"Romanovy:Ventsenosnaya semya"

I totally agree.

I don't believe that he was designing ships in Tobolsk or Ekaterinburg.  When I saw the model ship, I thought - no way would he be given any kind of sharp instrument to build a ship like that.

Also, when he meets Yakovlev, Alexei is allowed to say "Please sit", and Alexei was quite imperious.   Even my husband asked if Alexei would be allowed to talk to the man like that.

There is much fiction in Romanovy - it is just different fiction than in Nicholas and Alexandra.

Yes, I agree with the 2 different types of fiction.  Both have their truth, too, which makes it interesting to tease apart what things directors choose to glorify, and what they face more realistically.  I'm a bit too Newbie here to start a big conversation, but when I know the site better, I may see if folks here want to have a general discussion about public perceptions: where and why books/documentaries/films are overly harsh or overly sentimental.  It is especially interesting to see what modern day Russians believe.

I agree with you that it would be very interesting to find out what modern day Russians think of the perception of their history by the west and by the movie makers.


Please don't feel that you are too new.  When you are ready, let us hear what you have to say!

[my deviant=>open for comissions]

I wonder whether someone knows what Alexander Blok's poem is in that scene where grand duchesses sings at Tobolsk.

I wonder whether someone knows what Alexander Blok's poem is in that scene where grand duchesses sings at Tobolsk.

When Olga's playing the piano and the girls dance through the rooms with Aleksei? I didn't realize that was also a poem, but I believe these are the lyrics:

Начиная петь мечту, цветущий расцвет,
Исчезающий день, легкий выходящий.
Открывая окно, я видел сиреневый кустарник.
Это было весной в отъезде изо дня.

Цветы сделали выдох ? и тени ликующих покровов углубили темный карниз. 
Меланхолия душила, душа была занята,
Я бросил открытый окно, дрожа и дрожа.

И я не помню - от того, где это дышало в мое лицо,
Начиная петь, горение, она поднялась на подъезд.
Открывая окно, я видел лил


(I think either Laura Mabee or Holly found them and typed them out.)

[my deviant=>open for comissions]

yes that's the one. thanks
do you know where I can find english version?

I have what appears to be a literal translation in English, again, probably from Laura or Holly:

Beginning to sing the dream, the blossoming blossom.
The disappearing day, light going out.
Opening a window, I saw a lilac bush.
It was in the spring in departing day.

Flowers breathed out – and shadows of exulting copes have moved on dark eaves. 
The melancholy choked, the soul was engaged,
I threw open the window, trembling and shivering.

And I don’t remember - from where it breathed into my face,
Beginning to sing, burning, she ascended the porch.
Opening a window, I saw a lilac bush.
It was in the spring in departing day

[my deviant=>open for comissions]

once again thank you:)

Okay, I downloaded VLC media player and tried Firefox as the browser, but the clips on Frozentears.org won't play for me.  They do the same thing with both my browsers:  clip one is just gray screen and all the others are a frozen image.

I did manage to view the first five minutes at the link provided in one of the posts.

I will venture to ask this:  in discussing languages used, someone said the children spoke Russian with Nicholas and English with Alexandra.  So what did they speak when the whole family was together?  Was Alexandra's Russian very fluent?  Should at least some of the dialogue have been in English with Russian subtitles?

There was a scene in which Alexei talks to Alexandra in English for a while, when she was reading Pushkin to him.

I will venture to ask this:  in discussing languages used, someone said the children spoke Russian with Nicholas and English with Alexandra.  So what did they speak when the whole family was together?  Was Alexandra's Russian very fluent? 

IMO, they spoke English as a group. Nicholas and Alexandra spoke English together, and Alexandra spoke English with the children, so I suspect the entire family favored English when Alexandra was present.

Should at least some of the dialogue have been in English with Russian subtitles?

I think that would have been nice. I'm still kinda peeved that they dubbed virtually all of Alexandra/Lynda Bellingham's spoken English into Russian instead of using subtitles.

True, but I guess the film was (at least nominally) intended for the domestic Russian market - hence the dubbing into Russian.

Wonder if the filmmakers were peeved about this and if there is an original version with the dialogue as they intended?

Wonder if the filmmakers were peeved about this and if there is an original version with the dialogue as they intended?

Who knows, maybe there is a version with Lynda Bellingham's original English dialogue.
Maybe someday it will surface on the internet if it does exist.

btw If you can lip-read you can kind of tell what she's saying in English.

It is now available  at http://www.artpopdvd.com/DVD/48544.aspx English subtitles, widescreen, Ntsc US format $21.99
come and get it 

Lathe1