Rasputin: il monaco folle

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.

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I've read quite a few reviews of this film shunning it do to lack of historical fact or shoddy scriptwriting. Obviously these people have no clue about what Hammer films are and what they're meant to be. This film is another Hammer classic, hilarious and well-acted, excellent quality cinematography, and not to be taken the slightest bit seriously.

Christopher Lee is *the* hammer actor (well...with Peter Cushing running a close second;), and he plays the *perfect* Rasputin! The evil dictator laugh down-pat, the eyes are beyond eerie, and even his gait, his posture, his body language all work perfectly. And Barbara Shelley is definitely a solid, stereotypical, 'femi-victim', and she plays beautifully off of Lee.

The only qualm I have about this film is the ending, which was a touch too anti-climactic...although I bought the special edition with trailers and TV spots at the end which improved the ending dramatically (I wish I could find one of those 'free Rasputin beards'...)

Overall: This is not one of the best Hammer films, it's not Blood of Dracula or The Devil Rides Out...but it's up there, and it has all the great elements: cheezy soft-gore effects (love that severed hand!!), *almost* nudity, maniacal laughter, tension-riddled music...it's fun from beginning to end! 7/10.

In case you're anxious to find out more about the TRUE story of Rasputin, you better search for some lame books in a library or attend classes given by nearly dead history teachers as accuracy isn't exactly this film's biggest trump! However, if you're hoping to see an exciting and atmospheric adventure, this Hammer highlight is highly recommended! It's one of the rather few movies centering on Russia's most infamous history icon Grigori Rasputin. The story especially focuses on his persona and not exactly on his place in history. Rasputin is a barbaric and womanizing drunkard, but gifted with astonishing healing powers and hypnotizing skills. When the monastery doesn't put up with his vile and aggressive actions any longer, he travels to St. Petersburg where he works himself all the way up into the Tsar-family, through manipulation of servants and innocent women. The film uses good looking set pieces and costumes but, naturally, it wouldn't be half as memorable if it weren't for Christopher Lee. Our legendary horror vet gives away one of the most energetic performances in horror-history and he really does look terrifying! It seemed to me that Lee was happy for not wearing his Dracula outfit for a change and this definitely reflects in his great acting. The tension and eeriness in 'Rasputin: The Mad Monk" entirely relies on Lee's charisma, grimaces and rude voice. The supportive cast is more than decent, with familiar names like Barbara Shelley (Dracula Prince of Darkness, Quartermass and the Pit), Susan Farmer (Die, Monster Die) and Richard Pasco (The Gorgon) as Rasputin's petrified opponents. Don Sharp once again does a solid directing job and I wish to stress again that he's a vastly underrated filmmaker. Sharp has made some really good genre movies that remain undiscovered to this date, like "Dark Places", "Psychomania" and "Kiss of the Vampire".

It goes without saying that Hammer's look at the infamous Rasputin is historically inaccurate and should NOT be watched by anyone looking for a history lesson. But who cares when a movie is this damn entertaining? Hammer vet Christopher Lee has an absolute ball playing the wine-guzzling, womanizing Russian mystic and con-man. This role really lets Lee cut loose from his Dracula persona and he takes full advantage of it, leering, laughing, boozing, even dancing! Christopher Lee fans will absolutely lap this movie up! I wouldn't say it was his best performance, but it's certainly one of his most enjoyable. The cast also includes some familiar faces, and Barbara Shelley ('Village Of The Damned', 'Quatermass and the Pit') is particularly fine, as is Richard Pasco as Zargo, the disgraced alcoholic doctor who Rasputin manipulates for his own ends. I can honestly say I've only seen one of two duds made by Hammer, and this is certainly not one of them. It's a bit of a potboiler I suppose, but a very good one, with strong production values, and overall it's a lot of fun and Lee is magnificent! Recommended to Hammer, and most especially, Christopher Lee fans.

Hammer Film's relatively unambitious adventure in historical exploitation is lifted above the norm by 2 major factors: the genius of set designer Robinson and the fine heavy styles of Chris Lee and Barby Shelley, pros of the genre in every sense. The scene with Rasputin smoking in bed while Shelley cowers in a gathering of blankets is a classic visual statement.

This film tells the story of Rasputin with more of an eye to screen exploitation values than truth (which I think is how it should be, as Plato said that truth is rarely a likely story), including a scarring incident with acid -- what Hammer Film would be complete without facial mutilations? Chris Lee's use of his body and hands is notable; Don Sharp's direction is fine. If only it wasn't quite so cheap, and thus confined (mostly to one or two houses, which is all Bray Studios was), this could have been a really good film. Mediocre script also helps drag it down, but Lee and Shelley's styles are so forceful that it is almost unnoticeable.