nicholas and alexandra have almost everything to be a successful epic represent distinguish cast and impressive set and good production value while the only thing missing be a real epic feeling . in emphasize the personal story of the imperial couple and the director neglect the epic grandeur of the tale and period to the point that the result resemble a claustrophobic stage play full of talk head rather than a real movie that show everything that happen in the story equal thousand of soldier and thousand of civilian and the endless landscape of russia and etc . this be a shakespearean tragedy that demand grandeur and but be instead film a if it be one of those bourgeois play by chekhov about silly provincial family waste their time and life in silly provincial town . there be so many opportunity for grandeur represent the astound battle of tsu shima one of the grand battle in naval history which end the russo japanese war while the huge battle of the great war tannenberg and the brusilov offensive while the civil war between the red and the white equal all these would have make dynamic and exciting cinema . apparently the budget for the movie be exhaust in hire the all star support cast and for the epic event of nicholas reign be merely suggest by symbolic gesture represent a few soldier march here and a few civilian demonstrate there and photograph of wilhelm ii and franz joseph i to represent the enemy at world war i and etc . franklin schaffner evidently think that he be direct a stage production and where represent mighty battle and broad vista be impossible . how could that happen . the director of such perfectly excite movie a the war lord and planet of the ape ( 1968 ) and patton should have know well . all in all and a sadly waste opportunity while what could have be a brilliant epic worthy of david lean turn instead into a solid but stolid plod .