I leoni di Pietroburgo

Forget the Russian revolution and forget Anastasia ;it could be a spaghetti western transposed to the snow-covered plains .

It's actually an insipid tale with too many scenes taken by force from Robin Hood :the hero's parents (aristocrats) were killed when he was still a little boy (one could only dream of how a director such as Mario Bava would have treated this scene),and he became an outlaw ,who would steal from the rich and give to the poor (mujiks versus Boyars ).

The Eldar/Pavel rivalry might have fitted the "rebels versus establishment" concept,had their characters been clearly defined .Mark Damon (not akin to Matt) was a sword and sandal hero and Gary Wilson goes out of his way to look threatening,mad and evil but both performances are third-rate ;as is Erna Schurer's act as the "the sexiest whore in Saint -Petersburg" ;editing is absurd as the last picture of the movie shows.Or the trial and the "he 's a noble" Coup De Theatre.

This kind of movie can be entertaining,as Riccardo Freda proved with his "Aquila Nera" (1946);and he did not need the blah blah of the opening scene,which would like to make us believe this is inspired by historical facts .