Maria Rasputin, born Matryona Rasputin in 1899 ... Maria and Varvara were given 50,000 rubles by Empress Alexandra and told to flee. The whole Romanov family was soon killed by the Bolsheviks.

After Alexei recovered, Tsarina Alexandra became convinced that Rasputin could control the young boy's illness. While there is still debate over the nature of his powers over the health of Alexei ...

It is an inside look into the private lives of Nicholas and his wife Alexandra (Janet Suzman ... the Imperial Couple to the mystical Grigori Rasputin (Tom Baker), and the eventual execution ...

Take, for example, Grigory Rasputin, the Russian priest who exerted huge influence over Alexandra, the last Tsarina of Russia, and thence over the Tsar and, in an autocracy, the government of Russia.