I think I had two main reasons to put this on my queue: The Academy nominated it for Best Picture, and the early '70s were a good time for dramas. Of course, it wasn't so good if you wanted a happy ending. And once I realized who the title characters were, an unhappy ending was a foregone conclusion.
You don't need to be well versed in history to recall that Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) was the last tsar of Russia. This movie begins in 1904 with him and his wife (Janet Suzman) welcoming a son after four daughters. That may be the last time we see them both happy, and it's not for long, as they learn of little Alexei's hemophilia -- terrible news for anyone and all the worse for an heir apparent to the throne, whom the public should not see as fragile. Little do they know how moot that point is, thanks to growing unrest in the empire. For the next nine years, Alexandra entrusts her son's health to the mysticism of Grigori Rasputin (Tom Baker of Doctor Who fame), without her husband's approval.
You may ask why Nicholas, who shows no sign of falling for the fabled hypnosis, doesn't dismiss Rasputin as soon as he finds a reason for suspicion. Well, a running theme is that he has trouble saying no to Alexandra, even when advisers such as the prime minister (deceptively top-billed Laurence Olivier) and the grand duke (Harry Andrews) strongly oppose her political ideas. The royal court and the common people are none too fond of her influence either, since she persuades the tsar not to allow a division of powers in the Russian government: How could he defend such a decision to his son with pride?
To be fair, I'm pretty sure Nicholas would still have made a lot of unpopular decisions without the tsarina's help. He continues the Russo-Japanese War when it's clearly a lost cause, paying little mind to the soldiers. He won't lift a finger for workers' rights, suffrage, or health care. And while Bloody Sunday shocks and offends him, he sure doesn't handle the aftermath well; as far as the populace is concerned, he ordered the massacre.
In such an environment, it doesn't take much to turn a commoner into a communist. Scenes without the royal family typically involve figures such as Vladimir Lenin (Michael Bryant), Joseph Stalin (James Hazeldine), and Leon Trotsky (Brian Cox). The filmmakers do not express an obvious bias for or against communism, and I'd say that's just as well: At the time, there were no great options for Russia.
For all the lousy moves by Nicholas and Alexandra, I do feel pretty sorry for them as they gradually progress toward their gut-wrenching doom. After their deposition, they can't go anywhere but Siberia, which is neither pleasant nor ultimately safe. Naturally, I feel sorrier still for their innocent children, including the curiously separated Anastasia (Fiona Fullerton).
A key word in that last paragraph is "gradually." The main problem with this otherwise well-done picture is that it runs about twice as long as necessary, for more than three hours with an intermission. And Rasputin, probably the most engaging character, gets only so much screen time. Director Franklin J. Schaffer, fresh off Patton, must have had little idea of what to cut or how to pace.
I can't recommend the film as a history lesson either. Unlike in most cases, tho, it's not really the studio's fault: The USSR wouldn't grant access to reliable info.
Generally, I appreciated the experience, but it calls for certain conditions. If you find yourself with extra free time these days and want a reminder that life could be worse, you might want to check out N&A.
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