Nicholas & Alexandra (1971) · 105 quotes
Most-quoted character in Nicholas & Alexandra (1971): in 33 of its 105 quotes
Most scenes with: Alexandra (5), Tsarevitch Alexei (4), Alexander Kerensky (2)
The boy will bring us luck. It has all changed. I have a son to fight for now. We will smash the Japanese and drive them from Korea and I do not care what the cost will be!
Tsar Nicholas II The Russia my father gave me never lost a war. What shall I say to my son when his time comes? That I was weak? That I had no pride? We shall fight on to victory.
The English have a parliament. Our British cousins gave their rights away; the Hapsburgs, and the Hohenzollerns, too. The Romanovs will not. What I was given, I will give my son.
I did not want to do this tour. But God, I so love it when they stand and wave!
Stolypin is a good man. They always kill the good ones... I cannot find a match. Does anyone have a match?... It happened with my grandfather, too. He helped the serfs; he freed them. So how did the peasants express their gratitude? They threw a bomb at him. Damn those revolutionaries. You try to help them by giving them what they want, and what do you get for it? Bombs, gunshots, assassinations! I want them rooted out. I want something done, do you understand me? I want them paid in kind!
Tsar Nicholas II I didn't want to come on this tercentenary tour, Pyotr Arkadyevich. But, God help me, I do love it when they stand and wave.
Tsar Nicholas II He's a good man. They always kill the good men, the ones who help the most. They killed my grandfather. He freed the serfs, you know. He helped them, so they threw a bomb. Stolypin is a good man. I can't find a match. ... Damn them all. You help them, and they kill you for it. Give them dumas, and they give you bombs. I want them paid in kind. You understand me? I want something done.
Tsar Nicholas II Our diplomats will send some angry notes, a few generals will go on exercise, and everyone will be sensible again. All over Europe, the kings and queens are sleeping safely in their beds. And that's what we are going to do.
Tsar Nicholas II I've often thought I should like to be a country gentleman. I've always liked to watch things grow.
Tsar Nicholas II Mama's off to England in a month or so. She says the spring was late this year but very beautiful. Lord, but it's good to be alive! The world is like a field in summer, bursting with good things. One day, when all the wars are over, someone young will lead us to the harvest. As long as there are children, anything is possible.
<Showing tears of joy>: 'Mon cher!' (My good man!)
Tsar Nicholas II "A son? I have a son?"
"Eight pounds."
Tsar Nicholas II "And Sunny? Is she all right?"
"Oh yes. Shall I make the announcement?"
Tsar Nicholas II "It is incredible. I have a son!"
Opening scene. The Tsaritsa is in labor as Dr. Botkin tends to her. The Tsar is waiting anxiously that the pregnancy is without issue
Great news!
Tsar Nicholas II Is it a son?
Yes! Eight pounds.
Tsar Nicholas II And Sunny, is she all right.
Indeed, Your Majesty. Shall I make the announcement?
Tsar nods and Count Fredericks departs. Tsar is tearing up with joy
Tsar Nicholas II{talking to himself}: It is incredible, I have a son!
Tsar Nicholas II How many dead?
Sir, we are still counting; but it is estimated to be in the hundreds.
Tsar Nicholas II Who gave the order to fire upon them?
Your Majesty, nobody ordered it.
Tsar Nicholas II You run this government. Somebody had to have ordered something!
Would you have gone out to meet them?
Tsar Nicholas II Of course not.
Would you have given them a Duma? Allowed them to have elections? Had schools and hospitals built for them?
Tsar Nicholas II How could I?
Then why bother to inform you about this? You would not have done anything!
Tsar Nicholas II What you have done for the Empire in the years since Witte retired has been nothing short of a miracle.
I am not the one holding Russia together, you are! Here are the plans for the Tricentennial Tour across all of Russia. The tour is going to be long and taxing, but it is important that the people see that the dynasty is permanent and strong.
Tsar Nicholas II Anything else?
I have these as well. Stolypin produces a dossier Police reports about Grigori Efifvomitch Rasputin. Drunk half the time. Carousing with women all throughout Saint Petersburg. Whores, officer's wives, you name it. I was also shown these.
Stolypin shows Tsar anti-monarchy cartoons. One depicts a topless Tsaritsa and another shows the Tsar and Tsaritsa sitting in Rasputin's lap
Tsar Nicholas II Damn it, what is wrong with the Ohkrana? Can't 10,000 secret agents find a printing press?
It is a network. The agents cannot find them all. You need to send Rasputin back to Pokrovskoe, or at least somewhere away from Petersburg. They are talking about it in the Duma.
Tsar Nicholas II Damn that Witte! He made me give a parliament to the people.
I do not like the Duma any more than you do but it is better for the commoners to feel they have a voice in government instead of being wooed by the rebels. Still, people are wondering why you invite Rasputin to be around your family.
Tsar Nicholas II You know why.
I do, but the people do not!
Tsar Nicholas II So the concern is they don't understand Rasputin. You say I should do something to clear the air, sure. How about this for the announcement: "Citizens, your Tsarevitch could have a nosebleed and die from it!"
You have got to banish Rasputin, I cannot control the situation if you do not! People think he goes to bed with your wife and daughters, of all nasty rumors!
Tsar Nicholas II The problem is if I kick out Rasputin what will happen for...
Alexei!
Your Majesty, are you all right?
I am all right Nagorny, you caught me. You will always be there for me.
Tsar Nicholas II My decision stands. I have seen your conduct in public. I have read the reports. I am seeing you as a matter of courtesy, the same as I would for any of my ministers or like members of court. If you have come to plead...
I have come to say goodbye.
Tsar is somewhat taken aback that Rasputin wants to leave of his own volition
I don't like Saint Petersburg. It makes me drink. And when I drink, the women come on to me. I know these peasant women but in Petersburg, whew! I am homesick for Pokrovskoe. Is Matushka upset with me?
Tsar Nicholas II She will not so much admit you take a drink, let alone...No.
She is a saint. If you need me while I am gone, just pretend that I am there. I only sit and listen anyway.
Your Majesty, a telegram from the Kaiser. He offers his help in the Serbian mess.
Tsar Nicholas II You see, I knew I could count on Willy!
With all due respect to your cousin, sire, the Kaiser is a deceitful megalomaniac. If he is offering to help us out, then we really need to start praying.
This one cannot get to the colors fast enough!
Your Majesty, may I present the head of the Foreign Ministry, Minister Sazarov.
Gentlemen, at ten past seven, Germany declared war on Russia.
Tsar Nicholas II May God save Russia!
Flag officers [in unison]: God save the Tsar!
I have come to congratulate you, Nicky.
Tsar Nicholas II What for, Mama?
For finding, in all of Russia's countless cretins, idiots and incompetents, the men least qualified to run your government!
You have to stop being out here on the front lines and get back to Tsarskoe Selo, where you belong! Rasputin is in Saint Petersburg, running it all into the ground! If you do not act now, we will be ruined and madmen will come!
Tsar Nicholas II What should I do?
Hang him! Send him to the gallows! I do not wish ill on any man, but so many Russians are going to die if you do not!
Tsar Nicholas II I cannot.
Then send him to Siberia! Get back home, send Alexandra to Livadia and take charge of everything!
Tsar Nicholas II Rasputin lives in Siberia. Besides, what am I to do when my son has a hemophilia attack and Sunny needs Rasputin's help?
Do you believe that? Do you honestly and seriously believe that? Millions of Russians are going to starve to death and be murdered, and all because you cannot say no to your wife! In that case I ask you, Nicholas, what can you do?
Tsar Nicholas II Just what I am doing.
I wish your father were still alive. He would know what to do!
Tsar Nicholas II Don't you dare throw him in my face!
Why shouldn't I? He would have burned Vienna down, bombarded the Germans, hung the rebels, shot the strikers, anything to give Russia peace! And he would certainly know what to do about Rasputin! Your father knew how to be a Tsar!
Your Majesty, I have an urgent communique. A riot in Saint Petersburg!
Tsar Nicholas II Riot? This cannot be, we are at war! This must be some joke!
No joke, sire. Workers are on strike and people are raiding warehouses. The Army refuses to open fire on them.
Tsar Nicholas II Telegraph this to the Military Governor. All riots are to be stopped at once. Martial law is to be declared. The Duma is to be dissolved. I return to Saint Petersburg immediately.
I only hope there is someone in Saint Petersburg to read our orders.
Tsar Nicholas II Tell me, Dr. Federov, if my son, as the future Tsar, were to stay behind to be educated in Russia while my family traveled abroad, how much longer would he be likely to live?
Deprived of your love and care, it is hard to say. There are no real statistics on this. It is a matter of luck and chance, Your Majesty. One could hope he could live a long and normal life, as we do for everyone. However, given my speculation on his medical issues, I would say...twenty would be a good age.
Tsar Nicholas II In a few months, these will be turnips.
And when they grow, will we still be around to eat them?
Tsar Nicholas II All we do is dream of England. We have been very happy there.
England will not accept you.
Tsar Nicholas II Won't accept? King George is my cousin!
He does not seem to want you, either. He has got his own station to worry about.
Tsar Nicholas II Yes, I must not make trouble for...
Neither will the French. They are at war to save liberty. You were an autocrat.
Tsar Nicholas II Damn it! I am a father with a family! Is there not any way? How about Finland? It is only thirty miles away!
I would never get you out of Saint Petersburg alive. Are you aware that I am all that stands between you and the block? You will be safe under my administration, you have my promise on that. There is blood enough on everybody's hands; I will not have yours on mine. A fine mess Russia in in. Treasury is empty. The Radicals want this, the Socialists want that, the Kadets want the other thing. The Bolsheviks want this, the Mensheviks want that. I could not throw them in jail even if I wanted to! You had power but no laws; I have laws but no power.
Tsar Nicholas II I wish I could help.
You had your chances. I sure hope I get mine.
Look! I found Tobolsk on the map!
Now remember, girls, you are princesses. You are to carry yourselves as such at all times. If I hear of any misbehavior, I shall be deeply upset.
Do not worry, Vladimir, we will be good.
Help Mama and Papa.
I have assigned Colonel Koblinsky to watch over you until I can arrange for a way to safely exile you. His orders carry all the weight of mine.
Nicky, this is horrible! I want my clothes, I want my cosmetics, I want my jewelry!
Tsar Nicholas II Dear, those are only things. Things get broken, they get mislaid, they get dusty. The important fact is we have each other.
Frau Romanova, you have kept your head. I recommend you show gratitude for that.
Why did you abdicate for me? You never asked!
Tsar Nicholas II I did not want you to have to pay for my mistakes.
Am I not paying for them now? Are not we all?
Do you realize I am a military officer representative of a nonexistant government? Kerensky is gone; the Americans were able to smuggle him into exile. Lenin kissed up to Germany by giving away land and gold to get out of the war; now he has another war on his hands.
Tsar Nicholas II I have not heard much of wars these days.
The Bolsheviks are being threatened with civil war. They just commissioned the Red Army to defend their newly-seized power. Challenging them is the White Army. Mensheviks, Radicals, anarchists, Monarchists, they are all in the fight.
Tsar Nicholas II Will you join up?
My fighting days are over. Whatever side I join; I will kill Russians. Too haunting for me. I will just look after this spot of land. Do you have any money?
Tsar Nicholas II Not much, why do you ask?
Soldiers have been unpaid; the stead is in need of upgrades.
Tsar Nicholas II The prisoners keep the guard? [chuckling] I should have nominated you as my Minister of Finance; you would have revolutionized the penal system!
]
"Witte had tea with me today."
Tsar Nicholas II "Oh, did he?"
"He ate all my sturgeon but he never stopped talking. Clever man! He talked about the war like everyone else. He thinks..."
Tsar Nicholas II<cutting her off>: "I know what he thinks."
"Nicky, will you please let me finish. I know I am not as clever as everybody makes me out to be but I do know this. Witte thinks we cannot afford wars. They are too ambitious. I very much agree with him. We are an 18th Century nation trying to make it in a 20th Century world. Get out of Korea and forget about Japan. We need all our strength, resources, and money to look after Russia. Do not waste it on those little yellow Buddhists, pagans, or whatever the heck they are called. You only encourage them by taking them seriously."
Tsar Nicholas II "I am 36 years old, Mama. You must let me look after this war on my own."
"It is as your father always said..."
Tsar Nicholas II<again cutting her off as she has hit a sore point>: "Thank you for your kind advice."
"May I say something intimate?"
Tsar Nicholas II "In public?"
"I will whisper it."
Tsar Nicholas II "Well, if you must."
"Nicky, I adore you."
"One finds these in Saint Petersburg everywhere. The drawings are crude, but you get the idea of what they mean."
Tsar Nicholas II "Damn it! What is wrong with the Ohkrana? Cannot 10,000 secret agents find a printing press? I want it stopped!"
"It is not just one printing press. The agents cannot find them all. Nobody knows why you have allowed Rasputin into the palace."
Tsar Nicholas II "You know why."
"Yes, but the people do not."
Tsar Nicholas II "I suppose I should tell them, shall I. Very well, I shall make the annoucement. <Somewhat stately voice> "Citizens, your Tsarevitch could have a nosebleed and die from it."
I have these as well." [Stolypin hands the Tsar a dossier] "Police reports on Grigori Efifmovitch Rasputin. Drunk half the time. Chases after all the women of Saint Petersburg. Oh, he is generous with himself, I will give him that, it is his only Christian virtue. Whores, officer's wives, the list goes on. You have to banish him from the palace; away from Saint Petersburg. I cannot control the situation if you do not. People are spreading rumors that he goes to bed with your wife and daughters!"
[Sarejevo, Serbia. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Crown Prince of Austria, and his wife are riding in a motorcade waving to spectators. A man comes out of the crowd and guns them both down. Scene changes to Tsarskoe Selo. The Tsarevitch Alexei awakens screaming as it was a nightmare of his. The Tsar, Tsaritsa, and their four daughters are awakened by the screaming and run to Alexei's room to see what is the matter.]
"What is it Alexei, what is wrong?"
"It is all right darling, we are here"
"There were royals in a car; a man shot them..."
Tsar Nicholas II "You were dreaming about Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This is what happened..."
Tsaritsa Alexandra<interrupting him>: "Nicky, please do not tell them those horrible things."
Tsar Nicholas II "Sunny, they are not children anymore. They have to know these things. Franz Ferdinand's assassination is bad for the royal family of Austria. It is also an unbelievable burden and sadness for the family of the assassin. You see, sometimes governments do things their people do not like. So the people react in different ways. The British vote. The Americans frequently remind their leaders they must be loyal to the U.S. Constitution. And the Serbs throw bombs. You see, Serbia wants its independence. But Austria will not grant it to them. So the Serbs resort to violence. It has happened in this country too sometimes. Your great-grandfather was killed by a bomb, so was Uncle Sergei. But Serbia is a long way away. Our foreign ministry will write some angry letters to the Serbian leaders, our generals will go on exercise and everything will be right again. And we do not need have bad dreams about archdukes. All over Europe kings and queens are sleeping safely in their beds, and that is what we are going to do too."
[The Tsar is meeting with his flag officers to discuss troop movements as the Austrians have engaged in a military exercise near the Russian border. It looks imminent that Russia will be hurtled into the First World War. Retired Prime Minister Witte is trying to convince the Tsar not to agitiate any other nation. He is sending a recieving telegrams to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, the so called "Willy & Nicky" correspondences]
"Your Majesty, good news. I have a personal telegram from the Kaiser offering to mediate between us and Austria!"
Tsar Nicholas II "I knew I could count on Willy! You see?"
"With all due respect to your cousin sire, the Kaiser is a deceitful megalomaniac. If he is offering to help, then it is really time for us to start praying."
You never see unpleasant things, you drift away. I even wonder if you hear me half the time.
