Don Sharp directs this Hammer House of Horror film from 1966 which is about an hour and a half in duration. Christopher Lee is Grigori Rasputin: The Mad Monk, and why not - Christopher Lee has played every other type of villain after all (Not that I have a problem with that at all). The film chronicles Rasputin's life from his rise to power through to his assassination. While it may not be 100% factual and historically accurate it's still a good yarn and a way to pass an hour or so. Starring opposite Lee is Barby Shelley and the experienced due carry a lot of weigh on the screen, working perfectly in tandem with each other throughout. In fact it's their delivery which seems to lift a somewhat drag script. Being a Hammer House film the sets are obvious wobbly at times, unfortunately it feels like this film was made slightly on the cheap as all the action seemed limited to a handful of locations. Although not varied the sets was certainly not drab - even when it wobbled!! This is a different kind of film to what you might expect from Hammer but it's a good attempt all the same and looks at the legacy of Rasputin in a different way to other films I have seen on the topic. For it's obvious flaws there is a charm about the level of evil portrayed by Christopher Lee, if it was possible to rate an acting performance separately from a film as a whole I'd award 8/10 the Mr Lee, but I'd only award 5/10 for the film.

It's an Odd One to be Sure and Falling Somewhere in the Mid-Range of Hammer Studio's Output of Always Interesting Films is this Christopher Lee Vehicle that Utilizes the Tall Actor with the Distinctive Voice Quite Effectively.Efficiency, for the Studio, was the Word as the Sixties Unfolded and Hammer Seemed to get a Bit Lazy and Detached from Their Art and the Movies Sunk Somewhat in Charm, Style, and Charisma.However, if it's a Hammer Film, it's Worth a Watch. This One is Average for the Studio, but Above Average Overall. Elevated by Lee's Bombastic, Yet Internalized Performance. Sure its Flamboyant and Fictionalized, but the Actor does Maintain a Suffering Soul, just Below the Surface. There is Pain in there Somewhere, but it is Overwhelmed and Corrupted by the Hedonism.The Movie can Look Cheap at Times, for a Hammer, that Usually could Mask Low Production Values and Present the Movies with a Rich Look that made the Lack of Money Moot. But, these Sixties Hammers, with Some Exceptions, were Claustrophobic with Minimal and Confined Sets and Virtually No Outdoor Shoots.Overall, it is an Entertaining Movie with Some Brutal Moments and a Killer Ending. Historically Inaccurate by All Accounts, but this is Pulpy Fiction and Although Not the Best in the Hammer Filmography, it has Enough of an Edge, Thanks to Lee and the Studio Delivering Just Enough Sex and Violence to Make it a Guilty Pleasure.

a kind of big error. but this was its purpose. clichés about Russia and Rasputin in a strange ball. and Christopher Lee as axis of this chaos.the film is fake and that is not a mistake in a period when the supposition about this subject was many. it is commercial product and this can be an excuse. but it is not enough. because it has not only connection with real facts. and the desire of Lee to do a credible Rasputin remains a great fiasco. sure, it is not a surprise. the desire is to impress and the accuracy is only insignificant detail. so, a cocktail Dracula - demonic monk - few dances and the victory of good guys is perfect recipes. a minor movie with strong smell of kitsch. and one of Christopher Lee roles who must be forgiven.

Biligerent and boisterous monk, Rasputin, who loves his wine and women, becomes drunk with power when Her Majesty Russia, Tsarina(Renée Asherson) depends on his miraculous healing powers, saving her son from certain death. Barbara Shelley is the Lady in Waiting, Sonia, who helps nanny Tsarina's boy and is under Rasputin's spell, used by him until she is no longer needed..it is she who allows Rasputin to get into Her Majesty's good graces, as he hypnotically forces her to intentionally harm the boy so that he could heal him of his fever. Dr. Zargo(Richard Pasco)is a former physician forbidden to practice medicine, who is "adopted", so to speak, by Rasputin(he was outbeaten by Rasputin in a drinking contest, for which the monk took him under his wing). Zargo witnesses first-hand the horrible treatment of Sonia by Rasputin, merely servicing him as a tool to get better living conditions and favor with Tsarina. There's one tragic scene where Rasputin orders Sonia to kill herself because he wanted her out of his life; the reason being she bored him! This is the kind of Hammer take on history where Rasputin is a villain who destroys everyone that gets in his way or is a waste to him. The only one that matters to Rasputin is Rasputin. Lee is barely recognizable under a long thick beard and scraggly hair, barking commands and dominating those weaker than him in nearly all his time on screen. It's only when Rasputin sets his eyes on Sonia's beautiful friend, Vanessa(Suzan Farmer), that might lead to his downfall, thanks to an orchestrated plan between Dr. Zargo and Vanessa's brother, Ivan(Francis Matthews), hoping to poison the evil monk, ridding the country of such a powerful menace. Sonia's poor brother Peter(Dinsdale Landen), just trying to avenge his sister's forced suicide, gets it in the face with acid. The exciting conclusion has Zargo trying to kill Rasputin over and over, repeatedly failing, needing help from Ivan to ultimately stop this madman. Don Sharp, the director of such underrated films as THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU, WITCHCRAFT, & THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, often shoots Lee from afar, taking great advantage of his grand presence, unlike other established directors who wanted to bare more emphasis on his handsome face and intense eyes. Hammer studios take liberties on the history of Rasputin turning him into a seemingly indestructible, fierce, and always dangerous threat to anyone who dares cross him. Francis Matthews, Shelley, and Farmer all starred with Lee in Dracula--PRINCE OF DARKNESS in the same year.