Films and Documentaries

New film-series: Chronicles of the Russian Revolution

The premiere of the new Russian historical film-series Телесериал рассказывает о событиях / Chronicles of the Russian Revolution will take place in October 2025. The series will be aired on the Russian television Россия-1 / Russia-1 and the START streaming service. The project is the work of Russian director Andrei Sergeevich Konchalovsky [b.1937, Moscow].

The 16-episode series is the most ambitious work of Konchalovsky’s career. The Russian-language series explores historical events beginning with Bloody Sunday and the First Russian Revolution in 1905 to Lenin’s death and Stalin’s rise to power in 1924. Filming began in September 2022 and lasted almost a year in August 2023.

The script was written on a documentary basis, which required an in-depth study of archival materials. But rather than a detailed reproduction of historical events, the director instead has focused on the human destinies during a critical period of Russian history.

PHOTO: Nikita Efremov as Emperor Nicholas II

As Konchalovsky himself notes: “This film-series is an attempt to understand something about early 20th century Russia, about those who moved the revolution, and about those whom it swept away. Both had the right to be wrong. It is very important for me that the historical figures in this film evoke an emotional response: not the Emperor or Lenin as a leader and tribune, but simply as people with human weaknesses, dreams and hopes. But it was not easy, because there are many patterns, stereotypes, archetypes attached to each.”

“Nicholas II seemed to know that death awaited him.” And it is very interesting to look at a person through this prism” Konchalovsky added.

The main characters (both fictional), Mikhail Prokhorov played by Yura Borisov, a young officer of the security department, who is on duty trying to unravel the tangle of conspiracies against the Tsar, and the central female role of Ariadne played by Yulia Vysotskaya, a society lady and revolutionary. Among the main real-life characters are Emperor Nicholas II played by Nikita Efremov, the leader of the revolution Vladimir Lenin played by Yevgeny Tkachuk, Joseph Stalin played by Timofey Okroev.

CLICK on the image above to watch the Russian-language trailer
Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds
NOTE: click on auto-translate and CC (close captioning) for English subtitles

New film dedicated to the Imperial Family premieres in Nizhny Novgorod

Posted on August 13 by Paul Gilbert

On 11th August 2025, the premiere of the documentary-film, based on the book Романовы: убийство, поиск, обретение [Romanovs: murder, search, acquisition] by the abbot of the Nizhny Novgorod Ascension Pechersk Monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin), took place at the Record Cultural Center, in Nizhny Novgorod.

The documentary-film is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the glorification of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family as Royal Passion-Bearers by the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 14th (O.S. 1st) August 2000.

PHOTO: it was “standing room only” at the Nizhni Novgorod premiere

The event was attended by Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin), the scriptwriter and director of the film Irina Vdovina-Sudina, Doctor of Historical Sciences and leading specialist of the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History Lyudmila Lykova, participant in the search for the remains of Tsesarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria in 2007 Leonid Vokhmyakov, participant in the search for the remains of the Imperial Family in 1979 Gennady Vasiliev, retired Senior investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Vladimir Solovyov, who headed the investigation into the “Ekaterinburg Remains”, Olga Ryabova, the widow of screenwriter Geliy Ryabov (1932-2015), who led an expedition in 1979 to search for the remains of the Imperial Family, among other guests.

Before the screening, Irina Vdovina-Sudina addressed the audience: “We have all gathered today for the premiere of this documentary-film. Our apologies, we did not expect that there would be more spectators than seats in the hall. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the glorification of Nicholas II and his family, and the creation of the film is timed to coincide with this date. I did not immediately want to take on such a complex topic, which causes so many contradictory opinions, but having immersed myself in it, I began to embrace it wholeheartedly. The film is not only about the mystery of finding the Ekaterinburg remains, it is also about mistakes, redemption and repentance.”

PHOTO: Irina Vdovina-Sudina addressed the audience

The film explores how for many decades Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin) collected information about the fate of the Imperial Family’s remains, following their execution on the night of 16-17 July, 1918. As a youth, Nikolai Zatekin (the secular name of Archimandrite Tikhon) worked with a team of plasterers in Moscow’s St. Daniel’s Monastery. It was during a conversation with a colleague, that the subject of the fate of the remains of the Tsar and his family piqued the interest of Zatekin for the first time. After moving to Sverdlovsk (renamed Ekaterinburg in 1991), he began to collect materials about the history of the family of the last Russian emperor.

PHOTO: Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin)

In 1985, Zatekin met the film director and writer Geliy Ryabov (1932-2015). Recall that in 1979, it was Ryabov along with geologist and local historian Alexander Avdonin, who discovered the burial place of the remains of the Imperial Family on the Old Koptyaki Road, near Sverdlovsk [Ekaterinburg]. This event was preceded by a long and painstaking collection of information, on the basis of which the researchers concluded that the remains of the Imperial Family, contrary to the widespread version, were not destroyed, but transferred from mine No7 at Ganina Yama and buried in the forest on the territory of the Porosenkov Log tract.

The remains were exhumed from the ground only in 1991. In 2007, another excavation was carried out at Porosenkov Log, a result of which the remains of Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna were found and identified. This find became a counterargument for those who were against the recognition of the remains as those of Nicholas II and his family. More than once in disputes, opponents pointed out that 11 people were murdered in the Ipatiev House, and the remains of nine were found in Porosenkov Log by Geliy Ryabov and Alexander Avdonin. The second grave, containing the two additional remains settled the argument, at least for some.

PHOTO: following the end of the documentary-film, retired senior investigator of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Vladimir Solovyov, took part in a question and answer period

After a series of studies and examinations were carried out, the remains of 9 people were buried on 18th July 1998, in the St. Catherine Chapel of the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The remains of Alexei and Maria were transferred to the Lower Church of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow in December 2015, and remain there until the present – pending the decision by the Council of Bishops.

In 2015, the Investigative Committee of Russia resumed the investigation into the death of the Romanovs. During the investigation, the remains found near Ekaterinburg in 1991 were re-examined.

“In 2022, a meeting of the Holy Synod was held, where representatives of the state commission, which had studied the remains since 2015, and members of the church commission headed by Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga. The conclusions of the first investigation confirmed, that the found remains belonged to Emperor Nicholas II and his family. It was decided to submit the issue of the remains to the Council of Bishops for approval,” said Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin).

PHOTO: following the premiere, Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin) took the time to sign copies of his book Романовы: убийство, поиск, обретение [Romanovs: murder, search, acquisition]

Following the documentary-film’s premiere, the audience were invited to ask questions to the panel of experts who participated in the making of the film, including Vladimir Solovyov, Lyudmila Lykova, Olga Ryabova and Archimandrite Tikhon (Zatekin). The latter, then took the time to sign copies of his book Романовы: убийство, поиск, обретение [Romanovs: murder, search, acquisition]

‘The Mummy’ – a film about Lenin premieres in Moscow

Posted on June 27 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: “V.I. Lenin in a coffin” (1924)
Artist: Kuzma Sergeyevich Petrov-Vodkin (1878-1939)

On 26th June 2025, the premiere of the documentary-film МУМИИ / The Mummy took place at the Oktyabr Cinema[1], located on Novy Arbat in Moscow. The film touches on a painful and controversial topic for modern-day Russian society: the unburied corpse of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin).

Even before the premiere, the film provoked fierce protests from communists of all stripes, who accused the filmmakers of slandering the Bolshevik leader. Many people believe that it was Lenin, who ordered the murder of Nicholas II and his family, but who committed the monstrous crime of crashing the world’s most powerful nation and killing several million people.

The all-Russian premiere of the film МУМИИ / The Mummy will take place in other Russian cities from 27th to 29th June, with the support of the regional branches of the World Russian People’s Council. These screenings will be supported by a large-scale hours-long telethon live on the SPAS TV channel on Sunday, 29th June, where live broadcasts from all over the country are planned.

The famous historian, writer and TV presenter Felix Razumovsky, who was present at the Moscow premiere, shared his impressions of the film in his Telegram Channel:

МУМИИ / The Mummy premiered yesterday in Moscow at the Oktyabr Cinema. It is an important documentary about the Russian misfortune that has existed for more than a century – about the pagan temple of the communist quasi-religion standing on Red Square, the main square of Russia, the mausoleum with the mummy of Lenin.

The film is relevant, important, and necessary… For many Russians, the problem is a painful one and action on the issue is long overdue, and should have been resolved thirty years ago. The anti-Christian cult of the “eternally living” Bolshevik leader should have been dealt with and removed following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Of course, better late than never. For the revival of the country is impossible without deciding the fate of Lenin’s mummy, these “Bolshevik relics” which desecrate the Orthodox Russian pantheon of the Moscow Kremlin!

But over the past thirty years, the situation has changed, and not for the better. Today, the creators of the film МУМИИ / The Mummy go against the tide. In recent years, an active political campaign of re-Sovietization has been launched in the country. The internet and social media is filled with endless justifications for the “Lenin cause” and the obsessive idealization of “Comrade Stalin”. A disturbing plan of “monumental propaganda” is being implemented…

We are talking about the disruption of Russian awareness, about the erosion of Russian consciousness, primarily the consciousness of the Orthodox. The trend is not just dangerous, but truly suicidal for the nation.

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МУМИИ / The Mummy producer Joseph Prigozhin announced that he is willing to provide his own personal funds for the burial of Vladimir Lenin. He considers it necessary to bury the body of the Bolshevik leader and statesman, referring to Orthodox traditions and respect for the memory of the deceased.

“I am ready to provide funds for his burial,” Prigozhin said in a recent interview. During the past thirty years, the question of the possible burial of Lenin has been raised again and again. In 1998, acting Russian president Boris Yeltsin had plans to demolish Lenin’s mausoleum, however, he was persuaded otherwise.

Proponents of the idea believe that the body should be buried in accordance with religious and ethical standards. Opponents, on the contrary, see the preservation of the mausoleum as an important part of the country’s historical and cultural heritage, whereas, more radical elements of Russian society would like to see the monument and Lenin’s mummy destroyed.

Vladimir Lenin died on 21st January 1924. His body was embalmed and placed in a mausoleum on Red Square, which has become one of the symbols of the Soviet era. At the end of May 2025, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation announced the restoration of the mausoleum building, for which 20 million rubles [$250,000 USD] will be allocated from the state budget.

NOTES:

[1] On 29th October 2024, the Oktyabr Cinema in Moscow, was also the venue for the premiere of the documentary-film «Верные» / The Faithful. This 70-minute Russian language documentary explores the lives and fates of the faithful retainers who followed the Imperial Family into exile.

Film Review: Nicholas and Alexandra

Posted on February 7 by Paul Gilbert

The year 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of the film adaptation of Robert K. Massie’s (1929-2019) classic book Nicholas and Alexandra. Published in 1967, it remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for 46 weeks, and has never gone out of print! Selling more than 4.5 million copies, it is regarded as one of the most popular historical studies ever published. Praised in The New York Times as a “long-needed and balanced account” of the last tsar and his family. In Massie’s study, Nicholas comes across not as the “stupid, weak or bloodthirsty” monarch, as he is often been portrayed by his Western counterparts.

The film version was released on 13th December 1971, and nominated for numerous awards. At the 44th Academy Awards (1972), Nicholas and Alexandra won two awards of six nominations; at the 25th British Academy Film Awards (1972), Nicholas and Alexandra received three nominations; at the 29th Golden Globe Awards (1972), Nicholas and Alexandra received three nominations; and at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards (1973), Richard Rodney Bennett was nominated for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.

PHOTO: Michael Jayston as Nicholas II and Janet Suzman as Alexandra Feodorovna

The film featured a star-studded cast of notable British actors and actresses: Michael Jayston (1935-2024) as Nicholas II; Janet Suzman [b. 1939] as Alexandra Feodorovna; Irene Worth [1916-2022] as the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna; Tom Baker [b. 1934] as Grigori Rasputin; Jack Hawkins [1910-1973] as Count Vladimir Frederiks, the Minister of the Imperial Court; Timothy West [1934-2024] as Dr. Botkin, the court physician; Jean-Claude Drouot [b. 1938] as Pierre Gilliard, the children’s Swiss tutor; Laurence Olivier [1907-1989] as Count Witte, the Prime Minister; Michael Redgrave [1908-1985] as Sazonov, the Foreign Minister; Eric Porter [1928-1995] as Pyotr Stolypin, the Prime Minister after Witte; John McEnery [1943-2019] as Kerensky, leader of the Russian Provisional Government; Michael Bryant [1928-2002] as Lenin; Martin Potter [b. 1944] as Prince Felix Yusupov; Richard Warwick [1945-1997] as Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich; among many others.

Personally, I greatly disliked this film for a number of reasons. It is due to the popularity and cult-like status of this film which compelled me to address some of the many factual errors of this film, and that it will serve as a resource for those who have viewed it for the first time.

Aside from some terrible acting, such as Janet Suzman’s appalling portrayal of Empress Alexandra Feodorovnam the film is rife with historical inaccuracies. For instance, not a single scene was filmed in Russia. This of course is due to the fact that in 1971 Russia was still the Soviet Union, and the discussion or promotion of the last Tsar was still taboo. Instead, the film was shot entirely in Spain and Yugoslavia.

While I personally acknowledge that both Massie’s book and film inspired many people to learn more about Russia’s last Tsar, sadly, there are those who will actually base their own assessment of Nicholas II on this film, and that in itself sets a very damaging scenario.

While I acknowledge that while this is merely a film and not a documentary, I cannot overlook the fact that the producers have blurred the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism.

Below, are just four of the more notable historical inaccuracies, which I spotted in the film – I documented many others in my notes while watching the film:

PHOTO: Michael Jayston as Nicholas II and Harry Andrews as Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich

[1] In an early scene, Nicholas II addresses Grand Duke Nikolai “Nikolasha” Nikolaevich – played by Harry Andrews [1911-1989] – as “uncle”, however, this is incorrect. Grand Duke Nikolai was a first cousin once removed of Emperor Nicholas II..

PHOTO: Tom Baker as Grigori Rasputin

[2] When Rasputin returns from Siberia, he enters a room where the Empress is waiting. He approaches her, she looks into his eyes adoringly, lifts the cross hanging around his neck and proceeds to kiss it.

Later in the film, upon being transferred from Tobolsk to Ekaterinburg, the entire family are seen leaving the “House of Freedom” together. This scene is certainly not based on fact. It is well known that Nicholas, Alexandra and Maria left Tobolsk on 26th (O.S. 13th) April 1918, while Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and Alexei left Tobolsk the following month.

Upon arrival at the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, the Imperial Family are greeted at the door by Yakov Yurovsky, played by English actor Alan Webb [1906-1982]. This scene is historically inaccurate, as Yurovsky was not appointed to the Ipatiev House until 4th July 1918 – 13 days before the Imperial Family were murdered. I would like to add, that in July 1918, Yurovsky was only 40, whereas in the film, he is depicted as an elderly man. At the time of the making of the film, Webb was already 65.

PHOTO: scene whereby the grand duchess allegedly exposes herself to a guard

[3] During their house arrest in Ekaterinburg, a guard enters the room of the grand duchesses where they are getting dressed for bed. One of the daughters (Tatiana) asks what he wants, and then opens her dressing gown to expose her naked body. The grand duchess cries that she is only 21 and desires to be wanted.

What nonsense! The daughters of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna were all raised as decent Orthodox Christians. None of these pious and respectful young women would never have exposed themselves to such vulgar thugs! This would not be the first time that such a claim would be made . . .

In their book The Fate of the Romanovs, American co-authors Greg King and Penny Wilson alleged that Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna had a “private moment” with Ivan Skorokhodov, one of the guards at the Ipatiev House. They continued in their claim that Maria slipped away with Skorokhodov for a private moment and they were discovered together in a compromising position. They further allege that both the Empress and her older sister Olga appeared angry with Maria in the days following the incident and that Olga avoided her company.

Sadly, British author Helen Rappaport also entertained this nonsense between Maria and Skorokhodov on page 30 of her book ‘Ekaterinburg. The Last Days of the Romanovs‘. King and Wilson’s claim has been widely dismissed as a myth based on “absolutely no first-hand evidence.”

PHOTO: the final scene in the murder room is missing three people

[4] On the night of 16/17 July 1918, the family enter the murder room where two chairs are depicted against the wall. This is incorrect, the room was empty, and it was the Empress who requested the chairs: one for herself, the other for Alexei. The most blatant error in this scene, however, is that only nine persons are in the room: the Imperial Family and Dr. Botkin. There were in fact eleven persons in the room on that fateful night! Missing are Alexei Trupp, footman; Ivan Kharitonov, cook; and Anna Demidova, Alexandra’s maid. In fact, the latter three are not to be seen in the entire film!

As new generations of film buffs discover Nicholas and Alexandra, I can only hope that they will watch it with both an open mind and heart. That in this day and age of masses of information at their fingertips, that the film will inspire them to embark on their own personal quest for the truth.

I hope that they will read Massie’s book, but also other books, articles and documentaries. It must be noted that when Massie was researching for his bestselling book in the 1960s, his resources were very limited, his “facts” based on the information available to him at the time. Massie did not have access to the invaluable Romanov Archives in Moscow. Recall that it was Stalin who had these archives sealed, they were even forbidden to Soviet historians, with the exception of course, for propaganda purposes. The archives were only unsealed in the 1990s, at which time Massie completed his sequel The Romanovs: The Final Chapter, published in 1996.

The remaking of classic films seems to be all the rage these days, so perhaps a new film adaptation, one which will be worthy of Massie’s classic work. If so, the writers must refrain from adding fictitious nonsense to the script, relying on Massie’s research. And for authenticity, it must be filmed on location in Russia: in St. Petersburg, Tsarskoye Selo, Livadia, Tobolsk and Ekaterinburg.

Final scenes for ‘The Romanovs. Devotion and Betrayal ‘ shot in the Alexander Palace

Posted on January 29 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: a scene from the film, with actors portraying the Imperial Children playing on the slide in the Marble [aka Mountain] Hall in the Alexander Palace

On 24th January 2025, the final scenes for the upcoming Russian-language film Романовы: Преданность и предательство / The Romanovs. Devotion and Betrayal were filmed in the Alexander Palace and Park at Tsarskoye Selo. The film is based on the book of the same name by the Tyumen writer Sergey Kozlov.

The filming of the 12-part series began in Tobolsk in March 2024, and has since been filmed in places associated with Nicholas II and his family, including St. Petersburg, Perm and Tsarskoye Selo. Copies of Rasputin’s house and the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg were recreated for the film.

Crews began a 5-day shooting of the final scenes for the film in the Alexander Palace and Park on 24th January. Scenes were filmed in various rooms and halls of the palace.

According to the film’s director Vasily Chiginsky, editing and post-production are already underway, with the film expected to be complete by the end of the year.

PHOTO: early 20th century motorcars parked outside the Alexander Palace that were used during the filming of ‘The Romanovs. Devotion and Betrayal‘

NOTE: I have been following the progress of this large-scale historical project since it began filming in March of last year. I will continue to share any new developments, including more videos, as they become available – PG

Watch all 5 episodes of ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word’

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

NOTE: this article has been updated from it’s original (published on 15th December 2023), with episode No. 5. All 5 episodes are now available in one video, the duration of which is 3 hours and 28 minutes. While the audio is in Russian, you can adjust the settings to translate in English (or other languages), and then turn on the close-captioning for English subtitles – PG (26 November 2024)

The 5-part series ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word‘, a new Russian-language documentary series is now available to watch on the Russian actor Danil Smirnov’s YouTube page.

In 1964, members of the firing squad Grigory Petrovich Nikulin (1894-1965) and Isai Radzinsky, on the orders of Nikita Khrushchev, recorded their memories of the execution of the Imperial Family in July 1918. These audio recordings were subsequently ordered sealed and stamped “SECRET” and placed in the archives. These important historical recordings are now made public for the first time in the documentary series ‘The Romanovs. The Last Word.’

For the first time, this documentary series reconstructs in detail one of one of the most notorious crimes in 20th century Russian history – the murders of Emperor Nicholas II and his family – based on the memories of the killers. as well as the circumstances of hiding the bodies by a team of executioners. The project was narrated by Sergey Minaev.

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PLEASE NOTE that this series is currently only available in Russian. I do not know if or when an English language edition will be made available. In the meantime, I will continue to search for the series with English subtitles and update this post – PG

Episode 1 to 5. Duration: 3 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds

PLEASE NOTE that this series is currently only available in Russian. I do not know if or when an English language edition will be made available. I will continue to search for the series with English subtitles and update this post – PG

FURTHER READING:

“The Romanovs. The Final Word” viewed more than 1 million times!

The Romanovs. The Final Word + TRAILER

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Please CLICK on the BANNER or LINK above to review my current selection of titles in hardcover, paperback and ebook editions. Listings provide a full description for each title, pricing and a Look inside feature.

New documentary focuses on the Imperial Fanmily’s faithful retainers

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Paul Gilbert

Click HERE to view the film’s official web site

On 29th October 2024, the premiere of the documentary-film «Верные» / The Faithful will take place at the Oktyabr Cinema, located on Novy Arbat in Moscow. This fascinating new 70-minute Russian language documentary explores the lives and fates of the faithful retainers who followed the Imperial Family into exile.

The first part of the film, directed by Natalia Gugueva, presents a chronicle of the life of Emperor Nicholas II and his family, based on materials from the Russian State Archives and the personal photo archives of the descendants of the Imperial Family’s retainers. In addition, rare film footage taken outside the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, will be seen for the first time.

Loyal to the Tsar, faithful to the oath, true to themselves

When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917, 43 people voluntarily followed him into exile. Among them there was not a single relative of the Tsar and Tsarina.

All 43 loyal subjects were dissuaded, and more than once, from their stubborn decision to remain with the Tsar and his family, first in the Alexander Palace, then into exile to Tobolsk, and then Ekaterinburg. Not only did they share the trials and tribulations of the Imperial Family, many of them paid for their choice with their lives.

The fate of the retainers of Nicholas II is told by their descendants, as well as the descendants of the Bolshevik guards in the Ipatiev House, where the brutal murder of the Imperial Family and four of those loyal to them took place. Others were murdered in other locations in the Urals.

The documentary focuses on the faithful retainers of the Imperial Family, who voluntary followed them into exile: Dr. Eugene Botkin (1865-1918), the maid Anna Demidova (1878-1918), the cook Ivan Kharitonov (1872-1918), and the valet Aloysius Trupp (1856-1918), Klimenty Grigorievich Nagorny (1887—1918), Ivan Dmitriyevich Sednev (1881—1918), Countess Anastasia Vasilievna Hendrikova (1888-1918), Ekaterina Adolfovna Schneider (1856-1918), Prince Vasily Alexandrovich Dolgorukov (1868 – 1918) and Ilya Leonidovich Tatishchev (1859 – 1918).

CLICK on the above image to watch the TRAILER
Duration: 1 minute. Language: Русский / Russian

The film «Верные» / The Faithful, was created by the Vstrecha Studio with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and Channel One JSC and with the assistance of the Yekaterinburg Diocese.

The film has already received an award at the 35th Open Documentary Russian Film Festival. The documentary-film will be released in 200 cinemas in more than 40 cities across Russia on 31st October 2024.

NOTE: Sadly, the sanctions imposed by Western nations against Russia have also affected cultural exchanges, including exhibitions, films and documentaries, book rights, ballet and opera events, etc. As a result, it may be some time before an English language version of this documentary is made available. Perhaps, it will made available on YouTube, with English subtitles? It certainly looks like it will be an interesting documentary, one of immense historic importance – PG.

FURTHER READING:

Ekaterinburg: the Survivors

Regicide in Ekaterinburg

The Fate of the Kornilov House

Tobolsk: Nicholas II and His Family Under House Arrest in Siberia

“The Romanovs. The Final Word” viewed more than 1 million times!

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Paul Gilbert

PHOTO: scenes from the final days of the Imperial Family in the Ipatiev House were recreated for the 5-part documentary ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word’

The historical series ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word‘ has become one of the most popular documentary projects ever made for Russian online cinema. The 5-part series premiered on 4th November 2023, and in less than a month has been viewed more than 1 million times.

‘The Romanovs. The Last Word‘ is a detailed historical study of one of the most notorious crimes in 20th century Russian history – the murders of Emperor Nicholas II and his family, based on the memories of the klliers themselves. The series was created by journalist and historian Sergey Minaev together with producer Danila Sharapov.

The conversation between Nikulin and Radzinsky at the USSR Radiocomet was recreated specifically for this documentary project. In addition, the Ipatiev House, in which the Imperial Family were murdered, was reconstructed for the documentary, based on original plans, drawings, photographs and memoirs of eyewitnesses.

The actors for the roles of Nikulin and Radzinsky, members of the Imperial Family, and their faithful retainers, based on their likeness to the historical figures they were portraying in the documentary.

The best historical consultants, artists and restorers were involved in the project. Thanks to their participation, it was possible to recreate the events and circumstances of the final months of house arrest, and subsequent murders of the last Russian Tsar and his family, with accuracy through a previously unknown source, and an important historical record.

For the first time, this documentary series shows in detail the last days of the family of Emperor Nicholas II, their execution, as well as the circumstances of hiding the bodies by a team of executioners. The project was narrated by Sergey Minaev.

Click HERE to watch the trailer for ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word‘

FURTHER READING:

The Romanovs. The Final Word + TRAILER

Watch all 5 episodes of ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word’ + VIDEO

The Romanovs. The Final Word

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Paul Gilbert

On 4th November 2023, ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word‘, a new Russian-language documentary series premiered on the Russian YouTube channel ‘Premier’, who have also released a trailer for the documentary – see below. .

The 5-part series – produced and narrated by Sergei Minaev – records the last months of the Imperial Family, while they were under house arrest at the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg.

What is different about this documentary, is that the fate of Russia’s last Tsar, his family and four faithful retainers, is told by their killers, notably by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Medvedev (Kudrin) (1891-1964), a devout Bolshevik and one of the executioners of the Imperial Family.

Kudrin died on 13th January 1964, he was buried with military honours at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. In his will, he asked his son Mikhail to give Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) the Browning pistol with which he alleges he had killed the Tsar with. It was following his death, that Krushchev ordered Kusrin’s son Mikhail Mikhailovich Medvedev, to carry out an investigation to the Tsar’s murder.

PHOTO: Mikhail Aleksandrovich Medvedev (Kudrin) (1891-1964)

Not only did Mikhail research his father’s diaries, letters, documents and photographs, he also searched for his father’s old friends to interview. Mikhail attempts to reconstruct the events of the murders of the Imperial Family, through the stories of witnesses and participants in the regicide at Ekaterinburg in 1918. Many testimonies and materials of the investigation are now being made public for the first time. The producers of the documentary series claim that the audio recordings of these interviews were kept secret for decades.

The documentary reconstructs the events of 1918, including the final months of the life of Nicholas II, his family and their retainers during their house arrest in Ekaterinburg, the details of the execution and attempts to hide the bodies. Some scenes were recreated – using actors – from the memories of eyewitnesses in order to show viewers the most reliable picture of the events.

NOTE: the 5-part series is available to view on a pay-per-view only. The current economic sanctions imposed by the West on Russia, make impossible to use a credit card for payment. Should the entire series be made available to view online for free at some point in the future, I will update this article – PG

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WATCH THE TRAILER

CLICK on the PHOTO above to watch the trailer for ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word’
Language: Russian. Duration: 2 minutes

NOTE: the trailer above is in Russian, however, do not allow that to stop you from watching the trailer. You can still follow the gist of the audio in English, by doing the following:

[1] click on the red arrow in the YouTube image above

[2] turn on Google Translator, which will translate the text only

[3] click on the close captioning option [CC] option, located in the banner at the bottom of the video

[4] click START

The closed captioning will appear in English on the video, allowing you a better understanding of the people, places and events presented in the trailer.

FURTHER READING:

“The Romanovs. The Final Word” viewed more than 1 million times!

Watch all 5 episodes of ‘The Romanovs. The Final Word’ + VIDEO