A black and white 10 x 8 inch photographic film still from The Assassin of the Tsar (Tsareubiytsa, 1991), the Soviet-British historical drama directed by Karen Shakhnazarov, showing Oleg Yankovsky as Tsar Nicholas II with the young Tsarevich and Olga Antonova as the Tsarina, supplied loose and unframed.

The image is a tightly framed group portrait in soft daylight against a pale background. Nicholas II stands at the left in a white summer naval tunic with a peaked white cap bearing a dark cap badge, his hair and full beard neatly trimmed. In front of him is a slight, short-haired boy in a striped sailor collar with a dark Maltese-style cross on his chest. To the right stands the Tsarina in a pale embroidered dress with long ropes of pearls, drop earrings and a very wide pale straw hat trimmed with netting and feathers. Further pale figures are just visible at each edge of the frame. The print has a plain white border on all four sides. The reverse is blank apart from the title Assassin of the Tsar written by hand in pencil in the upper middle area. There is no studio stamp, caption slip, credit line, date or other printed text on either face.

Condition & size

Pre-owned in Very Good condition. The print is clean and flat with good contrast and an even surface. The white border is intact on all four sides with no tears, creases or corner knocks visible, and there is no foxing, fading, tape, staple holes or pinholes in the photographs. The title Assassin of the Tsar has been written by hand in pencil on the otherwise blank reverse, and there is a very small spot near the upper left of the back. Light handling marks consistent with age and storage should be expected. Supplied loose and unframed. Please review all of the photographs closely, as they show the actual item you will receive and form part of this description.

Approx. 25.4 x 20.3 cm (10 x 8 in) including the white border; approx. 15 g.

Background

The Assassin of the Tsar (Tsareubiytsa) is a 1991 Soviet-British co-production directed by Karen Shakhnazarov and made at Mosfilm. Malcolm McDowell plays an asylum patient convinced he murdered both Alexander II in 1881 and Nicholas II and his family in 1918; Oleg Yankovsky plays the psychiatrist who enters the delusion by taking the role of the Tsar. Olga Antonova appears as the Empress. The film was entered into competition at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival and exists in both English-language and Russian versions. Yankovsky (1944-2009) was one of the most admired Soviet and Russian screen actors, known for Mirror, Nostalghia and Munchausen. Stills from the film are not often seen in the UK.

Who it's for

A good piece for collectors of Russian and Soviet cinema, Mosfilm and Cannes-era arthouse memorabilia, and admirers of Oleg Yankovsky. It will also appeal to Romanov and Russian history enthusiasts drawn to the Nicholas II imagery, to film still and publicity photograph collectors, and to anyone wanting an inexpensive monochrome image to frame for a study, hallway or home cinema.

Estimated Date

The image is from the 1991 film The Assassin of the Tsar, so the photograph cannot pre-date 1991. The print itself carries no date, stamp or caption, so whether it is a period publicity still or a later photographic print from the same image cannot be confirmed from the photographs.

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