Nikolaus and Alexandra
Nikolaus und Alexandra is a British historical film by director Franklin J. Schaffner from 1971. The film is based on a book by Robert K. Massie . The cinema release in Germany was March 3, 1972.
action
The Russo-Japanese War claimed many victims. Despite the hopeless situation for the Imperial Russian Army , Tsar Nicholas II continues to believe in a victory and, despite the urgent recommendation of his Prime Minister Count Witte, refuses to withdraw. There is also news that the population wants reforms and is dissatisfied. The Tsar, on the other hand, wants the autocracy that his predecessor Tsar Alexander III gave him . was awarded, maintained. Underground organizations are formed; in their exile in London, Lenin , Stalin and Trotsky found the Bolshevik Party .
Tsarevich Alexei is born in these troubled times . At a reception given by the Tsar's mother Maria Feodorovna , Alexei's mother, Alexandra, meets the itinerant preacher Grigori Rasputin . Alexandra falls for Rasputin. After Alexei was diagnosed with hemophilia , she asked Rasputin to pray for her son. She believes in its healing powers.
In the factories in St. Petersburg, like everywhere in Russia, the workers have to endure terrible working conditions. Encouraged by their priest, Father Georgi Gapon , they make their way to the Tsar to explain their situation. They march to the tsar's winter palace and express their displeasure. Father Gapon ensures a peaceful procession. The commanding officer of the guards orders the people to leave. Then he orders fire over their heads. But the soldiers fire into the crowd. Hundreds of people are killed. Nikolaus is angry about the incident , but he does nothing about the living conditions of the population.
Eight years later the tsarist family travels to the Crimea . The lively Alexei needs constant supervision, because even a small injury can bleed him to death. The new Prime Minister Stolypin demands the expulsion of Rasputin. Nikolaus fears that this will make his son's disease public. When Nikolaus finally wanted to ban Rasputin, his wife told him not to do so. She blames herself for Alexei's illness and believes Rasputin can cure him with God's help.
The Prime Minister, who continued to support the Tsarist empire with the help of his connections, was shot dead in the Kiev Opera. Nicholas has the assassins executed and the Duma dissolved. At the same time, Alexei suffers a breakdown that leaves him terminally ill. The Tsar must divide his attention, on the one hand for his sick son and on the other for the newly formed Duma. His wife wired Rasputin, who replied with trustworthy words. Alexei recovers and Rasputin is allowed to return to court.
The First World War is looming. Count Witte again implores the tsar not to order general mobilization , the war could be averted anyway. And again the tsar doesn't listen to him. The war breaks out. After a year, Nikolaus decided to exercise supreme command over his armed forces himself. According to Russian tradition, Nicholas goes to the front while his wife rules the court. Alexandra is under the influence of Rasputin and turns out to be unhappy in government affairs. Nikolaus' mother reproaches him for hanging up Rasputin. In December 1916, Rasputin was killed by members of the court.
Alexandra is so disturbed by Rasputin's death that the tsarist empire threatens to collapse. Food is running out, the military is poorly equipped, and there is chaos in St. Petersburg. Nikolaus is forced to abdicate. The royal family lives in the orphaned palace of Tsarskoye Selo . Kerensky , the leader of the provisional government, has the family transported to Siberia under guard . When the Bolshevik Party proclaims the Soviet Union, the Russian civil war breaks out . The royal family is brought to Yekaterinburg . When the White Army , the opponents of the Bolsheviks, take Yekaterinburg, the tsarist family is shot.
background
The film was Brian Cox's feature film debut and Michael Redgrave's last feature film . The film was shot in Spain and Yugoslavia .
The Oscar-nominated cameraman Freddie Young had previously won the Oscar three times (1963, 1966 and 1971). It was the fourth Oscar for film architect John Box . He won the previous three in 1963, 1966 and 1969. For Vernon Dixon , too, it was statue number 2 of a total of three. It was the second Oscar for colleague Gil Parrondo , and he received his first in 1971. Film architect Box also acted as director of the second unit for this film.
Reviews
The film service called Nikolaus and Alexandra a "[a] elaborate and overly long historical film that seems pretty lifeless and gives little insight". For Cinema it was simply a "story epic for the big screen".
Awards
- Awards:
- Nominations:
synchronization
literature
- Robert K. Massie: Nicholas and Alexandra. Ballantine Books, 2002, ISBN 0-345-43831-0 .
- Helga Thoma: From the throne to the scaffold. Piper, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8361-1020-4 .
- Roman Prinz Romanow: At the court of the last tsar. Piper, 2005, ISBN 3-492-24389-4 .
Web links
- Nicholas and Alexandra in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Nikolaus and Alexandra at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nikolaus and Alexandra. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 21, 2018 .
- ↑ See cinema.de
- ↑ Nikolaus and Alexandra. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous index , accessed on July 21, 2018 .