book) |
| Starring | Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman |
| IMDb profile | |
Nicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last of Russia's monarchs, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra.
It stars Michael Jayston (Nicholas II), Janet Suzman (Empress Alexandra), Roderic Noble (Alexei), Ania Marson (Olga), Lynne Frederick (Tatiana), Candace Glendenning (Maria), Fiona Fullerton (Anastasia), Harry Andrews, Irene Worth, Tom Baker (Rasputin), Jack Hawkins and Timothy West (Dr. Botkin).
The movie was adapted by James Goldman from the book by Robert K. Massie. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Costume Design, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Janet Suzman), Best Cinematography, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and Best Picture.
[edit] Summary
The story begins with the birth of the Tsarevich Alexei in the opulent surroundings of the Imperial Court. The Russo-Japanese War is on, and Tsar Nicholas' advisors warn him that this war is futile and costing too many lives. They also tell him that the Russian people want a representative government, health care and voting and workers' rights, but Nicholas wants to keep the traditional autocracy left to him by his fathers. Meanwhile, underground political parties led by Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky have formed.
Alexei is soon diagnosed with hemophilia. The Tsaritsa is frantic. A shy German lady who is not highly thought of by the Russian royal court, she is somewhat isolated, but is befriended by Grigori Rasputin, a Siberian peasant who describes himself as a religious pilgrim or holy man, and who's become popular with some people at court. Later she calls upon him to help her pray for Alexei, and comes to believe in his healing abilities.
In a textile mill, working under ghastly conditions, the people are encouraged by their priest, Father George Gapon. He leads them, joined by many other peasant workers, in a clearly peaceful procession to the Winter Palace, intending to present a petition to the Tsar. Hundreds of soldiers stand ready in front of the palace; their commanding officer tells them to shoot up in the air, but he falls from his horse, there is a panic, and the soldiers proceed to fire randomly into the crowd. Nicholas is horrified when he hears of the massacre, but insists he wouldn't have granted the people's requests.
Eight years later, on the 300th anniversary of Romanov rule, the family vacationing in the Crimea. Alexei is a very lively little boy who is constantly prevented from leading a normal life. Nicholas gets police reports about Rasputin's dissolute behavior, and dismisses him from the court. Alexandra demands his return. She knows Alexei's hemophilia was inherited from her, and is wracked with guilt. She is obsessed with the thought that Rasputin can stop the bleeding attacks when they occur.
Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin has granted some of the people's requests in order to preserve the Empire, but he is shot at an opera performance in Kiev. Nicholas retaliates not only by executing the killer, but by closing the Duma and allowing police to terrorize the peasants and burn their homes.
Alexei has a minor fall, which leads to the worst attack yet. It is presumed that he will die. The Tsaritsa writes a letter to Rasputin, who soon responds with words of comfort and confidence. Sure enough, the Tsarevich recovers, and Rasputin is allowed to return.
World War I begins with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and soon thereafter Germany declares war on Russia. Nicholas decides to command the troops himself and leaves for the front, taking over from his much more experienced cousin, Grand Duke Nicholas. This leaves Alexandra in charge at home. Under Rasputin's influence and her own conservative inclinations, she makes unwise decisions. Very few people have been told about Alexei's illness or how Rasputin appears to help him, so it looks like the Tsaritsa is losing her mind, or perhaps having an affair with Rasputin. On a sort of drunken whim, two decadent young princes invite Rasputin to an opium party and kill him in December, 1916.
Deprived of her one trusted advisor, Alexandra becomes unable to cope. Workers go on strike everywhere. The army is ill supplied. Starving and freezing, they mutiny, and St. Petersburg is overrun with them. Nicholas is forced to abdicate, not only for himself but for Alexei, who is furious when he hears this, and becomes withdrawn, believing that the family will soon perish.
They are brought to Siberia in mid-1917, where they live under peasant conditions with rough but decent guards. In late 1917, Russia falls into the hands of the Bolshevik party, the one revolutionary group that nobody took seriously. The family are transferred to Yekaterinburg, under even harsher conditions. In a final tragic scene, the family are shown reading letters from friends, relatives and teachers. Only Alexei remains sober and aloof, sensing what is about to happen. Told they're to be sent to another city, the family pack their things and wait in the cellar. Their keeper and his assistants enter the room and, without a word, shoots them all.
[edit] Trivia
- The film takes liberties with known historical details. According to Gapon's diary, the Winter Palace scene is not consistent with what really happened on Bloody Sunday (1905). The murder of Rasputin is portrayed as having been committed on a drunken whim, rather than the deadly serious (although badly planned) business it really was according to the participants.
