The Romanov Family Portrait
Background[]
The House of Romanov was the last Imperial Royal Family to rule Imperial Russia. They reigned for over three hundred years (1616-1916 in the movie, 300 years, and 1613-1917 in real life, 304 years). Because Imperial Russia was ruled by a dynasty, the members of the family were either called Grand Dukes or Duchess, because they were more 'grand' than any other European royalty. The rulers were Tsar and Tsarina: Emperor and Empress. Their empire spanned one-sixth of the Earth’s total landmass, spanning four continents, those being Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania, and was the third largest empire to ever exist on the planet, behind only the British and Mongols. The present-day countries that were part of their empire include not just modern-day Russia, but also Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and parts of Poland, Turkey and the United States (those being Alaska and small parts of Hawaii and California). Their empire had land borders 13 other countries with Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan, China, Korea, Japan, Canada and the United States.
The members of the last Imperial Family were Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna, and Tsarevich/Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich.
Downfall[]
The downfall of the Russian Empire and the Romanovs came to an end when in 1916, Tsar Nicholas II hosts a grand ball at the royal palace celebrating the 300th anniversary of Romanov rule. His mother, the Dowager Empress Marie, comes and gives her favorite granddaughter, 8-year old Anastasia, a music box which plays their lullaby, "Once Upon A December" and a necklace that says 'Together in Paris', which is the key to wind the music box. It is their special secret.
Rasputin interrupts the ball and Nicholas scolds him for returning to the palace. Rasputin claims to be Nicholas' "confidant". Instead, Nicholas brands Rasputin as a traitor and orders him out of the Palace. Enraged, Rasputin curses the family- they will all die within the fortnight- and vows to Nicholas that he will refuse to rest until the Romanov line is destroyed- forever.
Execution of the Romanov Family and Escape[]
Rasputin sells his soul in exchange for the powerful, unholy reliquary to destroy the Romanov family, sparking a revolution for revenge. His revolutionists, the Bolsheviks, with the help of the demons from the reliquary break open the palace gates, and charged through, causing destruction upon the palace, including toppling the statue of Nicholas II.
Anastasia was with her grandmother, Dowager Empress Marie, during the attack and evacuation, calling out for her father, and Nicholas tells his children to hurry. Everyone else was fleeing from the palace for their lives.
Anastasia leaves her grandmother's side when she forgets her music box that she she was given, and Marie follows calling after her. Anastasia runs into her bedroom and grabs her music box, no sooner that she picks it up and puts it into her coat pocket the sound of a rifle is heard from the other side of the bedroom door indicating that the rest of the family have been shot and now the two are now trapped in the midst of the chaos.
Then, a 10-year-old kitchen boy named Dimitri (who had been watching Anastasia and Marie during the ball), crawls through a secret passageway in Anastasia's room and bravely risks his life to save them by leading them through the passage to escape out the servant's quarters. But as Anastasia escapes through the door her music box falls out of her pocket and Bartok, Rasputin's assisstant and sidekick, alerts him that they're getting away . Anastasia tries to get her music box but is forced to leave it behind. Dimitri insisting that they go quickly while they still could. Moments after Dimitri closes the passage door, three of the invading Bolsheviks, Rasputin's revolutionists, burst into the room. One had a rifle and the other two searched the room, demanding to know where Marie and Anastasia are. Dimitri distracts them by throwing a lamp at them and is knocked unconscious by the but of the rifle, collapsing in front of the music box Anastasia left behind. We find out later he saves the music box in hopes of remembering the royal family.
After escaping the palace, Anastasia and Marie are running through the dark, windy night trying to stay hidden. They cross a frozen river and under a bridge. Rasputin, who is watching them escape from atop the bridge clutching his magic reliquary, jumps down with a scream as he is attempting to finish Anastasia with his bare hands. The snow crashing in their faces harshly makes the evil man miss his aim, so he throws his reliquary to the ground beside him and takes one leap ontop of the girl, only managing to latch onto her right foot. Not being able to see Rasputin in time, Marie loses her grip on her grand daughter and watches in horror as he begain violently thrashing Anastasia's leg in the dangerously thin icy waters. The young dutchess is clothed in black tights and slippers now soaking wet from being dragged in the deep snow. "Rasputin!" the empress screams as she helplessly clings onto Anastasia's arm. She tries to help her from Rasputin crushing grip now tighting along her ankle with both of his bony hands. But it’s no use. "Let me go, please!“ Anastasia begs in fear as he yanks her closer, the toes of her snow covered foot trailing through his long evil beard. With the magic reliquary being out of reach, Rasputin has no other way of finishing her off besides snapping her neck or drow her in the river beneath them- fullfilling his curse and ending the last Romanov. "You'll never escape me, child.." he earily threathens her. "NEVER!" Taking one hand off her ankle in the attempt to reach further up, they feel the ice beneath them beginning to crack. The crack starts near Anastasia's leg and it soon begins to crumble under Rasputin. He realizes once his arm falls into the river, nearly pulling the girl's leg with him, he screams in fear for his life and becomes paralyzed. Twisting around her ankle in his loosening grip, Anastasia kicks her foot free and her grand mother pulls her away fron the hole in the ice before Rasputin tries drowning her along. Yelling out out for his sidekick, and deperately clawing for his reliquary, Rasputin gets sucked into the freezing waters. They both watch as he violently drowns in the river, leaving the reliquary behind.
Finally, when Marie and Anastasia reach the train station, it is chaotic. A sea of people, all panicking, boarding, and ready to leave. Anastasia and her grandmother eventually reach a moving train, but only Marie manages to get on. Anastasia and Marie managed to reach out and grab each other's outstretched hands, but the train speeds up and they are torn apart. Anastasia trips and hits her head on the station platform, knocking her unconscious, forcing Marie to leave her behind. What happens to Anastasia is a mystery until the story begins again, 10 years later.
After[]
In the ten years after the palace siege, it is revealed that the Bolsheviks had killed Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra, and four of their five children, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Tsesarevich/Grand Duke Alexei. (It is not said in the movie specifically when, where, or how the family was killed, but it is assumed they died the night of the attack). The only known Romanov to have survived is Tsar Nicholas's mother, Dowager Empress Marie, who now lives in Paris. The Catherine Palace, the home of the Romanov family, has long been abandoned and looted of its treasures, a ghost of the past looming silent and defeated in the city.
Russia is now under communist rule (although again, it is never directly said but is implied, as well as being well-known to be true), and the population sings of how tough life is- but the one bright spot in their days is their gossip: St. Petersburg is abuzz with the rumor that Anastasia may still be alive. The Dowager Empress Marie has offered a substantial reward to whomever can find her missing granddaughter and bring her back to Paris. Dimitri, now 20, along with his business partner, the former nobleman Vladimir, have a foolproof plan to get it.
"One look at this jewellery box, and the Empress will think we've brought the real Anastasia," Dimitri tells Vlad, showing him the music box that Anastasia had dropped while fleeing the palace. (It is important to note that no one but Marie and Anastasia know that it's actually a music box.)
Meanwhile, out in the countryside just past St. Petersburg, an 18-year-old woman called Anya leaves the orphanage she has lived in for the past 10 years, since the Revolution. With no memories of her past prior to that night, the only clue to her past is the small, flower-shaped key necklace she has always had, that bears the inscription "Together in Paris". With guidance from a small puppy, Pooka, who she comes across, she decides to forsake her arranged job at the fish factory and heads to St. Petersburg to find out who she is and to find her future.
There, the paths of Anya and Dimitri will cross and the journey to the past and the future begins, and the fate of Anastasia will be revealed.
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