6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The brilliant score and cinematography alone almost carried this dark tale of Rasputin, September 6, 2005
This review is from: Agony / Agoniya (DVD)
I first saw the movie "Agoniya" for Russian history class during my second year of college. My professor explained to all of us that the film had been suppressed for many years by the Soviets. The Soviets apparently had issues with the central theme of the movie, which was that Rasputin alone was responsible for the downfall of the Romanov dynasty. It is natural that the Soviets would find this offensive since it downplayed the role and involvement of their leader Lenin. Furthermore, the brief nudity in the movie was enough to dissuade the Soviets from ever releasing the film to the public. The film would thus not be released until Glasnost.
"Agoniya" mainly focuses on the debauchery of Rasputin. Many may find the focus of the film to be tiresome and overdone. Indeed throughout the film there are several puzzling characters (such as the female Rasputin devotee with the mustache) that only serve to annoy the viewers and therefore ultimately distract them from focusing in on Rasputin's true historical significance. It is because of the movie's incoherent scenes that I only give it four stars. Even the scenes that correctly demonstrate Rasputin's sexual activity are overbearing due to the fact that they are repetitive. However Alexei Petrenko's acting and depiction is not without merit. There are after all, moments in which Petrenko's acting compliments Klimov's directing so much so that the results are nothing short of astounding.
The character portrayals of Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra are quite interesting. Nicholas II is depicted as being a cold and dry person. He never smiles once in the film and he always seems to be lacking in warm human emotions. He is still nonetheless portrayed as a weakling who is pushed around not only by his wife but by his son as well. Alexandra, on the other hand is portrayed as a sickly and neurotic woman.
The power of the movie "Agoniya" comes from a few of its select scenes as mentioned earlier as well as from its haunting soundtrack, composed by the late great Alfred Schnittke. In the full length 152-minute version of the movie (there were several shorter prints) there is a scene in which the Russian narrator gives a brief summary of Rasputin's background while various real life pictures are used as visual aids. During this narration there is an eerie organ playing in the background and because of it the mystique of Rasputin's background is increased ten fold. There are several other scenes as well that are magnified by Schnittke's brilliant score. However the film's score does not accompany the most impressive and powerful scene of the movie. The powerful scene is basically set when Rasputin confronts the Tsar and Tsarina prior to his exile. Rasputin then not wanting to go into exile begins shouting out how he has bartered his soul for the safety of Russia. During the time that Rasputin is crying out loud, the cinematography simply takes over as it is filled with occasional black and white images of the present as well as the future. But the most bizarre scenes are the allusions to Christ in addition to the other spontaneous flashes. Indeed the image of the lightning, the severed head and the ghastly woman screaming in the background are enough to send a shiver up anyone's spine or at least make them feel uncomfortable. In the end however, it is the black and white image of the sheep, running without a shepherd, that sums up the purpose of the scene. The point of the scene is to demonstrate that while Rasputin may have a superficial resemblance to Christ, he is not the Savior. He is in fact the Anti-Christ who scatters the sheep during the time in which he collapses and mumbles in a diabolical possessed state.
The DVD picture quality of the Russico release of "Agoniya" is quite good. The Russico release, which offers a 5.1 dubbing in Russian, English, and French, also has several subtitle options. The DVD extras include some short historical footage on the Romanov family memorial service prior to their burial. The other extra is an interview with Alexei Petrenko. The interview with Alexei is actually interesting because in it he shows favoritism to Rasputin and actually calls him a martyr all the while condemning the assassins. Petrenko's opinion is thus at odds with Klimov because the film "Agoniya" is very direct in attacking the character of Rasputin.
"Agoniya" is an unusual film that is not for everybody. Serious students of Russian history and Soviet film will find it most rewarding. I also recommend it for anyone who has seen and enjoyed "Come and See", another great Soviet classic by Elem Klimov.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Power in the Eyes of the Beast, December 1, 2004
This review is from: Agony / Agoniya (DVD)
This film is so odd and bizarre that I was totally immersed in it. In actuality this is a basic story that deals with Siberian peasant 'Rasputin', the mystic whose ability to improve the condition of Aleksey Nikolayevich, the hemophiliac heir to the Russian throne, made him an influential favourite at the court of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. The actor who plays Rasputin is an evil duplicate, a man who is oozing virulence, he has a very charismatic smile that almost looks diabolical.He's a strange character and has a powerful influence on the Czar's family and Russian political life. As the viewer, we are left to wonder, 'what do these people see in him, how does he control them so?'. He soon makes enemies of the church, the state, and local husbands who do not take kindly to his debauchery and licentiousness. The director is brilliant in weaving a documentary montage of Russian events and the ending is one of the most powerful ever envisioned by a director.
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