Is the docu-drama about Romanov family, the last royal family of Russia that ruled till the Russian revolution. It provides an interesting peep into the events leading up to to their de-throning and the utter chaos that Russia reeled under during that regime.
The story begins from the throning of Czar Nicholas ii in 1894 and ends in 1917 when he was de throned and later executed.
It’s a 6 episode drama that is interspersed with docu style interviews of history professors/authors and real footages. The hybrid style works well to provide facts along with entertainment.
Performances wise the actors have done well. The costumes and get ups are good. Background music is superb. The sets and set up are regal. They seemed to have flawed a bit on the accents though. Some of the bits seem over dramatized and the language used is a little off as per that era. But that can be easily taken in the stride. Some incongruities and inaccuracies have also been claimed by some critics though I failed to notice those.
What I loved was reconnecting the bits of history that we had read long back, to the real life dramatization. Some intriguing facts about the mythical figure of Rasputin and his controversial influence on the royal couple was astounding. Knowing in detail ,the literal cascade of catastrophic decisions that Nicholas and his wife made and their utter disregard to the realities outside the palace and appalling conditions of masses was mind boggling. In spite of their misgivings , one pities them for their foolishness and ignorance when they were so harshly executed.
Overall I found the series very interesting. It’s a good watch for those who love period dramas and of course for history buffs too.