New Nicholas & Alexandra Video - Mini Series? Part I

[Robert_Hall]

Lenin was part of the story,  especially his brother's   involvement in A II's death. Other than that, he really does not show up much until the end.
 A docudrama on Lenin would be another story altogether. Same with Stalin, but I think that has been done.
 IMO, this should not get too involved  in the political developments  in Russia.  Of course  they must come up,  as well as the war and revolutions, but to keep attention,  the focus should remain on the family and their interaction with each other and the European royal scene. This was and "end of an era" drama Tragic as the  real end was, it was historical fact.
  I have recently  heard of a  docudrama  of the Miloslavic rule,  but starting with Tito.  That sounds boring as, well, toilet water. And I mean the flush type.
  Have no idea about much of that is going to come to realisation.
 So a project of this type would need   resources in all directions. Especially writers and other talents.

[Alixz]

I am just not sure that the bourgeois lives of Nicholas and Alexandra and their children are interesting enough without the historical an political events woven in. Just as was done with the original Nicholas and Alexandra.

To be sure, they are of interest to us, but the general public brought up on Vampires and Aliens and Hunger Games where twelve and fourteen year old heroines take charge and rampage through unbelievable story lines, the lives of a dull, suffocated, and very Victorian family won't get much attention.

No Vampires with a heart of gold or young women who fight for their lives. Just a simple religious family who died together without putting up much of a fuss.

[Robert_Hall]

Well, much  more has been done with Victoria, whom I find one the most boring of royally stories.
 Wars and political events feature into this scenario.  So does the glamour and drama of their lives. It would take a great creative team to make it  a  success

[Kalafrana]

'However I also think he needs to at least be mentioned and shown on screen a couple of times...otherwise the audience would probably start asking "what about Lenin?", lol. It might be a little awkward & abrupt to introduce him only in our sixth and final episode. Too important a figure in my opinion to be marginalized completely. A rather conspicuous absence.'

There needs to be a balance here. Fall of Eagles having an entire episode on Lenin was really too much (what we got involved a lot of bickering between revolutionaries). But Lenin popping up intermittently so that we know what he and other revolutionaries are doing is a different matter. We also need to see the disunity among the Romanovs (how about a scene where Miechen presides over a dinner party and holds forth about the uselessness of Nicholas and Alexandra?)

Ann

[Alixz]

Robert - I thought about Victoria when posting before and you are right.  She is boring in the films about her.

And Titanic is staging a comeback, but it is the love stories that make all of the Titanic moves interesting to the audience. The made up love stories. Sure the ship sinks and everyone knows that it is going to do so, but they watch for the love stories of Jack and Rose and the other one in A Night To Remember.  Or the evil one where Tim Curry played a ship's crew member where he snuck around and raped and hurt young women. Of course he died in the end and got his "just desserts".

When anyone who has read the original Nicholas & Alexandra and then saw the movie knows how the story line had to be cut and manipulated and enhanced to even make it understandable on the big screen, how could anyone think that every nuance of their lives be covered even in a big production of 6 hours or more?

It took me, in the beginning, a long time to understand the difference between Maria Pavlovna the Elder and Maria Pavlovna the Younger and I studied the whole thing.

This mini series would endeavor to educate a whole group of people who know nothing or next to nothing about N&A except that they were involved with Rasputin and murdered in 1918. I still remember seeing the original N&A for the second time in the movies with a very intelligent friend who had graduated 6th in our class from high school and 10th in her class from college. I spent the whole time explaining to her what was going on and I annoyed those sitting around us by talking too much. There was a lot she still didn't get and, to this day, still doesn't understand or care about.

Even Romanovy made up a love story between Olga and a soldier.  Their real lives were just too boring to be interesting, except to those who study it as we do.

Even Fall of Eagles can't be watched by the uninitiated without a score card.

I do think it would be fun to do a story about their lives. A documentary. But I am also a realist. And all of you must know that a movie about Victoria or any historical figure is attended with about 1/3 of the house full, while Hunger Games had young people lined up around the block for a midnight showing.

[TimM]

That's the nice thing about this board, I can discuss the Romanovs without other peoples eyes glazing over with incomprehension.  If me and my friends went to see N&A, I would be in the same situation as Alexz, namely having to explain everything.

[edubs31]

That's the nice thing about this board, I can discuss the Romanovs without other peoples eyes glazing over with incomprehension.  If me and my friends went to see N&A, I would be in the same situation as Alexz, namely having to explain everything.

I agree, but we also should allow for the fact that this is 2012 and there is hope that someone mildly interested in the subject could spend all of 30-60 minutes on Wikipedia learning some of the basics. If you already have an appreciation for history and are something of a quick study ishouldn't be too hard to read through some stuff on lunch break and then tune into episode one of this here mini-series later that evening...

[Robert_Hall]

The times are few and far between when I introduce someone to the subject.  But I have done it many times. And not just about the Romanovs. I would give a briefing before a movie, not during. Then a follow up after. All my friends  are well aware of my interests and come to all the time with questions, which I am happy to answer. Now, with Madonna's WE coming out [when ?]  Interest in Wallis and Edward is beginning to grow. I think I am prepared for that now, although I had not paid much attention to them in the past.
 So, if this  miniseries were to be produced, especially the way I would envision it, I would be promoting it, hopefly without boring the uninitiated.

[TimM]

I agree, but we also should allow for the fact that this is 2012 and there is hope that someone mildly interested in the subject could spend all of 30-60 minutes on Wikipedia learning some of the basics

Yeah, they could do that, or they could come here.

[Kalafrana]

Madonna's film has appeared over here, and been panned by all the critics.

As to Nicholas & Alexandra Mk II, how about a companion website (not possible in 1971), with historical summaries and potted biographies of the characters?

Ann

[edubs31]

Madonna's film has appeared over here, and been panned by all the critics.

As to Nicholas & Alexandra Mk II, how about a companion website (not possible in 1971), with historical summaries and potted biographies of the characters?

Ann

Sounds good and would be easy enough to do. They could enlist some of the good folks here to create it for them (provide the subject matter at least if not the graphical imagery) and throw a bone by linking some of the bios directly to the AP...a little "click here to learn more about Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna" type of thing at the beginning or end of the summary.

You could also watch full episodes right on the same website helping to draw some extra attention to the content. Of course the majority of the public who might be very mildly interested in such a mini-series probably wants to be required to do little more then sit in front of their television each Sunday night...only lifting a finger to use their remote. Here is another reason why a 2018 target date would make most sense to me...there ought to be some added buzz surrounding the project with the hundreth anniversary of IF murders. You'll probably see a few biography type programs pop up (60 Minutes special if you're lucky!) and, hell, maybe even the History Channel will do it's part for once :-)

This all in a way of generating some interest, like free advertising, for the project.

[Kalafrana]

If I remember correctly, both 'Tora, Tora, Tora' and 'The Battle of Midway' helpfully gave the names of characters as they appeared. with modern technology and remote controls it would be possible for viewers to click on the name and have something come up along the lines of 'Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna the Elder is the scheming and ambitious widow of Nicholas's uncle,' or 'Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich is Nicholas's dashing but dissolute young cousin.'

Ann

[Robert_Hall]

Thank you Ann. I am not surprised  by the panning of WE.  That might be why it has not opened here yet.
 I like your idea about a website for the N&A  2. And the episodes would show up on YouTube as fast as they were released.  That is how I keep up with Eastenders.
 
 Now that we have all these great ideas and talent, how do we get it done ?
 BTW, there have been at least a dozen shows already on the Romanovs,  from PBS, Nat. Geo. History, etc. This would have to top them all.

 And, I do not think [I could be mistaken] that the anniversary date would mean much to the  majority of the possible audience.  We can see if the Titanic is an example, as it's anniversary is coming up.

[edubs31]

And, I do not think [I could be mistaken] that the anniversary date would mean much to the  majority of the possible audience.  We can see if the Titanic is an example, as it's anniversary is coming up.

Anniversaries are just an excuse to release these type of projects in the first place...but you're right it'll be interesting to see how much publicity the Titanic gets. So far as I can tell, not a lot. If it hadn't been for the fact that they are re-releasing the worldwide mega hit film on DVD I'm wondering, sadly, if the story might have sunk (no pun intended) without a trace. I guess we still got three weeks until the actual anniversary however...

For that matter I haven't seen much done on the War of 1812 either. There was a little History Channel program on it last year that was nice to see, but not much besides that from what I found. Of course that war wasn't terribly successful for the United States so no wonder there is less hoopla surrounding it.

But regarding the Romanovs this type of mini-series we are talking about sounds like several year in the making...in which case it would only make sense to try to tie it in closely with the anniversary of the events.

[Robert_Hall]

If I understand correctly,  FoE took 2+ years to film and another 2 in post production, editing and such.
 Actors usually cannot commit to such a long filming  time, so their roles are carefully choreographed around their schedule. They also cost money, and the longer they stay, the more they cost.
 This is just for a series like what we are talking about. Movies are another matter altogether where the players are contraced to stay with the film until it is finished. Even if their scenes are done with. They can still be called in for retakes and such.
 Obviously N&A, and the other major roles would stay  for their parts, but minor roles would come and go. AS we are talking about a rather long time period. the children would take several  actors for their various ages. I do not know would be done about Alexei
 In  the case of the Titanic, as far as I have seen,  tonnes of useless books have come out, mainly reprints of volumes that came out when the film did. And there are 2 Titanic "museums" opening in the UK, Belfast and Southampton I think.  WE shall see if they float or sink. I think it was Alixz who said the main attraction  for the film was the love story. But the spectacular  production  drew crowds as well. Of  course there  was a lot of hype about it before it opened.
 I have been to not a few Titanic exhibitions and they always draw crowds so there is some sort of audience draw built in.
 Perhaps the same tactic would work with our N&A ?