|
|
 |
|
Review
by
Brian Lindsey
|
 |
|
6
|
|
 |
|
9 |
|
10
= Highest Rating |
|
|
Bearing
only a cursory relation to actual events, this 1966 Hammer film
recasts the story of Grigori Rasputin as a melodramatic thriller
— if you seek the truth about the infamous Russian mystic then
you'd best look elsewhere. Despite the lack of historical accuracy,
however, fans of Hammer and especially Christopher Lee should
readily enjoy it. In the title role Lee is given a rare opportunity
to shed his typically reserved, aristocratic screen persona
and literally let his hair down. Costumed in a long hippy wig
and false beard, he could almost be playing Saruman: The
Early Years... though I doubt his Lord
of the Rings character had such an affinity for alcohol
and dancing.
Rasputin: The Mad Monk opens with
the uncouth peasant appearing out of nowhere in a rural Russian
village, where he cures the dying wife of a tavern owner simply
by the laying on of hands. For this miraculous feat of faith
healing the publican offers Rasputin as much as he can eat and
drink, which is considerable. During a drunken party Rasputin
takes liberties with a young serving girl and attempts to rape
her in a barn. When he's attacked by her boyfriend this hirsute
"holy man" cuts off his assailant's hand with a scythe, bringing
the rest of the village men down upon him in anger. Rasputin
makes his escape but is later called before church authorities
to answer for his conduct. He tells them that he's always had
the power to heal, and that it is his power to use as
he sees fit —
even if comes from the Devil himself. Despite his higher station,
the abbot evidently fears the wild-looking, strangely charismatic
blasphemer. (A simple yet effectively staged scene, with Lee
making excellent use of his authoritative voice and
skill with body language and hand gestures.)
Banished from the monastery, Rasputin makes
his way to St. Petersburg —
seat of the
Romanov Czar —
where he
plans to use his mystical powers to maximum advantage.
A drinking contest at a bourgeois bistro sets in motion all
events to follow. Down to his last few kopeks, Rasputin accepts
a challenge to match vodka shots with the alcoholic Dr. Zargo,
a dissolute and disgraced medical man. Zargo (The
Gorgon's Richard Pasco) loses to Rasputin and passes
out while the victor celebrates with a whirling peasant dance,
much to the amusement of a party of aristocrats out on the town
slumming. Rasputin fixes his hypnotic eye on one of them, Lady
Sonja (Barbara Shelley), subjugating her will to his. Now living
at Zargo's apartment — the nervy doctor becomes the "Renfield"
to Rasputin's Dracula — Rasputin sends telepathic commands across
the city to Sonja, summoning her to him. He delights in denigrating
her, then beds her. With Sonja completely under the mystic's
sway, her position as a lady-in-waiting to the Czarina is ruthlessly
exploited by Rasputin to insinuate himself into the royal family's
inner circle. As Rasputin gains fortune and influence, Sonja's
distraught brother and friends are approached by the now repentant
Zargo with a plan to assassinate this dangerously "mad"
monk. He'll prove famously difficult to kill, however.
Christopher Lee —
apparently
a serious history
buff — had to have been dismayed by the numerous dramatic liberties
taken by the script. Yet he clearly relishes the chance to break
out of the Dracula mold, as exhibited by his comparatively exuberant
performance. Actually, in some ways the Rasputin of Hammer's
Mad Monk is quite similar to the
vampire Count whom Lee played seven times: both are dark, commanding
figures possessing great powers of mesmerism. But Lee's Rasputin
is Dracula as Rogue — boozing it up, dancing, roaring with laughter
and disdain, taunting victims ("Be careful... There
are acids in here," he playfully warns a character
stumbling about Zargo's dimly-lit lab, before splashing some
in his face), even sexually accosting women. (Drac is always
the hypnotic seducer, not a ruffian.) It's a rare opportunity
for Lee to play a crude, gregarious character and he runs with
it without letting it slip into parody. Ably supporting him
is most of the principal cast of Terence Fisher's Dracula
— Prince of Darkness; both films were shot back-to-back
using many of the same sets and locations. Especially good is
Barbara Shelley as the courtier whom Rasputin corrupts and discards,
much as Count Dracula victimizes her English traveler in the
Fisher film. Don Sharp (The Devil-Ship
Pirates and The Face of Fu Manchu,
also starring Lee) directs with assurance and, just as important
on a low budget costume drama, awareness of the production's
limitations. Necessitated by said budget, the film's claustrophobic
feel — about 95% of it takes place on indoor sets — is mostly
countered by Bernard Robinson's meticulous production design.
Composer John Bank's score is less bombastically strident than
the music of James Bernard for this period in Hammer's filmography.
So
while Rasputin: The Mad Monk eschews
history and is restricted by
a meager budget, it's still well made and gamely played for
what it is. Fans of Lee definitely shouldn't miss it.
|
|
|
| This
is the same DVD Anchor Bay released in 1999, only recently repackaged
as a 2-disc set with a superior Hammer-Lee vehicle, The
Devil Rides Out. For some reason this set sells for less,
both online and retail, than either disc in their stand-alone
editions. (NOTE: EC's DVD rating of "9" is for the combined
value of this double-disc package.)
The 16x9 transfer is letterboxed at 2.10:1 and looks great; the
mono audio track is clear and static/distortion-free. A pleasing
array of extras are offered. It's interesting to contrast the
rather staid U.K. theatrical trailer with the two American TV
spots; the U.S. advertisements hyped the film as a horror picture,
complete with over-top-narrator ("RASPUTIN! The maaaaaaaaad
monk!"). The short World of Hammer featurette
showcases a number of signature Lee scenes from his Hammer filmography,
including turns as the Frankenstein Monster, the Mummy, and (of
course) Count Dracula. An amiable audio commentary reunites cast
members Lee, Shelley, Suzan Farmer and Francis Matthews to reminisce
and discuss the film, with Lee providing historical footnotes
about where the script differs from the known facts. 1/17/04 |
HOME
| REVIEWS
| TOP
|
