Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** One of the strangest as well as mysterious characters in history Grigory or just plain Greg Rasputin is brought to the screen by a very rugged and well put together, was it padding or from working out, Christopher Lee who's wild and crazy life of drinking partying and whoring around came to a tragic end on the evening of December 30, 1916. That's when he had his last drink and goodies-That were spiked with poison- from his so called friends the murderers Dr. Zargo Ivan & Peter, Richard Pasco Francis Matthews & Dinsdale Landen,who ended up doing the big guy in. Up until then Rasputin had his way with the Russian royal family with his healing powers that saved the Czar Nicholas II's 10 year old son Tsarvitch's, Robert Duncan, life by stopping him, through hypnosis, from bleeding to death.Rasputin being of peasant stock or backgrounder, in that his dad was a Siberian farmer and postal letter carrier, who was looked upon down by the Russian upper and royal classes as a charlatan and the Russian church as a man working in league with the devil himself. They all felt that he was out to destroy holy Mother Russia by corrupting its people with his non stop drinking and whoring around while all he ever wanted was to just have a jolly good time doing his thing. Rasputin for his part, in living life to the fullest, just couldn't help himself and in the end his love of life women and fine sprites ended up being his undoing.As things turned out those power crazed fools who did the mad monk in not only didn't prevent or achieve their goal in saving Mother Russia but in fact accelerated its declaim. It was not long after Rasputin's death that Czar Nicholas II was driven from power in March 1917 by the Kerensky regime and seven months later in November 1917 Kerensky himself was ousted from power in a violent counter revolution lead by Lennin & Trosky as the communist took over the country. That lead to a bloody civil war where at least twice the number of Russian-Including the deposed Czare Nicholaus II and his entire family- were killed in it then those killed in all of WWI. In the end it was Rasputin, who's body as a last insult was dug up and burned by the communists, got the last laugh in all this. That in his prediction that if he's killed by members of the Russian Royal family and its supporters, instead by the Russian peasants like himself, it would mark the end of the Russisan monarchy which in fact as history showed did happened!

utgard14 The life story of Grigori Rasputin, told Hammer style. Rasputin was one of the most fascinating historical figures of the early 20th century. Christopher Lee brings the character to life as a wild-eyed filthy miscreant with an insatiable lust and otherworldly powers. Make no mistake, Lee is the whole show here. When he's not around the movie feels like a stuffy British costume drama. But luckily for us, that's not often. Lee hams it up gloriously. It's one of his most memorable roles. It's not a horror movie although there are elements that resemble one. Being that it's from Hammer, there are also pretty women like Barbara Shelley and Suzan Farmer. The sets and costumes are nice. Don't look to this (or any) movie for a history lesson. It's a fun piece of entertainment that just happens to be based on real people and events. Even if you don't normally like Hammer films or historical biopics, you should be able to enjoy this.

Scott LeBrun This viewer is not surprised to learn that this Hammer production is far from being an accurate portrayal of the real-life Russian peasant monk. It's to be expected that for the sake of a good show that films such as this will play fast and loose with the facts. However, it must be said that this IS a damn good show. Lee is allowed the chance to really cut loose for once, and he does a marvelous job of going over the top as the lusty, life-of-the-party Rasputin, who has genuine healing abilities but also a very conniving and self-serving nature. After gaining some attention for curing a sick woman, he soon finds a means of manipulating his way into the royal family of early 20th century Czarist Russia. Naturally, there are those who aren't fooled by him and will seek to destroy him once they have the chance. The Hammer studio does an immaculate job, as always, in recreating the sights and sounds of a period piece. Top talents such as production designer Bernard Robinson and (supervising) editor James Needs are at the top of their game. Don Banks composed the very unsubtle, thunderous music score, which does come in handy when Rasputin is required to make an entrance. The excellent cast includes beautiful Barbara Shelley and Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews, Dinsdale Landen, Renee Asherson, Derek Francis, and Joss Ackland; other than Lee, the performer that really stands out is Richard Pasco as Dr. Bruno Zargo, an alcoholic who becomes putty in the hands of the mad Rasputin. Lee himself is a delight, his rich voice booming with authority. He simply commands the screen, and keeps the right insane, evil glint in his eyes at all times. The most entertaining of all the scenes is one in which a furious Landen unthinkingly rushes into a confrontation with Lee only to find himself outmatched. The final battle is an exciting one, with Rasputin proving to be exceedingly difficult to finish off. Overall, this isn't top drawer Hammer, but it's still quite enjoyable, and worth a viewing for fans of the studio and star. Seven out of 10.

tomgillespie2002 For a keen horror fan, I have seen precious little of the Hammer horror universe. You can imagine my delight when I was gifted the Hammer DVD Collection for Christmas which consists of 21 films from the vault of the great British institution. I felt spoiled for choice. When opening the box I was greeted by the mad eyes of Christopher Lee, gazing out from amongst a gigantic beard and El Topo-esque haircut. I felt obliged to choose this as my introduction to what will no doubt become a fixation with Hammer, and the film I will remember years into the future when I'm no doubt walking the Earth, trying to find all the tiny forgotten films Hammer produced before they became famous.For those of you who don't know, Grigori Rasputin was a real-life Russian mystic/hypnotist/con-artist who had a heavy influence on the Tsarist government of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, after apparently healing their son Alexei as he lay dying from haemophilia. The film is less concerned with the politics of the time, and instead focuses on Rasputin's love for drinking, women, and generally being a bit of a bastard, as he hypnotises and heals his way through society and into the bed of lady-in-waiting Sonia (Barbara Shelley).The film wastes no time introducing Rasputin's maverick attitudes to monkhood, as he heals a saloon owner's wife on her death bed so he can get served a drink, and proceeds to sing and drink the night way before hacking a man's hand off in a fight. Fleeing to Moscow after being hauled in front of the bishop for his unorthodox ways, he gains influence over a disgraced doctor and begins to plan his rise to power.The film's main strength is undoubtedly Lee's performance as the mad Russian, as he dominates every scene with his intense, piercing eyes and booming voice, with his towering frame overshadowing everyone that comes across his path. The scene in which he does a celebratory dance after beating a challenger in a drinking contest only to mistake some onlookers for laughing at him is both weird and intimidating as he demands an apology. It is a great mix of thespian presence and Gothic camp that makes the Hammer films, and more notably Christopher Lee's performances for the studio, that extra bit special.Rasputin The Mad Monk is a thoroughly enjoyable film, anchored by Lee's performance and Hammer's usual beautiful Technicolour cinematography, and is made all the better by leaving out the politics and concentrating on creating a memorable film character.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com