A prince plots to kill the "mad monk" Rasputin for the good of the czar, the czarina and Russia.In something of a minor epic, this film tells of the rise and fall of Rasputin, the "mad monk". How much is true and how much is legend is open to debate, but all the classic parts of the story are told here. If you are vaguely familiar with the story of Rasputin, this film should feel like you've seen it before (in a good way).Everything about the film is quite good, from the acting to the costumes and beyond. This is, of course, a showcase for the Barrymore family, and it really does show how much they each contributed to the acting greatness of American cinema.

The first family of theatre the Barrymores get together in this historically inaccurate depiction of the Romanovs in free fall and the man that help facilitate the end of an empire, Rasputin. It is the only time the three siblings appear in a film together and all three performances appear to be wanting.The son and heir to Czar Nicholas of Russia is afflicted with a disease (hemophilia) that confounds the royal physicians. Desperate to heal her son she entrusts his care to the enigmatic Rasputin who through hypnosis and terror becomes the boys trusted enabler. With his new found influence Rasputin wastes little time in consolidating his power deceiving the czarina and corrupting officials. The marquee value of John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore may well put people inside the theater but unfortunately it is their performances that will move them just as fast to the exit. All three are dreadfully miscast and stilted as they reach for larger than life amid the splendor that was the Peacock Dynasty. John is more or less wasted as the Count trying to bring down Rasputin when he should be playing him. A year earlier he gave a tour de force as Svengali and clearly would have brought the charismatic verve that Rasputin needs instead of the cantankerous Lionel who though chilling is more crotchety than messianic. Ethel coated in layers of jewelery and gowns does little more than fret and add tremulous vocals. Outside the family in the crucial role of Czar Nicholas, Ralph Morgan hardly registers. True, Nicholas was an ineffectual leader but Morgan plays him to near invisibility. Cinematographer William Daniels and set director Cedric Gibbons and crew give the film a regal look of pomp and ceremony but the family Barrymore en masse remains lost if luckier than the Romanovs. At least they didn't get shot for their poor performances.

A true example of the assembly line style film-making of the old studios, where one doubts if the screenwriter ever visit the set, or did the director ever sit at an editing bench. Lionel Barrymore, however is a treat as the grimy, kooky Rasputin. He doesn't go for one-note scary. He's seen as a fun party animal, a believable healer, and the world's worst dinner guest. Other than that, John is wasted as the hero, as is their sister Ethel.

The only film that all three Barrymores appeared in together. Rather dated and sometimes laughable, especially Ethel's constant "double-takes" whenever a dramatic moment occurs. But it's still worth watching.