Rasputin: The Mad Monk

It's not the best Rasputin movie, but Christopher Lee is the best movie Rasputin – captivating, charismatic and with a devilish twinkle in his eye. His healing and hypnotic abilities are quite exaggerated, and in the second half (Rasputin's becoming part of the Tsar's court) the plot flows rather choppily, but you can forgive the film for that as soon as Lee starts throwing his amusing maniacal looks at you. Add to that a nice studio production design, as was customary for Hammer (with the exception of 2-3 minutes of footage, the entire film was shot in a studio), throw one severed hand, an acid-stained face and horny ladies into the cauldron, stir, and you have a tasty treat that you won't want to overindulge in, thanks to Lee, who "made" the entire film with his charisma. PS: I don't understand why there are so few good film adaptations of Rasputin's life. Such an interesting figure deserves a proper film. (13/01/2017)

You should not watch the movie "Rasputin: The Mad Monk" because you want a historically accurate epic about who Rasputin actually was and what he caused. You will watch the film because it is a well-developed film about intrigues and how it is possible to manipulate people when a person has certain abilities, whether slightly unconventional or just knowing what to say and when to say it, and knowing what to do and when to do it. This is a concert of one man. (01/06/2015)