''Rasputin, The Prince of Sinners'' (German: ''Dornenweg einer Fürstin''), or simply ''Rasputin'', is a 1928 German-Soviet

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

co-directed by Nikolai Larin and Boris Nevolin and starring

Vladimir Gajdarov Vladimir Georgievich Gajdarov (Russian: Владимир Георгиевич Гайдаров; 25 July 1893 – 17 November 1978) was a Russian film actor and star of Russian and German silent cinema. Filmography *''Father Sergius'' (1917), as N ...

, Suzanne Delmas and

Ernst Rückert Anton Ernst Rückert (20 December 1886 – 3 September 1945) was a German stage and film actor. Rückert began his theatre career in 1908 and has appeared on the stage in Bleicherode, Königsberg and Kiel, among others. In 1910 he took up an eng ...

. The film's poster showed the tagline "rysslands onda ande", which translates as "Russia's Evil Spirit". It was shot at the

Johannisthal Studios The Johannisthal Studios were film studios located in the Berlin area of Johannisthal. Founded in 1920 on the site of a former airfield, they were a centre of production during the Weimar and Nazi eras. Nearly four hundred films were made at Joha ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. The film's sets were designed by

Carl Ludwig Kirmse Carl Ludwig Kirmse (1888–1982) was a German art director who worked prolifically on films during the silent and sound eras.Giesen p.220 Selected filmography * ''The House of Torment'' (1921) * '' Country Roads and the Big City'' (1921) * '' T ...

. This film is sometimes confused with another 1928 German silent film made about Rasputin called ''

Rasputin, the Holy Sinner ''Rasputin, the Holy Sinner'' (German: ''Rasputins Liebesabenteuer'') is a 1928 German silent film directed by Martin Berger (director), Martin Berger and starring Nikolai Malikoff, Diana Karenne and Erwin Kalser. The film was also released as '' ...

''. This being the only known German-Russian co-production ever done about Rasputin, the filmmakers were able to shoot the film at or near the historical places where the real life incidents portrayed actually occurred. In 1928, the Russian royalty was interested in showing Rasputin as the monster he really was, rather than try to illicit sympathy for the character. He is depicted as a sexually promiscuous alcoholic with abhorrent manners, similar to the manner in which Hammer Films later portrayed him in their 1966 Christopher Lee film, ''

Rasputin the Mad Monk ''Rasputin the Mad Monk'' is a 1966 Hammer horror film directed by Don Sharp and starring Christopher Lee as Grigori Rasputin, the Russian peasant- mystic who gained great influence with the Tsars prior to the Russian Revolution. It also ...

''.

Cast

Gregori Chmara Gregori Mikhailovich Chmara (Ukrainian: Григорій Михайлович Хмара, Russian: Григорий Михайлович Хмара; 29 July 1878 – 3 February 1970) was a Ukrainian-born stage and film actor whose career spanned ...

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...

as Alexander Kolossov *Suzanne Delmas as Ludmilla Vorontsov *

as Leonid Vorontsov *

Fritz Alberti Fritz Alberti (born Friedrich Wilhelm Alberti; 22 October 1877 – 15 September 1954) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''People in Ecstasy'' (1921) * '' The Other Woman'' (1924) * ''The Blackguard'' (1925) * '' Ship in Distress'' (1925 ...

as Prince Vorontsov, Reichtsrats-Mitglied *

Hedwig Wangel Hedwig Wangel (1875–1961) was a German stage and film actress. Life and career Born as Amalie Pauline Hedwig Simon on September 23, 1875, in Berlin in the German Empire, Hedwig Wangel was the daughter of a music publisher. After studying acting ...

as Princess Vorontsov *

Mary Kid Mary Kid (born Marie Anna Albertine Keul; 8 August 1901 – 29 October 1988) was a German actress. She appeared in more than forty films during the Weimar Republic, but her career came to an end in the early sound era. Selected filmography * '' H ...

as Tatiana Oblonskaya * Hans Albers as Sergej Ordinsky, diplomat *

Anton Pointner Anton Pointner (8 December 1894 in Salzburg – 8 September 1949 in Hintersee) was an Austrian stage and film actor. Pointner's career began on the stages of Austria and performed in both silent and sound films in his native Austria, as well ...

as Peter Avdeev *

Günther Hadank Günther Hadank (20 October 1892, Berlin – 23 August 1973) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''Grand Hotel'' (1927) * '' Fair Game'' (1928) * ''Rasputin'' (1928) * '' Napoleon at St. Helena'' (1929) * '' M'' (1931) * ''Yorck'' (1931) * ...

as Radlow *Lidiya Tridenskaya as Anissja, the cook * Oreste Baldini as Mitensohn *David Monko as Sokolsky - secretary *

Karl Platen Karl Platen (6 March 1877 – 4 July 1952) was a German actor and cinematographer known for '' Girl in the Moon'' (1929) and '' M'' (1931). Biography Karl Platen was born as Carl Platen on March 6, 1877 in Halle an der Saale, Germany. He died ...

as Sawely, the servant

References

External links

* Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films 1928 drama films German drama films Soviet silent feature films Soviet drama films Films set in the 1910s Films set in Russia German black-and-white films Silent drama films Soviet black-and-white films Films shot at Johannisthal Studios 1920s German films {{Germany-silent-film-stub