AllMovie

Rasputin is a dramatization of the life story of one of the most intriguing figures in all history. A crude peasant from Siberia, Rasputin (Alan Rickman) was a self-styled charismatic holy man who traveled widely, openly engaging in drunkenness, sexual indulgences, and general debauchery. In the early part of the 20th century Rasputin made his way to the troubled Russian capital of St. Petersburg, a hotbed of political discontent due to widespread poverty under a repressive government. There Rasputin met Czarina Alexandra (Greta Scacchi), and the film focuses on how he exercised power over her and her loving husband, Czar Nicholas II (Ian McKellen), by virtue of his mystical ability to stop the bleeding of their hemophiliac son. But in a nation beset by internal and external problems, Rasputin's uncouth presence at the opulent imperial court, coupled with his scandalous antics around the capital, came to symbolize the weak leadership of the czar. The movie goes on to show the tragic consequences that resulted from this volatile situation. Originally made for cable television, the film features Emmy-winning performances by Rickman and Scacchi.