Nicholas and Alexandra is one of those films that no one has ever seen, and unfortunately no one ever will. It's essentially one of those long-forgotten epics. But if you have seen the film, it's a film you'll never regret seeing. It's long and sometime can be tedious to sit through, but it's a very fascinating history lesson. One of the big films of 1971 was "Fiddler on the Roof," which viewed Russian life through the eyes of the peasantry. Now this film takes place during the Russian Revolution, through the eyes of the monarchy. The film talks about the tragic rule of Czar Nicholas ll, which led to the abdication of the throne and the collapse of the monarchy. The film is very romantic in the sense of being very beautiful to look at. The art direction is splendid and the costume design seems realistic for the time period it was set in.
Franklin J. Schaffner's film tells the story about Czar Nicholas ll, the monarch who showed indifference towards the peasants, in which caused over seven million deaths. Now being forced to fight in the Great War, the Russian people have had enough. The cities are being torn apart with riots. People and factions, such as the Bolsheviks, are plotting to overthrow the government. So Nicholas decides to abdicate the throne and he and his family are exiled in the frigid land of Siberia.
I think the acting was solid. The two leads are actors I have never heard of until my viewing of the film, but I was impressed at what I saw. Michael Jayston does well as Nicholas ll, and even has similar looks. He does a good job at showing indifference towards practically everything. Maybe he overacted with his facial expressions, but he did a rather good job. I really liked Janet Suzman's performance as the influential wife of Nicholas, Alexandra. She has great chemistry with not only Jayston, but also Tom Baker who portrayed the mystical Rasputin, a self-proclaimed man of God. We also get some good supporting turns from the likes of Laurence Olivier, Ian Holm, Brian Cox, and Jack Hawkins.
Overall, Nicholas and Alexandra is a beautiful film to look at mainly because of those fantastic period designs. The story is also very meaningful as it describes one of the world's most infamous revolutions to ever have happened. This is not the best epic set within this era. I believe that honor goes to Doctor Zhivago. I would have loved to see more about the revolution. The story itself seems impacted because the revolution itself wasn't the most significant part of the story. I would have loved to seen more of Lenin or Trotsky. But on the whole, I really enjoyed watching this tragic story of what happened to end Czarist Russia.
My Grade: A-
Franklin J. Schaffner's film tells the story about Czar Nicholas ll, the monarch who showed indifference towards the peasants, in which caused over seven million deaths. Now being forced to fight in the Great War, the Russian people have had enough. The cities are being torn apart with riots. People and factions, such as the Bolsheviks, are plotting to overthrow the government. So Nicholas decides to abdicate the throne and he and his family are exiled in the frigid land of Siberia.
I think the acting was solid. The two leads are actors I have never heard of until my viewing of the film, but I was impressed at what I saw. Michael Jayston does well as Nicholas ll, and even has similar looks. He does a good job at showing indifference towards practically everything. Maybe he overacted with his facial expressions, but he did a rather good job. I really liked Janet Suzman's performance as the influential wife of Nicholas, Alexandra. She has great chemistry with not only Jayston, but also Tom Baker who portrayed the mystical Rasputin, a self-proclaimed man of God. We also get some good supporting turns from the likes of Laurence Olivier, Ian Holm, Brian Cox, and Jack Hawkins.
Overall, Nicholas and Alexandra is a beautiful film to look at mainly because of those fantastic period designs. The story is also very meaningful as it describes one of the world's most infamous revolutions to ever have happened. This is not the best epic set within this era. I believe that honor goes to Doctor Zhivago. I would have loved to see more about the revolution. The story itself seems impacted because the revolution itself wasn't the most significant part of the story. I would have loved to seen more of Lenin or Trotsky. But on the whole, I really enjoyed watching this tragic story of what happened to end Czarist Russia.
My Grade: A-