Amazon.com: The life of the legendary Russian villain Grigori Rasputin was a natural for the Hammer's Gothic style and lurid edge, and the commanding Christopher Lee is the perfect star for the role. With his deep baritone voice and dark, deep-set eyes, Lee creates an intense figure as the diabolical healer and mesmerist with a thirst for power. The film begins with the unapologetically crude and barbaric Rasputin expelled from his monastery for his hard-drinking hedonism and violent behavior, and before long he sets his sights on the bustling city of St. Petersburg. Within no time he has seduced Sonia (Barbara Shelley), lady-in-waiting to the Queen, with his hypnotic gaze and soon insinuates himself into the Royal Family. Lee's lusty portrayal is the highlight of this modest production, which presents an all-too-brief rise to infamy and disappointingly cuts short his notorious death. But if it's not prime Hammer horror, it remains a moody chamber piece with a mesmerizing performance from Lee (one of his best for the studio) and a very different take from MGM's handsome, classy 1932 production Rasputin and the Empress starring the three Barrymores. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Hammer Horror
Whilst this isn't a classic a Hammer film by any means, it does make for strangely compelling viewing. The film was obviously made on a very small budget, and I suspect it was filmed soon after Dracula: ... Read More
Rating: - More vintage Hammer
By no means is this Hammer's greatest picture, but it is nevertheless a vintage piece of grand guignol from Britain's most famous horror studio.
Christopher Lee turns in one of his finest performances ... Read More
Rating: - Christopher Lee Excels As Rasputin
Hammer Studios rarely ventured outside their great work in the horror genre so when they occasionally did diversify the results often proved quite interesting. While "Rasputin: The Mad Monk", could never be viewed ... Read More
Rating: - Rasputin movie review...from a true follower
This movie is very well put together, with many facts and so forth...yet the one negative is the assassination scene. It is NOTHING like the REAL assassination poor ole' Grigory Rasputin had to face...in this movie...he's ... Read More
Rating: - Rasputin, the clever manipulator
An attractive film by Hammer and a wonderfully powerful performance by Christopher Lee. Lee, an actor who always appears to put his "all" into his characters, doubly delights fans in this version of the Rasputin story. Rasputin ... Read More
- Hammer Horror
- More vintage Hammer
- Rasputin, the clever manipulator