Messages

106

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: alexandra's nervous habits

« on: August 22, 2006, 03:54:16 PM »

thank you....finally someone recognizes what i am saying without becoming defensive.  i am one of alexandra's biggest fans and have great empathy for her.  if you can get the A&E documentary entitled, "Nicholas & Alexandra", you will find that she exhibited these signs of nervousness (i.e. the exaggerated bowing) way before the 1913 tercentennary.  at the beginning of this film, there is footage of them in a procession and it is way before 1913, as evidenced by the age of the children, and she is doing the heading bobbing thing.  also in this film, there is footage of her at one of her bazaar's that she used to sponsor in the crimea.  she is working at one of the booths and talking to someone and you can tell she is extremely nervous.....she is obviously flushed in the face and keeps wiping her brow nervously.  God love her....she was always trying her best to carry out what she saw as her responsibilities in a position that she was never prepared for.  increases my admiration for her.

107

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: alexandra's nervous habits

« on: August 22, 2006, 12:23:21 AM »

please.....you misunderstand what i am saying.  i meant no disrespect to alexandra or to the custom of bowing to the people.  all i am doing is remarking about the way she did it.  it is evident that she is not comfortable with it and it is one of many ways that she always exhibited her nervousness and insecurity.  and i was wondering if anyone else noticed any other nervous habits of hers.  i can think of more....but i am curious as to what others think.  that's all.

108

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: alexandra's nervous habits

« on: August 21, 2006, 09:23:04 PM »

i do realize that they are old films...but that is not the case with this.  she does it in every film when they are on parade.  there is even one film in which alexandra and her mother in law were both in the procession and you can notice the difference between the way the two carry themselves.  the dowager empress is very smooth and graceful with her bowing and alexandra is not.  also in the book, "a lifelong passion"  one of the relatives remarked about the way alexandra bows to the people.  i am not making fun of her.....i just think that it gives strong evidence of her difficulty at handling her role as a public person.  she was very shy, nervous, and insecure.  i admire her for coping with all of the difficulties of royal life as well as she did.  she just was not emotionally equipped for her role.

109

Alexandra Feodorovna / Alexandra's nervous habits

« on: August 21, 2006, 08:07:59 PM »

Alexandra had many nervous habits,  but one really stands out to me when i watch documentaries on the Romanov's.  it is her excessive and exaggerated head bobbing (bowing) to the people whenever the family would appear in public.  i know that when someone marries into royalty today, they are very carefully coached on protocol and proper behavior....but i don't think Alexandra was given enough of it.  it is almost comical to watch.  makes me all the more sympathetic to her though.  has anyone else noticed  major nervous habits of the empress? 

110

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Re: Alexandra and her Health Part 2

« on: August 20, 2006, 12:12:45 AM »

if there are any doctors who participate in this discussion forum, maybe you could enlighten me on something......i have often wondered if a being a hemophilia carrier can make a person more susceptible to other illnesses.  i am thinking that maybe some of alix's health problems can be directly related to her hemophilia gene.  has any research been done on this?  thanks for any information you can give.

111

The Final Chapter / Re: Imprisonment, Last Days & Death of Romanovs in 1918

« on: August 14, 2006, 12:25:59 AM »

also....is it written about anywhere whether or not the tsar's mother held a grudge against her brother in law, king george, for denying nicky assylum?  i would imagine there would have been some harsh words exchanged at some point.  i try to put myself in her place...and when i do, i think i would have a hard time forgiving him.

112

The Final Chapter / Re: Imprisonment, Last Days & Death of Romanovs in 1918

« on: August 14, 2006, 12:20:49 AM »

so i am gathering, from what ortino said, that there was never any chance of the tsar or his family escaping.  possibility might have been if king george would not have rescinded his offer of assylum to the imperial family....but that is already water over the bridge.  and the bolsheviks could have made it difficult even if they had been guaranteed assylum somewhere.  is that the general consensus?

113

The Final Chapter / Re: Imprisonment, Last Days & Death of Romanovs in 1918

« on: August 12, 2006, 09:04:11 PM »

what a terribly sad, sad tragedy.  the tsar and his family were star crossed from every direction.  it's seems that nothing ever worked out for them.  the only part of their lives that was left untouched was their love for each other.  and that, i think, is what draws us all to them.

114

The Final Chapter / Re: Imprisonment, Last Days & Death of Romanovs in 1918

« on: August 12, 2006, 02:19:57 PM »

i would like to know how the tsar's mother, sister, uncles, and cousins were rescued.  it seems like, if they could flee the country, then, the tsar and his family could have somehow made it out too.  i don't understand this completely.  i know the tsar was stubborn and naive, but surely he had to see the danger that he and his family were in the longer they stayed in russia.  you would think that he could have made his own escape a bargaining issue for his abdication.  in other words, "i will abdicate the throne as soon as my wife, children and i are safely out of the country."  i think the provisional government would have done it just to be rid of them and not to have to worry about what to do with them.  this really baffles me.  any insights on this?

115

Their World and Culture / Re: Imperial Women's, Men's and Children's Clothing & Accessories

« on: August 11, 2006, 11:46:38 PM »

i didn't realize that nylon wasn't invented yet.  thank you for that info.  i have never been to the crimea either....but it is as far south as turkey...and in pictures you can see palm trees.

116

Their World and Culture / Re: Imperial Women's, Men's and Children's Clothing & Accessories

« on: August 11, 2006, 06:26:58 PM »

i still think they had to have been uncomfortable.  don't you find stockings too hot for summer?  the nylon tends to make you sweat.  also,  when the humidity is high, there is no way i can wear long sleeves.  i know that it was victorian custom to cover well...but i can't understand how they could look so cool and comfortable.  i know i would look drenched, flushed, and miserable.....lol.  especially in the crimea, which is almost desertlike conditions.

117

Their World and Culture / Re: Imperial Women's, Men's and Children's Clothing & Accessories

« on: August 09, 2006, 11:00:35 PM »

being the type of person who dresses for comfort as well as style, i find it difficult to understand how the grand duchesses tolerated the clothing that they had to wear in the summertime.  all those layers and hats and stockings.......and in the middle of the summer!  maybe the humidity was really low in russia or something.  but if they had summer weather like most of us have, they had to be very uncomfortable.  can anyone enlighten me on this?

118

Films and TV shows about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Nicholas & Alexandra hosted by Jack Perkins

« on: July 07, 2006, 09:37:41 AM »

To one and all:  This video can be purchased at amazon.com.  It is the best documentary I have seen on the Romanovs so far.  Very emotional because of all the family footage.

119

Having Fun! / Re: NAOTMAA and Their Looks

« on: July 04, 2006, 01:23:30 AM »

i think tatiana and anastasia look like their mother's side of the family and olga and maria look like their father's side.

120

Films and TV shows about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Nicholas & Alexandra hosted by Jack Perkins

« on: June 21, 2006, 10:56:34 PM »

on the A&E video  titled "Nicholas and Alexandra"  there is choral music that plays over and over throughout the film.  does anyone know what these songs are?