Friday movie pick
by chuckofish
The other night I tried to watch Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) on TCM, but I didn’t make it to the end. I knew how it was going to end, and it was pretty depressing.
Indeed, there was nothing uplifting in the story of the hapless Czar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra and their downfall and ultimate murder. I remember seeing it at the movies back when it came out. My mother thought it was great and wept through much of it, but seeing it again, I was unmoved. And I should note that the soundtrack was terrible.
The next night I watched Anastasia (1956)–the film adaption of the stage play starring Ingrid Bergman in her second Academy Award-winning role and the great Yul Brynner.
It was pretty great. It is the story of an opportunistic Russian businessman (Brynner) who tries to pass a mysterious woman (Bergman) off as the Grand Duchess Anastasia. However, she is so convincing in her performance that even the biggest skeptics, including the Dowager Empress herself, believe her.
So Anastasia is my Friday movie pick. Check it out. Although Yul’s part is not nearly big enough to suit me, it is a good movie and the soundtrack by the great Alfred Newman is terrific.
Have a great weekend!
dual personalities 
I watched also and didn’t make it to the end either…I remember being very engaged when I first saw it but it seemed kind of flat this time. I also didn’t like the way I knew it was going to end.
It is such a dramatic topic–I feel that in the hands of a better director and with more exciting actors, it would have been better. I just didn’t care about anyone–and one certainly should! Also the music was bad.
Great Yul Brynner flick — everything is better with Yul. I also remember liking Nicholas and Alexandra when I first saw it, but I haven’t been in a hurry to see it again — and now I definitely won’t be!
It was weird–it did not engage me in the least!