The Mad Monk

Author(s): Ali Ahmed
Location: Bahrain

“The Mad Monk”

Directed By: Anthony Minghella
Written By: Steve Zallian and Sofia Coppola
Produced By: Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola & Ron Howard
Cinematography: Dion Beebe
Original Score: Hans Zimmer
Costume Design: Colleen Atwood
Art Direction: Stuart Craig

Principal Cast:

Rasputin-Alan Rickman
Tsar Nicholas II- Stellan Skarsgard
Tsarina Alexandra- Miranda Richardson
Prince Felix Yusupov- Paul Bettany
Tsarevich Alexei- Freddie Highmore
Grand Duchess Anastasia- Scarlett Johansen
Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich- Adrien Brody
Princess Irina Yusupov-Vera Farmiga
Purishkevich-Alan Cummings
Grand Duchess Olga- Mila Jovovich
Grand Duchess Tatiana- Laura Prepon
Grand Duchess Maria- Isla Fisher
Anna Vyorbova- Famke Janssen
Khionia Guseva- Mila Kunis

Quote:
RASPUTIN: "Sin is given so that we may repent, and repentance brings joy to the soul and strength to the body, understand?"

Tagline: “The lusty peasant … the patriotic mystic … the Mad Monk”

Synopsis: The prologue provides background about this mysterious man who came from Siberia. In 1903, Rasputin arrived in Saint Petersburg, where he gradually gained a reputation of a holy man, with healing and prophetical powers. In Russia during the 1910's, Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra find their own son Alexei, the sole heir to the Romanov Dynasty suffering from hemophilia and conventional medicine failing to help him. Alexandra with her friend and confidante Anna Vyuorbova looks into finding holistic treatment and find Father Grigori Rasputin, a destitute monk who claims he had visions about the Tsar needing help. Rasputin attempts to heal the Tsar's son. Though Nicolas is skeptical of Rasputin's alleged healing abilities, young Alexei quickly bonds with him so he remains in the royal court and eventually wedges himself to the royal family giving him unlimited access to decision making. This period shows us the various interactions Rasputin had with the various members of the court. However, Rasputin's weirdness and womanizing angers the aristocracy and worsens the already tense situation between the Tsar and his subjects.

On June 29, 1914, he was attacked by Khionia Guseva, a former prostitute who had become a disciple of the monk Iliodor — once a friend of Rasputin's, who had become disgusted with his behavior. Guseva thrust a knife into Rasputin's abdomen. His entrails hung out of what seemed like a mortal wound. Yet Rasputin survived the attack. However, on December 16, 1916, having decided that Rasputin's influence over the tsarina made him too dangerous to the empire, a group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov,the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Purishkevich lure Rasputin to the Yusupovs', where they served him cakes and red wine laced with a large amount of cyanide. However, they find that poison doesn't work. Determined to finish the job, Yusupov worried that Rasputin would live until morning, so that the conspirators wouldn't have time to conceal his body. He ran upstairs to consult with the others, then came back down and shot Rasputin through the back with a revolver. Rasputin fell. When Yusupov went to check on the body, Rasputin opened his eyes, grabbed Felix by the throat, strangling him, and then threw him across the room and took off. As he made his bid for freedom, the rest of the conspirators arrived and fired at him. After being hit three times in the back, he fell. As they neared his body, they found he was trying to get up so they clubbed him into submission. Then after wrapping his body in a sheet, threw him into the icy Neva River. Three days later the body of Rasputin — poisoned, shot four times, and badly beaten — was recovered from the river and autopsied. The cause of death was drowning.

What the press would say:

This film details the life of the Russian Monk Rasputin and shows his rise to power and how it corrupted him, his sexual perversions and madness and how it ultimately leads to his gruesome assassination. Rickman is magnificent as Rasputin. Rickman becomes Rasputin without resorting to theatrical tricks but with utmost sincerity and commitment. His appearance and his piercing stare convey the insanity quite effectively. Miranda Richardson plays with vigor a heartbroken mother desperate for a cure for her son and Stellan Skarsgard stars as the skeptical, dignified and wise Tsar Nicholas II. Freddie Highmore stars as young, mischievous and at the same time the severely ill Tsarevich Alexei. Scarlett Johansen, Milla Jovovich, Laura Prepon and Isla Fisher play the roles of the royal Ladies; Alexei's sisters especially with Scarlet Johansen delivering a one of a kind performance as the legendary Anastasia. Paul Bettany is a show stealer as the conspiring and arrogant Prince Felix .Alan Cumming and Adrien Brody bring a sense of filth, anger and corruption to their characters. Famke Jannsen also stars as the confidante and loyal lady in waiting Anna Vyuorbova. Rounding off the Royal family, is Vera Farmiga as Princess Irina Yusupov, Felix's wife .And finally, in an unexpected performance, Mila Kunis from TV's that 70's Show plays a deranged psycho prostitute who attempts to kill Rasputin. There is no doubt that Anthony Minghella one more time proves that he can turn a wonderfully written script by the masters of writing, Sofia Coppola and Steve Zallian into a very passionate, artful and epic masterpiece of modern cinema. With such wonderful and excellent performances from the different cast members, don’t be counting the number of nominations that it might get but count the number of Awards it will garner.

"This film serves as a triumph in epic moviemaking. Anthony Minghella brilliantly directs Alan Rickman who not just plays the Mad Monk but channels and becomes him." New York Times

"Alan Rickman does indeed bring one of the most infamous men in history back to life. Kudos to Miranda Richardson, Stellan Skarsgard and Paul Bettany who embody historical figures perfectly. "- Los Angeles Times

For Your Consideration

Best Picture
Best Director: Anthony Minghella
Best Actor: Alan Rickman
Best Actress: Miranda Richardson
Best Supporting Actor: Stellan Skarsgard , Paul Bettany, Freddie Highmore
Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansen, Mila Kunis, Famke Jannsen
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
Best Costume Design
Best Art Direction
Best Ensemble