Peter the Great (1986, NBC Productions) A made for TV mini series. Maximilian Schell is Peter the Great, Vanessa Redgrave portrays Sophia, Omar Sharif plays Prince Feodor Romodanvsky, Trevor Howard is Sir Isaac Newton, Laurence Olivier is King William of Orange, Elke Sommer is Charlotte, Ursula Andress plays Athalie, Mel Ferrer is Frederich, and Jeremy Kemp portrays General Patrick Gordon --- The movie is about Peter the Great beginning around 1682. It shows the struggle between Peter and his sister, Sophia, and the Streltsy (a crack corps of military begun under Ivan the Terrible). With singleness of mind, Peter forces the Russian people into the then modern world. The mini-series movie is extremely long (a little over 6 hours). Therefore, it would be best to take it in bits and pieces. Moreover, there are many sections that our family fast forwards through as adult issues are presented.
Young Catherine (1991) Vanessa Redgrave is Empress Elizabeth (daughter of Peter the Great's second wife), Christopher Plummer plays Sir Charles, Maximilian Schell is Frederick the Great, Reece Dinsdale portrays Grand Duke Peter and Julia Ormond is Catherine --- Strongly recommend reviewing the movie first. There are no nudity scenes, but there are topics of an adult nature which parents may wish to fast forward through.
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) Incredible and tragic story of the life of the last Russian czars. Based on the book. (183 minutes, color)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971, Mirisch Company) Starring Topol --- Based on stories of Sholom Aleichem in pre-revolutionary Russia. Many humorous incidents in the movie along with terrific musical performances. I use this to instruct our girls that after the timeframe of this movie, during the Revolution, the communists also performed progroms, except that the Christians were placed in village squares to be machine gunned down.
Doctor Zhivago (1965) Omar Sharif as Yuri Zhivago, Julie Christie as Lara Antipova, Geraldine Chaplin as Tonya, Rod Steiger as Komarovsky, Alec Guinness as Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago -- PG 13, 183 minutes, color --- This movie is set just before the Bolshevik Revolution. Zhivago, a doctor/poet, marries and has his life disrupted by WWI only witness and experience the horrors of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Song To Remember (1945, Columbia Pictures) --- This movie is based on the life of Chopin with the music played by Jose Iturbi. Cornel Wilde plays Frederic Chopin (NOTE: Chopin's Polonaise pieces were those of patriotism for his country, Poland, under the heavy hand of the Tsar).
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