Rasputin and the Empress

1932  NR  DRAMA  2h 1min

CAST— John Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Ralph Morgan, Diana Wynyard, Tad Alexander, C. Henry Gordon, Edward Arnold, Jean Parker

MUSIC— Herbert Stothart  DIRECTOR— Richard Boleslavsky

     Blending fact and fiction, this tale of Rasputin, the “Mad Monk” of Russia, depicts a chilling atmosphere during the dark days leading to World War I. As Czar and company prepare for imminent war, the prince lies dying of a rare blood disorder. The doctors are unable to help, so the cavalry arrives, in the form of a creepy, dark-clad figure named Rasputin, who takes on the guise of a holy man. After hypnotizing the boy into a false sense of wellness, Rasputin slithers his way into the lives of the Czar and his family, becoming a prominent member of pre-communist Russia. Only a member of the bureaucracy sees through the deception, though his warnings fall on deaf ears. He makes it his mission to rid the monarchy of this corruption, waging a one man war against a darkness that looms over his country. Though the facts tend to get swallowed in sensationalism, the film packs solid entertainment, especially in Lionel Barrymore’s role as the wicked Rasputin, who becomes a real baddie in this often overlooked gem from the ‘30s.

OUR RATING— ***