"Romanovy:Ventsenosnaya semya"

[Romanov_History_Buff]

Does anyone know if any of them speak English? Besides Bellingham (Alexandra) i know she was dubbed but what about the four who did OTMA... they did well in this so imagine what could happen in english films!

[bestfriendsgirl]

I'd wondered of Lynda Bellingham was dubbed ... thanks!

[Alixz]

I know that I saw a clip of the movie somewhere and Lydia Bellingham was speaking English while everyone else was speaking Russian.  I have always thought that acting in two different languages must be difficult.  But it happens in the so called "spaghetti westerns" that were filmed in Spain and Italy and the US actor who is the hero is speaking English, but everyone else is speaking either Spanish or Italian.  In that case the rest of the cast is dubbed into English later for the English speaking audience.

[Sunny]

I watched it for the first time yesterday and i loved it so much. There are some mistakes (like Olga's transfusion, i think: never heard about it!) but i loved it anyway. I was very curious to know about the song Denisov play on his mandoline, "Reginella", since it is Italian but i don't know it. I did a little search, and I thought you could be interested to know something more!

The song "Reginella" is a traditional Italian folk song. I haven't found a version of it that is instrumental, but I have found version of it where someone sings lyrics too.
Here is an audio sample

Thanks to Laura, you can listen to it.
What i can add is: "Reginella" in italian is the pet form of the word "Regina" = "Queen" so, "little queen", more or less.
It is a folk song, but not know everywhere in Italy. It is from Naples, and it is not in Italian, but in the dialect of Naples. Since i live far from Naples (i live in the north - west just near Nice) i don't understand entirely the dialect of Naples, so i looked for a translation.
Here i give you all: original in naples dialect, italian translation, (my bad) english translation ^^

ORIGINAL
Te si' fatta na vesta scullata,
nu cappiello cu 'e nastre e cu 'e rrose...
stive 'mmiez'a tre o quatto sciantose
e parlave francese...è accussí?
Fuje ll'autriere ca t'aggio 'ncuntrata
fuje ll'autriere a Tuleto, 'gnorsí...

T'aggio vuluto bene a te!
Tu mm'hê vuluto bene a me!
Mo nun ce amammo cchiù,
ma ê vvote tu,
distrattamente,
pienze a me!...

Reginè', quanno stive cu mico,
nun magnave ca pane e cerase...
Nuje campávamo 'e vase, e che vase!
Tu cantave e chiagnive pe' me!
E 'o cardillo cantava cu tico:
"Reginella 'o vò' bene a stu rre!"

T'aggio vuluto bene a te!
.........................

Oje cardillo, a chi aspiette stasera?
nun 'o vvide? aggio aperta 'a cajóla!
Reginella è vulata? e tu vola!
vola e canta...nun chiagnere ccá:
T'hê 'a truvá na padrona sincera
ch'è cchiù degna 'e sentirte 'e cantá...

T'aggio vuluto bene a te!


Ti sei fatta un abito scollato
un cappello coi nastri e con le rose
te ne stai in mezzo a tre o quattro signore
e parli in francese: e così?
Era ieri che ti ho incontrata
era ieri a Toledo, si.

You've made for yourself a low – necked dress
and a hat with ribbons and roses
You're standing among three or four ladies
and you speak in French: and so?
It was just yesterday when i met you
It was yesterday, in Toledo.

Ti ho voluto bene!
E tu hai voluto bene a me!
Ma non ci amiamo più
ma a volte tu, distrattamente,
pensi a me

And i've loved you!
And you've loved me!
But we don't love each other anymore
But sometimes you, casually, you thinks of me.

Reginella, quando eri con me
non mangiavi che pane e ciliegie
Campavamo di baci, e che baci!
Tu cantavi e cantavi per me
E il cardellino cantava con te:
Reginella, vuoi bene a questo re!
Ti ho voluto bene!

Reginella, when you were with me
we only ate bread and cherries  [= to be very poor]
We lived on kisses, and what kisses!
You sang, and you sang for me.
And the goldfinch sang with you:
“Reginella, you love this king!”

I've loved you!

Ohi, cardellino, chi aspetti stasera?
Non vedi? Ho aperto la gabbia!
Reginella è volata via? E vola anche tu!
Vola e canta, non piangere più.
Trovati una padrona sincera,
che sia più degna di sentirti cantare

Ti ho voluto bene!

Ehi, goldfinch, who are you waiting for tonight?
Don't you see? I've open your cage!
Reginella is flown away? Fly away you too!
Fly and sing, and don't cry anymore.
Find for yourself a sincere master
More worthy of you singing!

I've loved you!


Hope you enjoyed it!!

One thing more: OTMA wonder where Denisov taught to play on the mandoline, and one of them stats that maybe he learned by himslef. Well, we should have been really good and talented, that Denisov, because i've played mandoline for a while - with a teacher - and it was not easy at all!

[GrandDuchessAndrea]

Thank you for that lovely translation, Sunny! But why would a Russian soldier have been playing a Italian song?
And Olga did not get a blood transfusion, you are right.
I love this movie too!

[blessOTMA]

The film is remarkable and really stands out. There was no transfusion.... I believe that scene  is to stand in for physical contact between them that would be impossible . However Olga did suffer from what was called anemia  in late Oct of 1915 and was given a series of arsenic injections as a tonic...if you can believe it. I'm working on a post about that. Alix's niece,  Princess  Alice of Greece also received an arsenic injection as a  "tonic" after serving in front line hospitals during a 1912 wear between Greece and Turkey. Popular as a tonic for "low spirits" in the 19th century, by this time in the 20th such injections  were mostly used to treat syphilis!

[Sunny]

But why would a Russian soldier have been playing a Italian song?

I know for sure that Italian love songs were very popular at the time. I bet those who played them did not know the words (i assure you dialect of naples is very difficult to pronounce)! But anyway; BTW also lyrical dramas were mostly in italian, apart from Wagner (urgh. I don't like his music tho'. urgh) and most people sang italian lyrical songs without knowing a word of Italian. Just an example: all Mozart's lyrical pieces are sang in Italian. Mozart composed the music and italian writers wrote the words. Maybe someone of you have heard "Le nozze di figaro" "Il barbiere di Siviglia", "Don Giovanni" (Don Juan)

BTW: Olga can't pronounce "Reginella"  It's not with a hard "g", as you all pronounce it. It would be REGHINELLA. Sound "g" in italian is similar to sound CH in english, but a G and not a C. Spmething like GH. I cant explain it bettere because there isn't this sound in english, and even not in French, so i can't make comparison, alas. Do anyone knows IPA? IPA trascription for "Regina" is [re'ʤina]

[GrandDuchessAndrea]

What do you mean, Olga can't pronounce Reginella? Was that something in the movie that I've forgotten about? Or in your novel?

[Sunny]

What do you mean, Olga can't pronounce Reginella? Was that something in the movie that I've forgotten about? Or in your novel?

I mean: in english and russian the correct italian sound for "G" before vowel i is not known. So in the movie, the actress playing Olga pronounces it wrong ^^

[DIANE]

i found a very interesting trailer made by a fan
http://youtu.be/t5FWdInGgZ8

i think the actors, most of all tzar and tzarina are not very similar ( as other movie's actors were) but the movie is very focalized on every character personality
i appreciated it very much!
And watching it in russian improves my kwoledge of language ^^

[Bryndis]

It's probably my favourite "royal" movie. I try to watch it at least every year on someone's birthday.
I just loved how accurate the locations looked and the clothing as well.
I agree, it's nice to know the girls apart just by looking at them, sadly they lost their hair very early in the movie.

I got it from Laura's site, so thanks you so much Laura!

[ConanDrogo]

I love this movie too. My mom and I sat down and watch it one day. Even though we had to read the subtitles because they were speaking in Russian and surprise my mom actually love the film. She actually thought it was interesting (I was shocked, I was like who are you and what have you have with my mother). She didn't like the massacre scene though and she ask me if that really happened and I say yes but I didn't tell her how really really bad the massacre was or what they did to the bodies.

[Sanochka]

I just watched the movie in its entirety on Youtube.  I understood very little of the dialogue, but the magnificent acting, along with a knowledge of what happened and therefore knowing what to expect, made words almost unnecessary.  I must admit I fought back tears during certain scenes, especially the one in which the family leaves the Alexander Palace for the last time.  This movie will stay with me for a long time.

[Maria Sisi]

I LOVE this movie!!! They really did a good job capturing the spirit of the family. The actors, costumes and art direction were fantastic.

I found it interesting they snuck in a small semi-romance between Olga and that soldier as well as a blood transfusion when there is no proof of any of those yet didn't show anything between Maria and the soldiers when that's been at least talked about actually happening.

I also found it strange that they for the most part completely skipped over the poor treatment they received from the soldiers who were guarding them. The small conflicts they showed (the sling shot/prisoner photos) seemed pretty tame when you consider what they actually did go through.  

It's also too bad they didn't show the last meeting between Nicholas and Maria Feodorovna on the imperial train right after the abdication but I guess it was a money/running time issue which is too bad as it could have been a great scene.

Overall I still love the film although I wish it had been a full length mini-series and not just the end of their lives.

[Kimberly]

Slightly o/t but Linda Bellingham is dying. This brave lady is stopping her chemotherapy treatment in November so as to enjoy a final peaceful Christmas with her loved ones.