Y’all know about my interest in Grand Duchess Anastasia from previous posts; so now, let’s take a look at the various films that have portrayed the end of the Romanov dynasty, specifically the lives and murders of Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918) and his family, Empress Alexandra and children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei.
I’ve had this as a draft post for about three years because I want to be able to review all of them for you, so you can guess how that’s going. So instead, think of this as a half of a roundup, and half of a to-watch list — I’ll report back as I work my way through those I haven’t seen.
FYI Wikipedia has a longer list of films about the Romanov dynasty, I’m just going to focus on that last generation. And there are probably some more obscure films/TV shows that I’ve missed, feel free to add to the list in the comments!
The Fall of the Romanoffs (1917)
What’s it about: A silent film released only seven months after Tsar Nicholas’s abdication. Currently lost.
Who’s in it: No one I’ve ever heard of! Apparently Rasputin‘s rival, the monk Iliodor, plays himself.
How are the costumes: No designer is credited on IMDB; otherwise, I’ve only got these pics but given it was very recent history…
Anastasia, the False Czar’s Daughter (1928)
What’s it about: A German silent film focused on the Anna Anderson imposter story.
Who’s in it: Lee Parry plays Anastasia.
How are the costumes: Once again, it’s contemporary so should be good!
Clothes Make the Woman (1928)
What’s it about: An American silent film in which a survived Anastasia is recognized by a filmmaker and cast in a film about her own life.
Who’s in it: Eve Southern (Intolerance), Walter Pidgeon (How Green Was My Valley, Mrs. Miniver, That Forsyte Woman, Funny Girl).
How are the costumes: Contemporary, once again!
Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
What’s it about: A talking film focused on (you guessed it) Rasputin and Empress Alexandra.
Who’s in it: All the Barrymores! John (Hamlet, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Grand Hotel), Ethel (None but the Lonely Heart, The Spiral Staircase, Portrait of Jennie), and Lionel (A Free Soul, It’s a Wonderful Life) Barrymore.
How are the costumes: They’re by Adrian, so they must be good!
Anastasia (1956)
What’s it about: THE romanticized Anna Anderson/Anastasia survives the Russian Revolution film.
Who’s in it: Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner (The King and I, The Ten Commandments), and Helen Hayes (A Farewell to Arms).
How are the costumes: Designed by René Hubert and VERY 1950s-influenced.
Anastasia: The Czar’s Last Daughter (1956)
What’s it about: A German film about, yet again, Anna Anderson.
Who’s in it: Lilli Palmer (The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders, De Sade, Peter the Great).
How are the costumes: Designed by Alfred Bücken. Otherwise, all I’ve got are these pics:
Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966)
What’s it about: A Hammer horror film focused on Rasputin.
Who’s in it: Christopher Lee!
How are the costumes: No designer is credited, which doesn’t bode well…
I Killed Rasputin (1967)
What’s it about: An Italo-French film about Rasputin and his murder.
Who’s in it: Geraldine Chaplin.
How are the costumes: Designed by Jacques Fonteray (Caroline Chérie, Barbarella, Dames Galantes). They look VERY 1960s.
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
What’s it about: A lavish biopic about the emperor and empress.
Who’s in it: Janet Suzman (The Draughtsman’s Contract), Laurence Olivier, and Diana Quick (Brideshead Revisited, Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny).
How are the costumes: Yvonne Blake won an Academy Award for them! Read our semi-detailed review.
Fall of Eagles (1974)
What’s it about: A 13-part BBC series portraying the Romanovs along with two other European ruling dynasties, the Habsburgs (Austria-Hungary) and the Hohenzollerns (Germany) from 1848-1918.
Who’s in it: Pamela Brown, Gemma Jones, Patrick Stewart, Miriam Margolyes, John Rhys-Davies, and many more.
How are the costumes: From what I’ve seen in photos, stunning. This was the period when the BBC was ALL about historical accuracy!
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986)
What’s it about: A shlocktastic take on the Anna Anderson/Anastasia survives story.
Who’s in it: Amy Irving, Rex Harrison, Olivia de Havilland, Omar Sharif, Christian Bale.
How are the costumes: Surprisingly good! If you can handle shlock and a totally inaccurate plot, worth watching. Read my detailed review!
The Assassin of the Tsar (1991)
What’s it about: A Soviet film told in flashback from the POV of the tsar’s assassin, so mostly focusing on Yekaterinburg.
Who’s in it: Malcolm McDowell, surprisingly! The English actors were dubbed in Russian for that release, while the Russian were dubbed into English for that release.
How are the costumes: I can’t find enough pictures to judge…
Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
What’s it about: The last four years of Rasputin’s life. I can’t believe I haven’t seen this one yet!
Who’s in it: Alan Rickman, Ian McKellen, Greta Scacchi, James Frain.
How are the costumes: From what I can see here, pretty darn good. I am bumping this up to #1 on my watchlist, so I’ll report back shortly!
Anastasia (1997)
What’s it about: An animated version of the Anna Anderson/Anastasia story.
Who’s in it: Illustrators and animators! And voice actors, including Meg Ryan and John Cusack.
How are the costumes: Whenever I skip this, people get annoyed, stating the costumes are really accurate. I saw it the once and found it forgettable, but I’m glad it has fans! If one of y’all wants to write a guest post, get in touch.
The Romanovs: An Imperial Family (2000)
What’s it about: A Russian historical drama about the last days of Nicholas II and family.
Who’s in it: Sadly, no one I’ve heard of.
How are the costumes: These photos seem pretty good?
Russian Ark (2002)
What’s it about: An experimental film in which an unseen ghost wanders the Winter Palace and encounters historical figures. Watch it if you want to get high and space out.
Who’s in it: Again, no one I’ve heard of!
How are the costumes: Really nicely done! But there’s almost ZERO plot, so, YMMV. Check out our detailed review.
The Lost Prince (2003)
What’s it about: A British miniseries about Prince John, youngest child of King George V and Queen Mary, who died at the age of 13 in 1919. The Romanovs come for a visit in one sequence. My short review, written years ago, says, “All this skipping around made me feel totally uninvested in the story.” Nonetheless, I have plans to rewatch it for the costumes!
Who’s in it: Miranda Richardson, Gina McKee, Tom Hollander, Bill Nighy, and Michael Gambon.
How are the costumes: Designed by Odile Dicks-Mireau and really really well-done. Check it out:
The Romanovs (2013)
What’s it about: A docudrama about the whole dynasty… that was unengaging enough that I gave up after half an episode.
Who’s in it: No one I’ve heard of.
How are the costumes: Quite decent from what I’ve seen in photos!
Matilda (2017)
What’s it about: A Russian film about Nicholas’s mostly-pre-marriage affair with a ballerina.
Who’s in it: No one I’ve heard of!
How are the costumes: A mix of interesting and what the frock. Read my detailed review!
The Last Czars (2019)
What’s it about: Another docudrama, this one specifically about Nicholas and fam. FULL of wtfrock moments, including Empress Alexandra’s nipple.
Who’s in it: No one I’ve heard of.
How are the costumes: VERY mish-mashy. Again, read my long review!
The Crown (2022)
What’s it about: Alright, I finally watched The Crown and yes, you were all right that it’s great. I was surprised that season 5, episode 6 (“Ipatiev House”) features flashbacks to Nicholas’s and family’s murder!
Who’s in it: For the Romanovs, no one I’ve heard of.
How are the costumes: Good but nothing showy, this is really the last days. Designed by Amy Roberts.
Which films/TV series about Nicholas II and his family do you love? Which should be bumped up my watchlist?
I’m sorry the actor Michael Jayston who played Nicholas in “Nicholas & Alexandra” wasn’t mentioned by name. He passed earlier this year at age 88. I suggest him for a MCM — aside from playing Czar Nicholas, he was Demetrius in the 1967 film of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” with Helen Mirren, David Warner, Diana Rigg, Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Ian Richardson, and many more (free on YouTube), Peter Guilliam in Tinker, Tailor, Mr. Royce in the BBC’s “The Edwardians,” etc., etc.
I definitely second that motion.
I also second the motion as well! He also played Beethoven in a Biography episode and also Siegfried Sassoon! (Not sure if they can be found anywhere but I remember them from the early 1970s. Made a big impression on me.)
Rosemary Burrows was the costume supervisor for Rasputin, The Mad Monk if that helps.
Alan Rickman made a wonderfully depraved / scary / fascinating / complex Rasputin.
My Short Review for Anastasia (1997) there are issues with the hairstyles, which are very 1990s! There should be more Bobs/faux bobs! I wish we saw more folk embrodery on Anastasia’s peasant dress! Her Opera Dress is totally 1950s! It should be cut more like a Robe De Style! The Dresses in Paris are very accurate to the mid/late 1920s! That’s my very short review!
I too have had a life long fascination with the Romanov dynasty and Russian history in general, so I’ve seen several of these.
I’m intrigued by Fall of Eagles. Has anyone seen it and vouch that it is worth the time investment?
Yeah, it’s pretty good, especially if one enjoy the soap-operatic morass that was European royalty at the time. (And I MUST see Alan Rickman as Rasputin.)
“Nicholas and Alexandra” is right good. Michael Jayston makes a handsome Nicholas and is a good actor. He can be seen in the ‘79 miniseries of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”, as Demetrius in the ‘68 “A Midsommer Night’s Dream”, in Dr Who as Valeyard, and the American Film Theater’s film of Pinter’s “The Homecoming”.
“A Fall of Eagles” is right good too, but can get a little tedious at times but worth the watch.
I love “Russian Ark”… it so bizarre and wonderful… and is all in ONE TAKE!… no editing!
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) is indeed excellent and overlooked. Feels like it came at a time when audiences were worn out with those kind of epics and they started flopping at the box office (like Waterloo).
There’s another film that perhaps belongs here – Agony (Agoniya) a.k.a. Rasputin (1981). I don’t necessarily recommend it though, haha. Story’s a bit messy, even if Aleksey Petrenko is one of the most convincing Rasputins I’ve ever seen.