History Fridge / Anastasia

* Rasputin was indirectly responsible for the ended up creating the Bolsheviks, which of course led to the rise of Lenin. It gets worse than that: because Lenin was a known figure of the revolution and the founder of the Soviet Union, Rasputin indirectly led to the rise of Stalin, who was responsible for the deaths of millions. In other words, Rasputin has a massive (albeit indirect) body count in the form of military and civilian casualties, POW executions, etc. What's more because of his actions, the Cold War happened, and then UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin (whose grandfather actually knew the man) rose to power and is obsessed with recapturing the lost glory of the Soviet Union, which eventually led to the war in Ukraine.

*** Not sure about that one. It's one thing to kill a comparatively unknown (at the time outside of Russia) rival politician, it's another to kill royalty residing in exile in a foreign country. Tons of Russian aristocrats and members of the Imperial family lived out their lives all over the world, especially in France, England, the US, and certain parts of China. Plus, she's living under an assumed name (Anya) with a former peasant.

** Furthermore, what would happen if he found out that one of the Romanovs had survived? Considering that Trotsky was killed in Mexico and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yevgeny_Miller#Illegal_rendition an exiled White General was kidnapped from Paris during the Great Purge]], Anastasia and Dmitri might not exactly be safe wherever they go.

** Furthermore, what would happen if he found out that one of the Romanovs had survived? Considering that Trotsky was killed in Mexico, Anastasia and Dmitri might not exactly be safe wherever they go.

* Well, when one thinks about Rasputin's role in real life, the revolution may as well be '''''technically''''' and ''partially'' his fault after all. In the end, he did in fact have quite some influence over the Czarina's political decisions, as she appointed him as her personal adviser. One of his many poor decisions was to appoint several common serfs as government officials, of whom ''not one'' [[BookDumb could read or write]]. However, the fact remains that he neither led the revolution nor that he did it because he was evil; he did it because he was, to put it plainly, an idiot, if a genuinely well-meaning one.

* In the scene cut from Rasputin's clock tower to the room Anastasia and her new-found grandmother, both scenes are raining? It's a lovely [[{{Symbolism}} symbolic]] juxtaposition between the antagonist and the protagonist. The rain around Rasputin's tower is a rolling lightning storm, reflecting Rasputin's undying hatred for the Romanovs as he plots Anastasia's death. [[{{Foil}} In contrast]], the rain by Anya and the Grand Duchess's room has them looking back on their family memories, reflecting how cathartic and refreshing it is as the two relive their familial love.

* A musical one; Rasputin's VillainSong has a few interesting riffs in it, audibly in a major scale at some points. But of course it does; the man's ''ecstatic'', with Anastasia being within reach (even if not exactly found yet). With most of the Romanovs dead and his primary concern being the family as a whole, rather than any given member, this marks a NearVillainVictory for him... he's not just scheming, he's celebrating.

* Dimitri's past. The prologue shows he was knocked out after saving Marie and Anastasia. A small boy captured by an army of violent soldiers, who would hate him for even working at the palace? That does not sound good. And even if he survived that, he'd still be abandoned in post-Revolution Russia... You can bet he had a pretty bad time, seeing as he went from a selfless little boy who risked his life to help Anastasia escape to a dishonest conman.