The Romanovs: An Imperial Family (2000) User Reviews (5)

A very rare and inspiring film about spiritual hope in the face of certain tragedy

[betsky · 9/10 · 17 April 2003]

I was expecting little of this film, but was so pleasantly surprised after I had finished watching it. In fact the last time I was so pleasantly surprised was in 1994 after seeing the Shawshank Redemption for the first time in its last week playing in the theatres.

I feel this movie should at least have been nominated for best foreign picture.

This movie is an accurate historical depiction of the final year and a half of life of the Russian royal family prior to their tragic execution in 1918 by Bolsheviks. A film about execution and tragedy often falls flat on its face because the viewer walks away feeling empty, sad, and depressed, but here is an entirely different situation.

The director paints a true picture of the love all family members had for one another, and at the same time shows the type of callous and cynical people were in power after the revolution.

Finally we are showed footage of the canonization of the family as martyrs for the manner in which they accepted their death, without any prejudice to their evil executioners.

It is a heavy film, but one that does inspire. This film is incredible, if at least for its accurate historical re-enactment.

A stunning master piece.

[joisepeterson · 10/10 · 12 July 2008]

This film is one of the best films concerning the last Imperial Russian family.

It shows a sympathetic look at Tsar Nicholas II as he is losing control over his empire. Which then leads to his and his family's arrest.

Unlike most movies which deal with the Russian royalty, this film leaves out the infamous Rasputin and shows more of a historic portrayal of the last few months of the Imperial family, from being arrested to being executed.

Also this film is not just dealing with Grand Duchess Anastasia, it includes all four daughters and Alexei. *spoilers* There is a hinted romance of one of the guards for Grand Duchess Olga. All actors played their roles beautifully the love between Nicky and Alix shows such a great chemistry, while the Grand Duchesses show their sisterly love for their ill brother Alexei, who seems very mature and wise near the end.

The execution scene is quick and bloody. Showing the cruelty of what happen 90 years ago.

If your looking for an acute Russian Imperial movie to show to a Modern history class I suggest Romanovy. You can watch this on youtube with subtitles.

Incredibly beautiful piece of art, but not for everyone

[ImpErrator · 9/10 · 10 December 2016]

A slightly pro-monarchic version of the story, but very honest nonetheless. As historians say Nicky was more incompetent than anything, he was not ready for the throne, he was not ready for war or politics (the infamous tennis-interrupting telegram incident) but he was not evil, bloodthirsty or "bloody" as his nickname was at the time.

This film presents him as a family man, which is not a lie, since most of the film shows the family under captivity.

The film is, however, sanitized. They did not show the mistreatment of the family while they were under house-arrest.

The acting is amazing, however. From the soldier refusing his superior's orders, to the person responsible for moving the family (against his will? ambivalence) to the Tsarevich's friend, sad to see the family "go."

The children behaved like real children, the mixed feelings everyone had about everything... it's quite deep, even if the story is very straightforward.

The moment the monarch is dethroned it becomes apparent that there was no escape for the family. Dissolving the monarchy did not satisfy the Bolsheviks, so the writing was on the wall.

All in all, it's a great, light-hearted film even if it's very sad at the end. Even knowing the ending couldn't prevent the heartbreaking ending from getting to me.

Impressive piece of film work and some criticism

[Bon_Sneyder · 9 January 2007]

A very impressive piece of film work - great setting, great actors - and of course an inevitable tragic story.

But - alas, there is an alas. The real story of the captivity of the czar family has been - based on numerable historical accounts - much more gruesome and humiliating than showed in this picture.

And finally. I would have surely preferred if the final sequence with the bombastic funeral and canonizing service held by the leading figures of the Russian Orthodox church under their chief, former KGB agent "Drozdov" aka Patriarch Alexij and his equals was spared...

But I suppose that was the price that was to be paid for the support of the "Russian government" and the "Government of Moscow" as stated in the credits.

Delicate retelling of a tragic tale

[MacNessa · 10/10 · 6 October 2021]

This film which covers the last year and a half of the Romanovs when they were prisoners. It has its poignant moments and is full of emotion, even if the film underplayed what we now know was a cruel final 3 months and a brutal slaying, which in the daughters case took almost half an hour, as they were bludgeoned and bayonetted to death. And yet we didnt need that - the films message, which can only be spiritual given their worsening situation, was perfectly conveyed. While many may not agree with Tsarism, it is said that the imperial family never conducted themselves better than as prisoners. Nicholas II abdicated to stave off a civil war and be with his family. He was dealt a blow, when even here he failed, as the Bolsheviks made peace with the German invaders and war with the rest of Russia which they disliked, and yet he maintained his patient character.

The actors that stood out for me, apart from the Tsar were the ones who played Olga and Alexei. The potential romance between Olga and the guard Denisov is heartbreakingly hinted at especially at the end when she enters the house never to be seen again, while the innocent but strong minded Alexei who designs future ships, shows what might have been for Russia.

If you have any interest in world history, you should watch this.