Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky: The Red Army's Gentleman Commander
Boris Sokolov and Stuart Britton
Book
The author Boris Sokolov offers this first objective and intriguing biography of Marshal Konstantin...
Music and Soviet Power, 1917-1932
Marina Frolova-Walker and Jonathan Walker
Book
The October Revolution of 1917 tore the fabric of Russian musical life: institutions collapsed, and...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966) in Movies
Nov 10, 2020
The story is largely fictionalized, although some of the events leading up to Rasputin's assassination are very loosely based on Prince Yusupov's account of the story. For legal reasons (Yusupov was still alive when the film was released), the character of Yusupov was replaced by Ivan (Matthews).
Christopher Lee play as Grigori Rasputin, the Russian peasant-mystic who gained great influence with the Tsars prior to the Russian Revolution.
The emphasis is on Rasputin's terrifying powers both to work magic and to seduce women.
Rasputin the Mad Monk was filmed back-to-back in 1965 with Dracula: Prince of Darkness, using the same sets at Hammer's Bray Studios. Lee, Matthews, Shelley and Farmer appeared in both films. In some markets, it was released on a double feature with The Reptile.
It was the third collaboration between Christopher Lee and Don Sharp, following The Devil Ship Pirates and The Face of Fu Manchu.
Lee later said, "The only way you can present him is the way he was historically described. He was a lecher and a drunk, and definitely had healing powers. So he was a saint and a sinner... There were very few good sides to him. Rasputin is one of the best things I’ve done. "
"I think it's the best thing Chris Lee's ever done," said Sharp in 1992. "Rasputin was supposed to have had this ability to hypnotise people.
The original ending had the lifeless Rasputin lying on the ice with his hands held up to his forehead in benediction. However, it was considered controversial for religious reasons, and was removed. Stills of the original ending still exist.
Sharp says the final fight scene between Francis Matthews and Christopher Lee was greatly cut by Tony Keys when Sharp had to leave the film during editing. Sharp had greatly enjoyed the experience of making his first two Hammer films - Kiss of the Vampire and Devil Ship Pirates - but not Rasputin.
As a child in the 1920s, Lee had actually met Rasputin's killer, Felix Yusupov. In later life Lee met Rasputin's daughter Maria.
Its a good horror film.
Keyboard Skins for iPhone - themes, fonts, GIFs
Lifestyle and Utilities
App
The app installs keyboard extensions with cool, polished designs that will change the standard iOS...
Live Translator - Instant Voice & Text Translator
Reference and Travel
App
Translator Live is a simple yet powerful tool to translate text, speech and even to have real-time...
The World in 2017
News and Business
App
The World in 2017 app contains The Economist’s annual collection of detailed, numerate and...
Veganagogo Vegan Travel
Travel and Food & Drink
1.0
Rate It
App
Veganagogo is a fun and easy way to communicate your vegan dietary requirements almost anywhere in...
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Kill Switch (Tucker Wayne, #1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
In The Kill Switch, Sigma enlists the help of Tucker and Kane to get a scientist and his daughter out of Russia. They are pursued by the Russian military, secret service agencies, and hired assassins as they try to escape the country and then locate an ancient plant specimen that is the focus of the doctor's work. The story was very enjoyable. I'm looking forward to Tucker and Kane's next adventure, whether that is with Sigma Force or on their own.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Fist of Fury (Jing wu men) (1972) in Movies
Jun 23, 2019
The Tsarnaev Brothers: The Road to a Modern Tragedy
Book
A riveting search for the roots of terrorism by the bestselling author of The Man Without a Face....