Gregory Iefommovich Raspoutine is a monk with healing powers and a liking for debauchery who manages to insinuate himself into the court of the Romanoffs thanks to Princess Dikvona. Being the only person able to heal he son of Czar Nicolas II and Czarina Alexandra from his hemophilia, he becomes a very powerful man, which infuriates many.A group of nobles, determined to save the monarchy, start conspiring to murder him.
Acting
Pierre Brasseur's Rasputin: sweaty, hypnotic, absolutely unhinged.
Costume
Imperial Russia via Parisian atelier—opulent, wrong, gorgeous.
Direction
Georges Combret treats history like hot gossip at a party.
Director
Georges Combret
Pierre Brasseur
Gregory Iefimovich Raspoutine
Isa Miranda
La tsarine Alexandra
Renée Faure
Véra
Milly Vitale
Laura
Jacques Berthier
Le prince Félix Youssoupoff / Youry
Claude Laydu
Héliodore
Denise Grey
La princesse Dikvona
Micheline Francey
Anna Pracova
Robert Berri
Le capitaine Soukoff
Jean Wall
L'archimandrite Breham
Raphaël Patorni
Le ministre Stumerof
Michel Etcheverry
Pourlchkevitch (as Etcheverry)
Bruno Balp
Charles Bouillaud
L'industriel Posinoff
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was one of several Rasputin biopics in the 1950s; Hollywood's 1966 version with Christopher Lee is the famous one, but this French take arrived first and wilder.
The film's Rasputin is almost sympathetic—a healer corrupted by access—whereas history remembers a charlatan; 1954 France maybe needed to believe in fallen healers.
FR
