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The Russian royal family is one of the most interesting in history next to the English yet there's almost no documenteries, docuseries, movies, etc.
I'm currently watching the Secrets of the Six Wives of Henry VIII. Henry VIII is one of the most popularly depicted era in English history.
But the Russians had their heyday. Did the Cold War and the rise of Communism make Hollywood balk at highlighting the Russians?
American or European films may be short in offerings; but much ink has been spilled about the Romanovs.
In college read a huge book in French "L'histoire de Romanovs" which IIRC was translated into English. Then you have scores if not hundreds of books dealing with that family during WWI and or their imprisonment and subsequent murders.
Along same lines there are films and or television programs about Rasputin, Anastasia, etc....
You have to remember prior to their brutal murders Nicholas II was considered a bloody tyrant, and his wife a hysteric. All this cult of sadness and or whatever about the "last czar" and by extension his family really only came to being after their murders. Indeed it was because of both their reputations every country approached at the time to take Nicholas II and his family in all refused; this included his cousin George V. France was Russia's ally during WWI and even they refused to have them, as did the USA.
In hindsight no one could have foreseen Lenin's rise to power and Kerensky's government falling; all of which paved the way to what would come in regard to the Romanovs. By the time those events began to unfold it was too late; the family had been moved deep into Russia that made immediate reach of them difficult.
If you are looking for mini-series or whatever treatment of the Romanovs, such as what has happened with the Tudors, Victoria and so forth; don't think it will happen out of USA or UK film/television.
The only "tragic" queen British and American audiences seem enthralled with is Mary, Queen of Scots. You might add Marie-Antoinette to that list.
My current amateur interest is Russian history. The above movie was indeed a good one. But big movies are hardly an indication of interest. Look instead at books available on the family and that Russian period.
Mine as well, from the Romanov's through the siege of Leningrad.
This August I will have two days and one night in St Petersburg ( Leningrad) where I can visually experience some of the places I've read about for years.
Russian history fascinates me, more so than British or French.
The Russian royal family is one of the most interesting in history next to the English yet there's almost no documenteries, docuseries, movies, etc.
I'm currently watching the Secrets of the Six Wives of Henry VIII. Henry VIII is one of the most popularly depicted era in English history.
But the Russians had their heyday. Did the Cold War and the rise of Communism make Hollywood balk at highlighting the Russians?
Good question. One good reason there haven't been any docu's, is that the Soviet Regime wasn't interested. Now, post-1990, you'd think someone either in Russia or the West would have made a documentary about them. There were some American scientists who went over there in the 90's, to examine some remains, as I recall. There was controversy. To me, the topic almost feels too sacred to even film. The history museum in my town received a precious exhibit years ago, of the Romanov's personal items from everyday life; 3 small rooms full of miscellany: christening gowns, table settings, all kinds of things. Much to my surprise, I cried through the whole thing. I couldn't restrain myself; I had to hide behind my sunglasses the entire time. After that experience, I'd had enough of the Romanovs, thanks. Tragic story.
Mine as well, from the Romanov's through the siege of Leningrad.
This August I will have two days and one night in St Petersburg ( Leningrad) where I can visually experience some of the places I've read about for years.
Russian history fascinates me, more so than British or French.
If you're into the history of the siege of Leningrad, you should go to the mass graves. There's an exhibit hall there, with a lot of photos from the time. It's a site of pilgrimage, for tourists from all around Russia. You may already know about it:http://www.saint-petersburg.com/ceme...rial-cemetery/
That's not Hollywood. Its PBS based on a British show by Lucy Worsley. She did a great one...on the Romanovs. Called Empire of the Tsars. Perhaps you just need to look more closely.
Yeah, I've watched all kinds of stories on the Romanovs, stuff on Netflix and Prime.
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Good question. One good reason there haven't been any docu's, is that the Soviet Regime wasn't interested. Now, post-1990, you'd think someone either in Russia or the West would have made a documentary about them. There were some American scientists who went over there in the 90's, to examine some remains, as I recall. There was controversy. To me, the topic almost feels too sacred to even film. The history museum in my town received a precious exhibit years ago, of the Romanov's personal items from everyday life; 3 small rooms full of miscellany: christening gowns, table settings, all kinds of things. Much to my surprise, I cried through the whole thing. I couldn't restrain myself; I had to hide behind my sunglasses the entire time. After that experience, I'd had enough of the Romanovs, thanks. Tragic story.
American scientists were brought in to settle a bitter and rather nasty debate (mostly via objections from the Russian Orthodox Church) that remains found that mass grave were *not* that of Nicholas II and his family.
More controversy arouse still when a second grave was found that contained remains of the two missing children not buried with their parents, siblings and others.
There is yet more bad feelings in that some in Russian Orthodox Church and elsewhere were against remains of the *servants* that were murdered along with Romanovs all being reburied in same location (Fortress of Saint Peter and Paul).
Post Soviet regime Russian government and others have been rather active on the Romanovs. Nicholas II is seen by the church and others as a saint, and so forth.
So yes, within Russia and elsewhere there is still very much interest in the Romanovs and in particular Nicholas II and his family. Putin in fact over his long *reign* has incorporated no small amount of the mystic and symbolism of czarist Russia.
All this being said would there be enough material and or desire to do a television series a la "the Tudors" or a full length motion picture? Again, probably not.
As have said much of the romance over the Romanovs and in particular Nicholas and Alexandra is tied into their violet deaths, and or the fact they were a "love match" and family was caught up in the Russian revolution. You strip away all that and as one has said you get the story of a man who was seen as a bloody anti-Semitic tyrant who was largely controlled by his hysteric of a domineering German wife.
As with the Bourbons (another royal family that met tragic deaths) the parts people want to know about have been well covered. Just as there have been countless films, television shows, books and so forth about Marie-Antoinette and to a lesser extent Louis XVI, you have same for the more "interesting" Romanovs. Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Boris Fyodorovich Godunov, and of course Nicholas II and his consort.
What treatments you do get show the Romanovs as part of other world events/royals lives. Most recent of this was the British television program about the "lost prince", Prince John son of George V and Queen Mary.
American scientists were brought in to settle a bitter and rather nasty debate (mostly via objections from the Russian Orthodox Church) that remains found that mass grave were *not* that of Nicholas II and his family.
More controversy arouse still when a second grave was found that contained remains of the two missing children not buried with their parents, siblings and others.
There is yet more bad feelings in that some in Russian Orthodox Church and elsewhere were against remains of the *servants* that were murdered along with Romanovs all being reburied in same location (Fortress of Saint Peter and Paul).
Post Soviet regime Russian government and others have been rather active on the Romanovs. Nicholas II is seen by the church and others as a saint, and so forth.
So yes, within Russia and elsewhere there is still very much interest in the Romanovs and in particular Nicholas II and his family. Putin in fact over his long *reign* has incorporated no small amount of the mystic and symbolism of czarist Russia.
All this being said would there be enough material and or desire to do a television series a la "the Tudors" or a full length motion picture? Again, probably not.
As have said much of the romance over the Romanovs and in particular Nicholas and Alexandra is tied into their violet deaths, and or the fact they were a "love match" and family was caught up in the Russian revolution. You strip away all that and as one has said you get the story of a man who was seen as a bloody anti-Semitic tyrant who was largely controlled by his hysteric of a domineering German wife.
As with the Bourbons (another royal family that met tragic deaths) the parts people want to know about have been well covered. Just as there have been countless films, television shows, books and so forth about Marie-Antoinette and to a lesser extent Louis XVI, you have same for the more "interesting" Romanovs. Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Boris Fyodorovich Godunov, and of course Nicholas II and his consort.
What treatments you do get show the Romanovs as part of other world events/royals lives. Most recent of this was the British television program about the "lost prince", Prince John son of George V and Queen Mary.
Thank you for reminding me of that investigation, Bugsy. A detailed story on it was published in the New Yorker magazine, back when it was going on. I'd forgotten the details.
And yes, the bolded is the problem; he wasn't a very good Tsar. But that's kind of a trend in presenting history today; that kind of realism, a sort of anti-romanticism movement, is popular, and certainly educational. But would many people want to watch it? I wouldn't, but some would.
Thank you for reminding me of that investigation, Bugsy. A detailed story on it was published in the New Yorker magazine, back when it was going on. I'd forgotten the details.
And yes, the bolded is the problem; he wasn't a very good Tsar. But that's kind of a trend in presenting history today; that kind of realism, a sort of anti-romanticism movement, is popular, and certainly educational. But would many people want to watch it? I wouldn't, but some would.
From what I heard he didn't even want to be Tsar and he only become one out of a sense of duty.
My interest in the Romanovs began with seeing the film "Anastasia" in the 1950s. In my young mind the fact that my paternal grandmother's maiden name was Anna Anderson in combination with the mysterious story seems to have given me a life-long interest in their story.
"Empire of the Tsars" is currently on Netflix and I'm looking forward to watching it. I see also that Wiki has a list of films and documentaries that have been made about the royal family.
If you're old fashioned enough to want your history from a book the Goodreads site has a rather lengthy list of literature involving the Romanovs.
Their story has always seemed romantically tragic to me. Poor dear family; poor Mother Russia.
If you're into the history of the siege of Leningrad, you should go to the mass graves. There's an exhibit hall there, with a lot of photos from the time. It's a site of pilgrimage, for tourists from all around Russia. You may already know about it:Piskarevskoe Memorial Cemetery in St.*Petersburg, Russia
I am on a cruise with 2 days and one night in St Petersburg, you have to do an escorted tour where you get a temporary 72 hour visa from the tour company, I will have to look/ask the tour company if we stop here.
I know in those two days I will merely get a taste of St Petersburg so next year I may bite the bullet for a visa, which is a royal pain for Russia, to spend more time there and also take the train to Moscow.
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