Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Don Sharp

Writer:

Anthony Hinds (writer)

Release Date:

6 April 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Ladies' Man - And Lady Killer!

Plot:

The movie chronicles the events of history's "man of mystery," Rasputin. Although not quite historically...

Plot Keywords:

Monk | Russia | Beautiful Woman | Character Name In Title

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Grigori Rasputin
Barbara Shelley	...	Sonia
Richard Pasco	...	Dr. Zargo
Francis Matthews	...	Ivan
Suzan Farmer	...	Vanessa
Dinsdale Landen	...	Peter
Renée Asherson	...	Tsarina
Derek Francis	...	Innkeeper
Joss Ackland	...	The Bishop
Robert Duncan	...	Tsarvitch
Alan Tilvern	...	Patron
John Welsh	...	The Abbot
John Bailey	...	The Physician

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1966) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Filmed back-to-back with Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), using many of the same cast members and sets.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Rasputin makes the sign of the cross early in the film when he's healing the woman with a fever, his hand touches his right shoulder before his left. The correct way is left before right.

Quotes:

Grigori Rasputin: When I go to confession I don't offer God small sins, petty squabbles, jealousies... I offer him sins worth forgiving!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)

Christopher Lee boosts otherwise routine film

Hammer delves into Russian history with Christopher Lee as the mysterious monk who worms his way into the royal family. Ignoring political aspects(The czar isn't even shown!), Rasputin is presented as a purely evil figure, the same as Dracula. Lee's over-the-top performance raises this a little above routine, but not much. Excellent production values though. Image Quality: Anchor Bay's dvd looks very good. The letter-boxed, anamorphic transfer is presented at a 2:1 aspect ratio, cropped slightly from the original 2.35:1 Sound: mono, acceptable quality Extras: The audio commentary, with Lee, Barbara Shelley and others, makes this disc worth getting. Very enjoyable and informative, with Lee being the obvious highlight