Christopher Lee has always been a towering presence in horror movies, but the role of Rasputin proves Lee's gifts extend beyond the genre that made him famous. Barbara Shelley also gives an outstanding performance as Sonia, the Lady in Waiting to the Russian court that falls under Rasputin's hypnotic spell. Despite the compromised aspect ratio, none of the wide screen compositions are severely effected. Shadow detail comes up a bit short in some of the darker scenes, making the picture appear a bit flat. Colors reproduce with a natural level of saturation, which is better than I expected from DeLuxe color elements from the mid 1960s.
Flesh tones are fairly natural and there are no problems with either chroma noise or bleeding.
Solid authoring and dual layer technology prevent any noticeable traces of digital compression artifacts. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack provides respectable fidelity and will take a fair amount of amplification without distortion. Dialogue is always clean and intelligible. The basic interactive menus have a smattering of music and provide access to the standard scene selection feature, as well as the DVD's extras. Topping the list is an audio commentary featuring cast member Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews and Suzan Farmer.