This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Taking a look on Amazon for DVD/Blu-Ray editions of Studiocanal's Hammer Horror titles,I spotted one which was being sold second hand by a seller at a surprisingly cheap price.Checking the back of the case,I noticed that one of the special features was an alt transfer of the movie,which allowed viewers to watch the film in its originally filmed aspect ratio for the first time ever,which led to me getting ready to find out how mad Rasputin could be.The plot:Angering the bishops in a small Russian town over his partying and being able to cure people of their illnesses with the touch of his hands, Grigori Rasputin decides to leave the countryside behind for St. Petersburg.Reaching St.Petersburg,Rasputin wins a drinking contest and becomes friends with his opponent Dr. Zargo.Pushing himself into Zargo's house, Rasputin begins to set his sight on the Russian royal family. Gaining access to "royal in waiting" Sonia,Rasputin soon reveals to Zargo that along with the power to heal,he also has the power to put people in a trance and make them do everything he demands.View on the film:Before I get to the film,I have to mention that Studiocanal have given the title a superb transfer,with the new aspect ratio allowing director Don Sharp & cinematographer Michael Reed establishing panning shots to at last be fully opened.Smartly deciding for the cast to not do Russian accents,Don Sharp & Michael Reed breathe life into the re-used sets of Dracula: Prince of Darkness,as elegant panning shots subtly reveal Rasputin's gradually closeness to the royals. Bathing the horror in Don Banks's shimmering score and rich reds and golds,Sharp attacks the horror with a psychologically icy relish,with the cold,hard camera locking the viewer on Rasputin's gaze,and extreme close-ups on Rasputin's hands brewing a chilling atmosphere,as Sharp makes it look like Rasputin is crushing people's heads with his bare hands.For the first half of the film,the screenplay by Anthony Hinds cleverly gets the viewer to drop their guard by giving the title surprising dashes of comedy,with Rasputin & Zargo's drinking contest being a hilarious set-piece.As Rasputin gets closer to the royals,Hinds unleashes a tough Gothic Horror edge with a real vicious streak,as Rasputin's supernatural powers are joined by "natural" evils,which includes a brutal stabbing and the throwing of acid on a face. Looking rather dashing in red silk,Christopher Lee gives a great performance as Rasputin,thanks to Lee giving the voice behind the long beard a seductive twang,which keep the wide-eye fury Lee shows in Rasputin's eyes hidden at bay.Originally being Rasputin's friend, Richard Pasco gives a striking performance as Zargo,who Pasco ties up with a fragile unease,as Zargo discovers the true mad monk behind Rasputin's eyes.

a kind of big error. but this was its purpose. clichés about Russia and Rasputin in a strange ball. and Christopher Lee as axis of this chaos.the film is fake and that is not a mistake in a period when the supposition about this subject was many. it is commercial product and this can be an excuse. but it is not enough. because it has not only connection with real facts. and the desire of Lee to do a credible Rasputin remains a great fiasco. sure, it is not a surprise. the desire is to impress and the accuracy is only insignificant detail. so, a cocktail Dracula - demonic monk - few dances and the victory of good guys is perfect recipes. a minor movie with strong smell of kitsch. and one of Christopher Lee roles who must be forgiven.

Rasputin was such a colorful character that movies have found him irresistible for nearly a century and he always fascinates no matter what kind of treatment scenarists cook up. Hammer Films whittles the epic tale down to the format of a low-budget horror programmer, starring Christopher Lee in an entertaining and lusty performance as the "mad monk." He delivers what the quickie script requires and is the main reason to watch. The emphasis is on the title character's prodigious appetite for liquor and women, quasi-supernatural powers of hypnosis and healing, brute strength and general boorishness. He is presented as a crudely power-hungry figure brazenly manipulating his way up the social ladder from rural obscurity to the chambers of the Tsarina. The historical context in which he rises to power (the decline of the aristocracy, the shadow of revolution, the dislocations of war, the fatal trust of the Tsarina in his demented political recommendations) is pretty much eliminated. Early 20th century Russia is portrayed through the use of well decorated studio interiors, with only one crowd scene in a city marketplace. World War One, which was raging during Rasputin's final days, is not even mentioned in passing, though his relationship with the royal family is sketchily dramatized. Even his eventual assassination, as gory and nasty as they come, leaves out a great deal, including the gunshots, beating, and disposal of his corpse into the Neva River, concentrating instead on the poisoned food (candies here, cakes in reality) and drink. In this bare-bones treatment, a handful of characters is invented to represent the large numbers of individuals whose negative experiences with Rasputin added up to a widespread desire for his demise. The scenario is in the "kill the monster" vein. Not bad overall.

Biligerent and boisterous monk, Rasputin, who loves his wine and women, becomes drunk with power when Her Majesty Russia, Tsarina(Renée Asherson) depends on his miraculous healing powers, saving her son from certain death. Barbara Shelley is the Lady in Waiting, Sonia, who helps nanny Tsarina's boy and is under Rasputin's spell, used by him until she is no longer needed..it is she who allows Rasputin to get into Her Majesty's good graces, as he hypnotically forces her to intentionally harm the boy so that he could heal him of his fever. Dr. Zargo(Richard Pasco)is a former physician forbidden to practice medicine, who is "adopted", so to speak, by Rasputin(he was outbeaten by Rasputin in a drinking contest, for which the monk took him under his wing). Zargo witnesses first-hand the horrible treatment of Sonia by Rasputin, merely servicing him as a tool to get better living conditions and favor with Tsarina. There's one tragic scene where Rasputin orders Sonia to kill herself because he wanted her out of his life; the reason being she bored him! This is the kind of Hammer take on history where Rasputin is a villain who destroys everyone that gets in his way or is a waste to him. The only one that matters to Rasputin is Rasputin. Lee is barely recognizable under a long thick beard and scraggly hair, barking commands and dominating those weaker than him in nearly all his time on screen. It's only when Rasputin sets his eyes on Sonia's beautiful friend, Vanessa(Suzan Farmer), that might lead to his downfall, thanks to an orchestrated plan between Dr. Zargo and Vanessa's brother, Ivan(Francis Matthews), hoping to poison the evil monk, ridding the country of such a powerful menace. Sonia's poor brother Peter(Dinsdale Landen), just trying to avenge his sister's forced suicide, gets it in the face with acid. The exciting conclusion has Zargo trying to kill Rasputin over and over, repeatedly failing, needing help from Ivan to ultimately stop this madman. Don Sharp, the director of such underrated films as THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU, WITCHCRAFT, & THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, often shoots Lee from afar, taking great advantage of his grand presence, unlike other established directors who wanted to bare more emphasis on his handsome face and intense eyes. Hammer studios take liberties on the history of Rasputin turning him into a seemingly indestructible, fierce, and always dangerous threat to anyone who dares cross him. Francis Matthews, Shelley, and Farmer all starred with Lee in Dracula--PRINCE OF DARKNESS in the same year.