Overview
A royal family's tragic downfall unfolds against the chaos of revolution.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- mournful
- solemn
- intimate
- historical film night
- classic cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the performances, sumptuous production design, and photography while finding the epic overlong, bloated, and dramatically unwieldy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story repeatedly shifts attention from Nicholas and Alexandra's private family life to the revolutionary pressures surrounding the Romanov court.
Critics consistently highlighted the detailed production design, photography, costumes, and elaborate depiction of imperial Russia.
Nicholas's rule, court isolation, revolutionary unrest, and the family's inability to respond effectively form the film's central historical arc.
Alexis's painful secret binds the Imperial Couple to Rasputin and influences the family's relationship with the wider court.
Films like Nicholas and Alexandra, and why
Doctor Zhivago
sumptuous historical epic centered on a royal couple amid revolutionary upheaval and political collapse
War and Peace
sweeping period drama portraying aristocratic life, social transformation, and the pressures of a changing Russia
The Last Emperor
grand historical drama about an isolated ruler, court politics, and the decline of an imperial order
Reds
tragic historical epic combining intimate family drama with violent political revolution and richly detailed production design
Movie Details
- Director
- Franklin J. Schaffner
- Release Date
- 1971-11-29
- Runtime
- 189 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Michael Jayston
- Janet Suzman
- Roderic Noble
- Ania Marson
- Lynne Frederick
- Candace Glendenning
- Fiona Fullerton
- Harry Andrews
- Irene Worth
- Tom Baker
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Nicholas and Alexandra about?
- A lavish and mournful historical epic follows Russia’s last imperial family as dynastic secrecy and revolutionary upheaval draw them toward catastrophe.
- What is Nicholas and Alexandra like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Nicholas and Alexandra as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Nicholas and Alexandra violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Nicholas and Alexandra as moderate.
- What did critics think of Nicholas and Alexandra?
- Critics broadly admired the performances, sumptuous production design, and photography while finding the epic overlong, bloated, and dramatically unwieldy.
- Which films are like Nicholas and Alexandra?
- Films with a similar feel include Doctor Zhivago, War and Peace, The Last Emperor, and Reds.
- How long is Nicholas and Alexandra?
- Nicholas and Alexandra runs 189 minutes.
- Where can I watch Nicholas and Alexandra?
- In United States, Nicholas and Alexandra streams on fuboTV.
