RASPUTIN, a TV movie from 1996, features a barnstorming performance from Alan Rickman, playing the "mad monk" who inveigles his way into the Russian royal family when he heals their son from sickness. Really, of all the actors in the 1990s, Rickman was the perfect choice for the role: he can do crazy like nobody else, and he dominates the screen every time he appears. Unlike the Hammer film RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK, Rasputin is no straight villain here, and the filmmakers imply that he did have some kind of supernatural ability.
I'm glad Rickman's on board, because without him, RASPUTIN wouldn't have been much at all. As a TV movie it's a very simple, standardised retelling of the material, big on costumes and backdrops but one which reveals very little about the political situation of the era. Still, at least the cast has been populated by decent actors, including Greta Scacchi, Ian McKellen, David Warner, James Frain and the like; but inevitably it's Rickman you remember here, all wild hair and beard, stripping on a table and outraging members of Russia's polite society.
I'm glad Rickman's on board, because without him, RASPUTIN wouldn't have been much at all. As a TV movie it's a very simple, standardised retelling of the material, big on costumes and backdrops but one which reveals very little about the political situation of the era. Still, at least the cast has been populated by decent actors, including Greta Scacchi, Ian McKellen, David Warner, James Frain and the like; but inevitably it's Rickman you remember here, all wild hair and beard, stripping on a table and outraging members of Russia's polite society.