Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Probably the most extraordinary feature of Nicholas and Alexandra is the artistic style. Yes, the sets, art, and production design are all top-notch, and director of photography Freddie Young showed all the beautiful opulence of the era. Yvonne Blake and Antonio Castillo took home Oscars for their breathtaking costumes. But I’m talking about director Franklin J. Schaffner’s choice to have his actors seem like still life. Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman, the title characters, use as little movement in their acting as possible. They stand relatively still unless they’re walking, dancing, or shaking hands with their subjects. Their faces are very stoic; even when they’re discussing something upsetting, they often have smiles plastered to their faces. At nearly any given moment of the film, if you press pause, the frozen frame looks like a painting from the time period. Michael and Janet come across as extremely royal, and appear to have been peeled from a portrait and stuck in front of a camera.
So, before you criticize them for not breaking down in tears every time their young son has a health problem or the revolutionaries throw a rock in their window, remember that it was a deliberate choice. One of my favorite scenes is when they’re seeing troops off at the train station and have received word that their son is bleeding. Janet insists they leave at once and return home, but Michael tells her that they need to continue their royal duty until the next homebound train arrives. Janet says she doesn’t think she can keep her emotions in check, and Michael says that she has to – all with a smile on his face so the troops won’t notice anything’s wrong.
There’s a huge supporting cast in this movie, so even if you find the subject matter too upsetting, you might still be tempted to rent it. It is a three-hour movie, and you can easily turn it off before the end if you’d like. The first half before Intermission hardly has any heavy dramatics, so you can even just stick with Part One. Those who watch the entire film will see the endlessly creepy Tom Baker as the drug-using, power-hungry charlatan Rasputin. He’s so frightening, you’ll definitely want to put your kids to bed before pressing play. This is not like the cartoon!
Laurence Olivier is in the film, as a trusted advisor to Michael. He has a very moving, soft-spoken speech about why Michael should not declare war (if you know your history, you’ll know whether or not he is persuasive enough). Curd Jurgens has a grand entrance as the German Consul, and Harry Andrews plays the Grand Duke. Jack Hawkins (who was sadly dubbed due to his tracheotomy), Ian Holm, Alexander Knox, John Wood, and Michael Redgrave also make appearances. I wouldn’t recommend seeing the film through to the end, but Part One is excellent. It was certainly one of the best pictures of 1971, and it was a crying shame The French Connection won the Academy Award.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving a child, and disturbing content, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Jack" for posting!
More Curd Jurgens movies here!
So, before you criticize them for not breaking down in tears every time their young son has a health problem or the revolutionaries throw a rock in their window, remember that it was a deliberate choice. One of my favorite scenes is when they’re seeing troops off at the train station and have received word that their son is bleeding. Janet insists they leave at once and return home, but Michael tells her that they need to continue their royal duty until the next homebound train arrives. Janet says she doesn’t think she can keep her emotions in check, and Michael says that she has to – all with a smile on his face so the troops won’t notice anything’s wrong.
There’s a huge supporting cast in this movie, so even if you find the subject matter too upsetting, you might still be tempted to rent it. It is a three-hour movie, and you can easily turn it off before the end if you’d like. The first half before Intermission hardly has any heavy dramatics, so you can even just stick with Part One. Those who watch the entire film will see the endlessly creepy Tom Baker as the drug-using, power-hungry charlatan Rasputin. He’s so frightening, you’ll definitely want to put your kids to bed before pressing play. This is not like the cartoon!
Laurence Olivier is in the film, as a trusted advisor to Michael. He has a very moving, soft-spoken speech about why Michael should not declare war (if you know your history, you’ll know whether or not he is persuasive enough). Curd Jurgens has a grand entrance as the German Consul, and Harry Andrews plays the Grand Duke. Jack Hawkins (who was sadly dubbed due to his tracheotomy), Ian Holm, Alexander Knox, John Wood, and Michael Redgrave also make appearances. I wouldn’t recommend seeing the film through to the end, but Part One is excellent. It was certainly one of the best pictures of 1971, and it was a crying shame The French Connection won the Academy Award.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving a child, and disturbing content, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Jack" for posting!
More Curd Jurgens movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture of 1971
Best Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Best Dramatic Screenplay