Rasputin

Somehow or other, this real historical figure became a stock villain used by various writers. But, by far his most popular fictional appearance was in Don Bluth's *Anastasia*. His appearance there resulted in him showing up in other takes on the Anastasia myth (all three of which were made by mockbuster companies). Rasputin has become the most famous case of historical slander since Richard III, usually being portrayed as an evil sorcerer baring little to no resemblance to how he really was.

## Background

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Born January 21 1869, Died December 30 1916) was a Russian peasant, a mystical faith healer, and a trusted friend of Nicolas II. Accounts on Rasputin's life are often based on dubious memoirs, hearsay and legend. Though he may not have been as influential as he is often made out to be, Rasputin likely did play a significant role in the increasing unpopularity of the Imperial couple. He is connected with the downfall of the Russian monarchy, and his disappearance strengthened the throne. Unlike in his animated portrayals, Rasputin had always been a trusted ally of the royal family. In the end, Rasputin was stabbed by an ex-prostitute, poisoned with cyanide, shot several times, beaten within an inch of his life, rolled up in a carpet, and then thrown into an icy river. And now they keep his dick in a jar. No, really. They keep his dick in a jar. At least, we *think* it's his. Assuming it's even a real dick.

## Don Bluth's *Anastasia*

When your Disney rip-off is villain-less, and you need to throw one in at the last second, **Rasputin** is your go-to guy. Give him a call, and he'll show up with his insect minions, green demons and talking bat to fill the void, no matter how out-of-place he ends up being. Some would argue that his scenes are practically scotch-taped onto the finished product, and removing him from the film would barely change anything. They're probably right. But that doesn't make Rasputin any less enjoyable to watch, even if it *is* a bit jarring to go from historical fiction to dark fantasy every ten minutes.

### The Romanov Curse

Rasputin was the confidant of the Romanovs, until he sold his soul for power, which is fueled by a green tube thingy full of green demons. No real reason, he's just evil. In his attempt to kill the Romanovs, Rasputin met his end by falling through the ice.

### Purgatory

One day, Rasputin's pet bat Bartok was chatting with the tube thingy, when he and the thingy somehow fell into purgatory. And wouldn't you know it, Rasputin was still alive-ish, albeit in a horrible undead state (it's a lot goofier than it sounds; he's all stretchy and falling apart now). Learning that Anastasia (now calling herself "Anya" because of amnesia) was still alive, Rasputin started sending his green demons to kill her in various indirect ways. The first attempt was derailing a train, and the second attempt was making her commit suicide. Neither worked, and he decided instead to just kill her himself.

### The Final Stand

After spending some time in a clock tower for no reason, Rasputin and Bartok lured Anastasia (whose memory was restored at this point) through a hedge maze before appearing in person. This was the first time since the opening that Rasputin interacted directly with the heroes. Dimitri showed up to try and save Anastasia, but failed. After a mildly-destructive scuffle, Anastasia ended up with the green tube thingy under her foot, and began to press down. And then, Rasputin was no more.

## Golden Films

A simple man, a flawed man. Dances in bars by night, heals hemopheliacs by day. This was the life of **Rasputin**. It's strange – in spite of his skill, in spite of how the Czar himself called upon him for help, Rasputin still held ill intent towards the Romanovs. From the beginning, he planned to lead a revolution to overthrow them, and make himself ruler through clever wording and doublethink.

## Dingo Pictures

In a world where everything is flat and only two voices exist, there once was a man named **Rasputin** who was in the service of the czar. Though he had served the czar for years, and was always faithful, the Grand Duchess thought Rasputin had the face of a traitor. Not helping things was his speech impediment, which made half his dialogue completely unintelligible. So, unable to convince the Grand Duchess he wasn't evil, Rasputin gave in and decided that if the Romanovs want him to be a villain, he'll be a villain.

### The Revolution Begins

One dark night, Rasputin crept into the palace, and dropped a bomb. When it exploded, the whole place was in flames. Since nobody survived, onlookers assumed that they must be dead. Unfortunately for Rasputin, Anastasia survived, and after being mistaken for the daughter of a servant, was taken in by an old fat man with the voice of a woman. Rasputin didn't mind so much, since Anastasia had lost her memory in the explosion, and the townsfolk are too stupid to recognize the daughter of the czar.

### Rats and Witches

Six years have passed, and since Russia is a democracy in this timeline, Rasputin has decided to run for president. But, that doesn't go so well for him, so his talking rat Dirk suggests to start another revolution to get rid of democracy. Rasputin calls this nonsense, and instead calls upon Babushca, the witch with a tree growing out of her head. Before it all, Rasputin had made a deal with Babushca where he would come to power once the whole royal family had been killed. Since Anastasia is still alive, Rasputin can't come to power yet.

### The Pendant

It turns out a thief named Boris has convinced Anastasia (now going by "Asha") to come with him to Paris, so he can collect a hundred rubles for her return. So, Rasputin finds the coolest chariot ever, and takes off in hot pursuit. Unfortunately for him, the horse gets tired partway through, and Rasputin has to walk the rest of the way. Sasha comes across Dirk, and starts chasing him. Rasputin quickly intervenes, causing Anastasia to take notice. But, Rasputin doesn't realize it's Anastasia until after she's left. He gets back in the chariot to give chase, but Asha and company hide in the bushes, avoiding detection.

### Nosy Cops

Rasputin is spotted by a couple of cops, who apparently have nothing better to do than to pull random people over and poke into their business. When Rasputin calls them out on their stupidity, he ends up arrested. Asha and pals arrive at the same spot, and Rasputin pulls a sword on her, which only further confirms the cops' suspicions. Rasputin faces charges of insulting police officers, drawing a sword on a civilian, possession of a talking rat, and somehow also ends up with molestation charges out of the blue.

### Finally Caught Up

Somehow, Rasputin managed to break out of prison and catch up to Anastasia after she reunited with her grandmother. He then proceeds to stand in one place and monologue, before dropping another bomb. But, Sasha mistakes the bomb for a ball, and rolls it over to Rasputin, who goes out with a bang.

## Burbank Films

There simply was no place for **Rasputin** in the most historically-accurate Anastasia movie. Instead, the villain role was played for the first time by people who were actually there.

## *The Secret of Anastasia*

**Rasputin** did not appear in this film, and the villain role was taken by a made-up bad guy. If Rasputin *had* been in the movie, his part probably would have been played by a pipe organ or something.

## Trivia

* You know you've messed up when the *Dingo Pictures* version of the character has a larger role than the original.