Rasputin, the Mad Monk

Starring:Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Dinsdale Landen, RenÃ©e Asherson, Derek Francis, Joss Ackland, Robert Duncan (VI), Alan Tilvern, John Welsh, John Bailey (II), Cyril Shaps, Lucy Fleming, Michael Ripper, Maggie Wright, Bartlett Mullins, Helen Christie, Michael Godfrey
Director: Don Sharp
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

Christopher Lee double bill.......2006-09-21

The Devil Rides Out is probably the best known book that Dennis Wheatley ever wrote. The Hammer film adaptation is pretty faithful to the book. The film version sees Christopher Lee (cast against type) as the heroic Duc de Richelieu fighting a coven of Satanists, led by Charles Gray's evil and sinister Mocata. The film is both eerie and frightening (the encounter with the Ab Human entity in the darkened house being a very good example) as the powers of Light and Darkness lock horns via their respective proxys...
Christopher Lee turns in a superlative performance as De Richelieu and Charles Gray is equally good as his Satanic nemesis - Mocata.
They receive sterling support from the rest of the cast who include Patrick Mower and Barbara Shelley.
Among occult movies, The Devil Rides Out stands out as one of the very best. It remains one of my all time faves and is highly recommended to anyone who has not seen it yet.

Rasputin The Mad Monk sees Christopher Lee back in more familiar territory ie. playing a villainous role. historically not very accurate this is nonetheless a film of colour and panache. Lee is superb in the title role as the greedy, psychotic, yet powerful Rasputin who is unashamedly ruthless and ambitious. Before long he has an unhealthy influence over the Tsarina and the Russian Royal Court because he appears to be able to ease the suffering of the haemophiliac boy prince - Nicky.
Visually stunning and with a great score to boot, Rasputin The Mad Monk makes a very good companion to the Devil Rides Out, on this Hammer double bill.

2 Excellant Hammer Films .......2006-01-11

You know Anchor Bay Has Been Delighted to present us with a collection of Hammer Films on DVD and then when the movies go oop they put them in a Double Bill DVD Set for instance like Dracula Prince of Darkness that was one of the early releases by anchor bay so it became a Double Bill DVD with The Satanic Rites of Dracula But Now that you think about it Thats oop Also anyway to this Here we have The Devil Rides Out Possibly one of the finest hammer movies ever made, for once Christopher Lee plays a good guy i mean you know we have usually seen Christopher Lee for Hammer As Count Dracula,Frankenstein's Monster,The Mummy anyways here is a rare viewing Christopher Lee a Good Guy Highly reccomended onto Rasputin The Mad Monk which by the way was filmed back to back with Dracula Prince of Darkness using the same cast and sets here Christopher Lee is Evil but in one of his rare roles for hammer Great Double Feature

Damaged?.......2005-10-26

All three reviews by the individual below--from Italy--complain about "damaged" DVDs, way too dang many of them. I encourage customers to ignore these writings as it seems she may be ordering DVDs for the wrong DVD region; in one case she writes that it plays "black" and that sure as heck sounds like the problem. Of course she might be putting these in her CD player too. I've ordered plenty of stuff from Amazon and if anything they arrive almost too well packed and totally undamaged. Sorry, I've been encountering customer service complaints, often really stupid ones, turning up in the review section a bit too much lately and it's really starting to annoy me.

Great CDs, a great combo, and lots of fun. The Devil Rides Out is a classic adaptation of a novel by a fellow named Wheatley or something--wrote a lot of stories in the 30s about Satan worshippers. The Rasputin film is just a hoot, as one might well imagine from Hammer. I miss this company and I wish they could reform to do campy stuff (their movies weren't campy when new) nowadays. There's plenty of hard-gore and shock out there now, I'd like to see something stylish and fun.

Very Good .......2005-10-12

This movie above came in good condition, fortunately, however, several itens that I have ordered before this one came damaged, I have had many problems with Amazon com lately, unfortunately. I really would like to know why this is taking place, really. The collection called "Hammer Horror Collection" that has 6 movies came completely damaged, 100% damaged twice to me and when I ordered three of the movies separately (suggested by the represantive) "taste the blood of Dracula", "Dracula has risen from the grave" and "The Horror of Dracula", the three of them, even though they were sold separately, they came to me DAMAGED, I returned them and Amazon com decided to send me something for free here in Italy after all I went through, but, even the free purchases, one of movies, came DAMAGED, the movie that came damaged is called "The Hound of Baskerville" with Peter Cushing, it came damaged twice actually, now, I do not know what to substitue that one for, and besides I am in a different hotel now. I do not know WHY you are selling so many movies that are DAMAGED, NOT WORKING, with BLACK SCREEN, specially the one called "hammer horror collection" PLease analise and study this. THank you.
JAcqueline Grecco

Two Hammer classics.......2005-02-25

Rasputin, the Mad Monk is easily the lesser of the two films, but is still a minor classic by Hammer standards. Historical accuracy is secondary to suspense and thrills, as you would expect. Christopher Lee turns in one of his best performances in the title role.

The Devil Rides Out is one of Terence Fisher's finest films. It's an intense occult thriller, genuinely terrifying at times, and featuring another excellent performance from Lee, in an untypical role.

Average customer rating:

Few lives are as intriguing as that of Russia's mad monk

Biography - Rasputin: The Mad Monk
Starring: Biography
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Biography - Anastasia: Her True Story
Biography - Peter the Great: The Tyrant Reformer
Biography - Vladimir Lenin: Voice of Revolution
Agony: The Life and Death of Rasputin
Russia - Land of the Tsars

ASIN: B000AABL3U
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Product Description

He was an uneducated peasant who gained a reputation as a faith healer. His strange behavior and incredible influence over the imperial family made him notorious his death made him a legend. Gregory Rasputin dominated the final years of imperial Russia. The mysterious monk who enjoyed the favor of the Czar was rumored to be a Holy Devil, who preached the word of God but practiced every form of corruption. His very presence weakened the already tenuous status of the royalty, hastening the Revolution. BIOGRAPHY uncovers the truth of the "mad monk" in this riveting program. Leading historians reveal the reason Rasputin was tolerated by the royals despite his scandalous behavior, and rare photos and period accounts capture the strange intensity that made him a figure of mystery. And learn the incredible story of his death at the hands of a party of aristocrats incensed at his sway over the empire. BIOGRAPHY presents the true tale of the bizarre figure who is one of the most captivating and controversial men in Russian history.

System Requirements:

Running Time 50 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Few lives are as intriguing as that of Russia's mad monk.......2006-02-14

It is hard to find a more fascinating character in history than Rasputin: self-proclaimed holy man, madman, healer, womanizer, hater of baths, personal friend to the royal family of Russia - these are just some of the facts. Rasputin has also been accused at one time or another of being a spy for the Germans, evil incarnate, a hypnotist, a seducer of the Czarina herself, and a whole list of other crazy things. The man is the epitome of contradiction, and a serious look at his life finds a mixture of the good and the bad - and when Rasputin was bad, he was very bad.

Gregory Rasputin was born a peasant in Siberia, but his unusual nature began to show even in childhood. At a young age, he reportedly had the ability to heal animals, and he soon acquired a most-deserved reputation as a seducer of women. This was a reputation he would never lose or attempt to change. Following a trip to a holy place (as a means of stopping his villagers from throwing him out of town), he took on an air of religion, and he began spreading his unique religious philosophy (one that apparently called for unlimited sinning) throughout the countryside. He eventually found his way to St. Petersburg, the capital of imperial Russia, and somehow gained an audience with Czar Nicholas and Czarina Alexandra themselves. Here were sown the seeds that would help - albeit indirectly - bring down the monarchy in 1917.

Rasputin's illicit activities and excessive womanizing were no secret, yet he enjoyed free access to the royal family; as the Russian population's misery grew with the onset of World War I, Rasputin became the most hated man in all of Russia - yet there he was in the role of a confidante of the Romanovs. The people could not understand this, and the fact that Nicholas treated this mad peasant as such as an equal diminished the royal family greatly in the eyes of those who would eventually destroy the monarchy. As this video reveals, we now know why Rasputin meant so much to the czar and his family. The czar's only son, the sole heir to the throne, suffered from hemophilia; somehow, Rasputin was able to heal the boy in the midst of his serious attacks, and for this reason the family, particularly the czarina, bound themselves to him. Since Nicholas could not reveal his son's medical condition to the people (that would weaken the monarchy), he was quite unable to explain to the Russian people why the madman enjoyed such incredible access to the palace.

This video floats the idea that Rasputin might have been able to keep Russia out of World War I - he had prophesied that ruin would come with war, but at the crucial time following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Rasputin was in a hospital recovering from a brutal attack by an ex-lover. By the time he returned to St. Petersburg, the Russian army was being torn apart at the front and revolution at home took on an air of inevitability. At this point, Rasputin began drinking heavily and breaking his own records for lewd public behavior. Despite all this, his ties to the Romonovs only increased when Nicholas went to the front to take charge of his floundering army. Now things had gone too far, and Rasputin had to die. His assassination by a nobleman only increased the mental hold he held on the Russian people. He was, as it turned out, incredibly hard to kill. Several lethal doses of poison had no effect, so increasingly drastic actions had to be taken to finally break the mad monk's curse over mother Russia. Even in death, Rasputin brooded over the Russian nation, however. Just a few short months later, the Russian Revolution threw the country into chaos and led to the deaths of the entire royal family. Clearly, Rasputin's relationship with the Romanovs played a part - albeit an unintentional one -in the royal family's downfall.

Rasputin is in many ways an inscrutable figure. As the pictures of him show, he was not an attractive man; the fact that he rarely bathed could not have helped him with the ladies; one can only ponder what sort of unnatural characteristic made him irresistible to so many women. Then you have to deal with the fact that Rasputin seemingly did have the ability to heal by some unknown means. I think his prophetic talents are overrated, but clearly he was a perceptive man with some valid insight into the course of events taking place in his own time. Was he mad? What he truly evil? I don't think these questions can be answered satisfactorily, nor does this video attempt to do so.

Average customer rating:

More vintage Hammer
Christopher Lee Excels As Rasputin
Rasputin movie review...from a true follower
Rasputin, the clever manipulator
Christopher Lee Saves Another Poor Movie

Rasputin, the Mad Monk
Starring: Christopher Lee , Barbara Shelley , Richard Pasco , Francis Matthews , and Suzan Farmer
Director: Don Sharp
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305650667
Release Date: 1999-11-02

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:

More vintage Hammer.......2004-11-27

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 as the monk who uses his hypnotic and shamanistic skills to manipulate his way into the royal household in pre-revolutionary Russia. The concern isn't so much with historical accuracy -- most of the plot is fictional, although some details are based loosely on the "true" story -- as with suspense and terror.

Hammer afficionados will delight in spotting how the sets were ingeniously revamped from Dracula, Prince of Darkness, made only weeks previously (1965) with the same cast.

Bonus commentary with cast members Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews and Suzan Farmer is riveting, and there's a World of Hammer episode (basically twenty-five minutes of Hammer clips) thrown in for good measure.

A good buy.

Christopher Lee Excels As Rasputin.......2004-09-23

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 as an accurate historical account of the rise to power of Rasputin at the Rusian Court, it still makes enjoyable viewing as a piece of fiction based on historical details. Christopher Lee, still best known for his brilliant work as Count Dracula was born to play Rasputin and his performance is the thing that really inpresses in this film effort. With his height, deep commanding voice and amazingly similiar appearance to the real Rasputin , Christopher Lee is the ideal casting choice. It is just a pity he was not matched with a screenplay that told the real facts of Rasputin and his ultimately tragic influence on the Russian Royal family. The best way to view "Rasputin: The Mad Monk", is as a piece of enjoyable historical fiction centred around Lee's strong central performance.

The lack of historical fact in "Rasputin: The Mad Monk", really of course can't be placed solely at the feet of Hammer productions as when this film was produced in 1966 the real assassin of Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov was still alive. Having already won a number of famous law suits against film Production over portraying the events leading up to Rasputin's murder Hammer productions had to tread carefully about how they depicted them. Made almost back to back with Hammer's earlier effort "Dracula, Prince of Darkness", this film utilised many of the same cast members and sets such as Dracula's Castle from the earlier film which here became the mansion where Rasputin is eventually assassinated. The story begins with one of Rasputin's reputed miracle cures, whereby his hypnotic powers cure the sick wife of a village tavern owner. Rasputin however is overly fond of both the bottle and women and before long after a nasty run in with some of the village locals seeking revenge over a young girl he has seduced in a hayloft Rasputin is expelled from his Monastery. He travels to St. Petersburg and soon has many of the women of the capital seeking out his questionable charms. One in particular who finds a deep attraction to Rasputin is Sonia (Barbara Shelley), who happens to be the lady in waiting to the Tsarina Alexandra (Renee Asherson). Made aware of his great healing powers the frantic Tsarina asks Sonia to get Rasputin to come to the palace to heal her sick son the Tsarevitch Alexis (Robert Duncan) who has suffered a fall. Through the drawing out of the illness via his touch the Tsarevitch is cured which earns Rasputin the total devotion of the Tsarina. Rasputin's ruthless and opportunistic streak comes out and before long he is enjoying the rich bounty of his power over the Tsarina getting himself set up in a large mansion with servants. He begins interfering in government appointments and ruthlessly discards those that are no longer of any use to him. Sonia eventually falls into that category and when Rasputin rejects her he ruthlessly drives her into killing herself. An uproar against Rasputin's malignant influence now breaks out and a group of nobles centered around Sonia's brother Peter (Dinsdale Landen), decide to take action to rid Russia of Rasputin's influence forever. Enlisting the aid of Rasputin's former assistant but now avowed enemy Dr. Zargo (Richard Pasco), they lure Rasputin to Peter's home with the promise that he will have the chance to meet up with Vanessa (Suzan Farmer), another pretty lady in waiting. The men poison both the wine and sweets however all does not go well and the poison is slow to work. It is only after Rasputin in a murderous rage comes after the men that a fight takes place and Rasputin is pushed out an upstairs window to his death on the frozen ice below.

Adhering to historical fact as stated of course is not this films strong point. However within the confines of this largely fictional story there are a number of excellent performances. Christopher Lee of course makes perfect casting as Rasputin and frequent costar Barbara Shelley gives a great performance in the role of the love struck and ultimately tragic Sonia who in real Russian history is undoubtedly a combination of a few individuals. While the film makes no reference to the rumblings of the Russian Revolution and Rasputin's mysterious ability to stop the attacks of hemophilia suffered by the Tsarevitch the story does manage to sustain the interest. Director Don Sharp who guided Christopher Lee through the best of the Fu Manchu series of films keeps the action moving along at a fast rate. Good scenes are those of Rasputin's early times as a drunken trouble maker in the village and in his interactions with the Tsarina where he proves he can make or break ministers and other servants of the Russian State through his influence. Rasputin's complex real life character which veered from extreme piety through to total debauchery is well explored in the script and Christopher Lee makes full use of these contradictions in his playing. Visually "Rasputin: The Mad Monk", has the solid look of a Hammer production of this time. Perhaps the early scenes in the village do show a more well scrubbed population than would have been found in a Siberian village at the turn of the 19th Century. The court scenes are suitably lavish if not really Russian looking, however the essential "English", atmosphere so inherent in most Hammer productions is most appropriate here given the real Tsarina's "English", influence at the last Romanov court.

Rasputin of course in real life was neither totally mad or indeed even a monk. He makes however a fascinating subject for a film biography and he was played superbly again by Tom Baker in the classic "Nicholas and Alexandra", in 1971. Christopher Lee however more than holds his own in the Rasputin acting stakes here. Historically accurate? Not at all, but a capable portrayal of the man who became one of the most intriguing individuals in modern Russian history it at times most certainly is. For the great Christopher Lee's performance alone this film is well worth viewing.

Rasputin movie review...from a true follower.......2002-08-16

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 just poisened and thrown out a window...THE END. In real life, much more had to take place to take down the "Saint Who Sinned".

Rasputin, the clever manipulator.......2001-10-20

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 is portrayed as an evil, manipulative, slick opportunist who delights in an over abundance of booze (just call him old pickle head!), sex (he can't have just one), and generally irresponsible behavior. He is deliciously amoral and "pig-like." It is a bit odd that everyone in this part of the world sports a British dialect, but no matter -- it's fun!

I do believe this demonstrates the great range of Christopher Lee -- an actor who has never been given ample credit for his tremendous acting talent and distinguished demeanor. A must see for all fans of Christopher Lee and the Hammer films.

Christopher Lee Saves Another Poor Movie.......2001-07-22

I rented this movie because I have recently become a big fan of British horror film actor Christopher Lee. Lee is the saving grace of this film.

The brutal and hypnotic monk Rasputin(Christopher Lee) is expelled from his monastery and temporarily gains great power by manipulating his way into the royal family of Russia.

This movie is a disappointment. "Rasputin and the Empress" could have been a thrilling period piece about Grigori Rasputin and his impact on Russian history. Unfortunately, this film pays little attention to history and doesn't become much more than a mediocre Hammer horror film masquerading as a historical period piece. Christopher Lee saves this movie. "Rasputin and the Empress" offered Lee one of his better roles. He is forceful and frightening as this ruthless historical figure. Richard Pasco and particularly Barbara Shelley give fine supporting performances.

Product Description

He was an uneducated peasant who gained a reputation as a faith healer. His strange behavior and incredible influence over the imperial family made him notorious his death made him a legend. Gregory Rasputin dominated the final years of imperial Russia. The mysterious monk who enjoyed the favor of the Czar was rumored to be a Holy Devil, who preached the word of God but practiced every form of corruption. His very presence weakened the already tenuous status of the royalty, hastening the Revolution. BIOGRAPHY® uncovers the truth of the "mad monk" in this riveting program. Leading historians reveal the reason Rasputin was tolerated by the royals despite his scandalous behavior, and rare photos and period accounts capture the strange intensity that made him a figure of mystery. And learn the incredible story of his death at the hands of a party of aristocrats incensed at his sway over the empire. BIOGRAPHY® presents the true tale of the bizarre figure who is one of the most captivating and controversial men in Russian history.

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