The first family of theatre the Barrymores get together in this historically inaccurate depiction of the Romanovs in free fall and the man that help facilitate the end of an empire, Rasputin. It is the only time the three siblings appear in a film together and all three performances appear to be wanting.The son and heir to Czar Nicholas of Russia is afflicted with a disease (hemophilia) that confounds the royal physicians. Desperate to heal her son she entrusts his care to the enigmatic Rasputin who through hypnosis and terror becomes the boys trusted enabler. With his new found influence Rasputin wastes little time in consolidating his power deceiving the czarina and corrupting officials. The marquee value of John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore may well put people inside the theater but unfortunately it is their performances that will move them just as fast to the exit. All three are dreadfully miscast and stilted as they reach for larger than life amid the splendor that was the Peacock Dynasty. John is more or less wasted as the Count trying to bring down Rasputin when he should be playing him. A year earlier he gave a tour de force as Svengali and clearly would have brought the charismatic verve that Rasputin needs instead of the cantankerous Lionel who though chilling is more crotchety than messianic. Ethel coated in layers of jewelery and gowns does little more than fret and add tremulous vocals. Outside the family in the crucial role of Czar Nicholas, Ralph Morgan hardly registers. True, Nicholas was an ineffectual leader but Morgan plays him to near invisibility. Cinematographer William Daniels and set director Cedric Gibbons and crew give the film a regal look of pomp and ceremony but the family Barrymore en masse remains lost if luckier than the Romanovs. At least they didn't get shot for their poor performances.

Rasputin and the Empress shouldn't be used as a lesson of pre-Soviet Russia. Names have been changed (and that didn't prevent MGM from law suits) and a lot of the information we now know about this period of Russian history - was not known in 1932.As other people have commented about this being the only film that Ethel, John, and Lionel Barrymore appeared together, this movie doesn't show why the Barrymores have the reputation that they have. John Barrymore's career started going downhill after the introduction of sound. Lionel Barrymore, wearing one of the phoniest fake beards, tries to capture the charisma and sense of control that Rasputin had over Czarina Alexandra and the Czarevitch. Ethel Barrymore gives an understated performance - too understated at times. When her only son seems to be close to possible death, she doesn't seem all that bothered.C. Henry Gordon is a great Grand Duke Igor, Ralph Morgan is a convincing Czar Nicholas II, but they don't appear that frequently. Don't expect anyone to speak with a Russian accent or even attempting and accent.Rasputin is one of the most interesting people in the world during the early 20th Century. He was also one of the most enigmatic and contradictory. A holy man who was accused of raping a nun, excessive drinking, and being power hungry. Barrymore's portrayal of Rasputin plays this up, plus making claims that he will be Russia. He seems almost like Charles Manson at times in the way he can make someone, especially the Czarevitch, behave like they are totally different people compared to the way they acted before meeting Rasputin.It is best to watch this movie as just that - a fictional representation of various accounts of what happened in the royal court of Russia in its final days. The writers included Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht, Robert Sherwood, Mercedes de Acosta, and Lenore Coffee - some of the best writers of the period.It's worth a view - don't expect historical accuracy, but it is an interesting film that tries to show a much different world than what Americans would have known.

The Good News: All 3 of the Barrymores are together in 1 Movie. In fact, it is the only time they are together in one movie. It is done by MGM so the costumes, scenery, background etc are all lavish even delicious. The acting is even quite good. And it is great to see John Barrymore in a good role even a romantic role before his drinking made him a caricature of himself. The Bad News: It is historically so inaccurate that it drives you crazy. Lionel Barrymore was a very good actor, but for reasons I will explain his performance was way overwrought and overdone. The part called for him to play Rasputin as if he had the cunning and the outright intelligence to maneuver state heads to do his bidding. The movie was made in 1932 which was just 15 years from the actual Russian Revolution and so the people that made the movie really did not know what we know now. Even so the actual facts of the death of Rasputin were known and to my mind the truth was far more dramatic than the way this movie portrayed Rasputin's killing. Even then they knew that The Empress never did figure out what a scoundrel Rasputin was, whereas in the movie she finally sees through him and calls on John Barrymore to save the throne by getting rid of him. I guess MGM wanted Ethel and John Barrymore to seem heroic. Knowing what we know now just makes Lionel's performance of Rasputin seem completely off the mark and throws the whole movie out of whack.

This is a reasonably decent movie, well acted (particularly by Lionel, who practically chews the scenery as Rasputin) and the sets and costumes are fairly nice. But the main selling point is that this is the only time the three Barrymores -Ethel, John and Lionel did a movie together. It's a good movie but could have been much better.