Nicholas and Alexandra

Nicholas and Alexandra is a historical drama about the reign and downfall of Russia's last emperor. It follows Nicholas II from 1904, as he confronts war with Japan and growing demands from his people for a representative government, through the birth of the long-awaited heir, Alexis. When the boy is found to suffer from hemophilia, the empress Alexandra turns to the Siberian peasant Rasputin, believing he can ease her son's condition, while revolutionary forces gather strength against the throne. The film traces how the imperial family's private troubles and the tsar's political failures converge in revolution, exile and captivity.

Franklin J. Schaffner directed the film, which came after Patton and before Papillon in his filmography. James Goldman wrote the screenplay, and Sam Spiegel produced it for Columbia Pictures and Horizon Pictures. Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman lead an extensive credited cast as Nicholas and Alexandra, with Roderic Noble as Alexis and Ania Marson, Lynne Frederick and Candace Glendenning as some of the grand duchesses. Running just over three hours, it was released in late 1971.

On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 16 reviews, while on TMDB it has 6.9 out of 10 from 81 votes. The gap is modest, with general viewers rating it somewhat more warmly than professional critics did.