"Actor: Mikhail Alekseyev"

• The Fall Of The Romanoff Dynasty | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  No revolution has been portrayed on screen more vividly than St Petersburg (Petrograd) in October 1917, and if what we see in Soviet films of the 1920s is not exactly the truth as it happened, The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty confirms that even fact can be reinterpreted. Esfir Shub’s 1927 documentary uses a wealth of archive footage--beginning with Romanov tercentennial celebrations in 1913, and ending with the Bolshevik takeover four years on. Here truth really is fashioned into myth: it’s good to have Oleg Donskikh's introduction and continuous commentary as to what actually happened, pointing out economies with the actualité on a scene-by-scene basis. The musical score consists of a medley of Russian favourites, pounded out on an electric piano, making for a rather limited, though not inappropriate, soundtrack. On the DVD: the additional documentary essay is a useful overview, worth consulting beforehand; the on-screen Romanov photo collection reproduces well and is a valuable bonus. The documentary has been digitally remastered, the 4:3 aspect ratio having excellent clarity. Stylishly packaged, this is a period piece of considerable historical and cultural importance. --Richard Whitehouse