FIRST RUNS : OPENING

The San Francisco Bay Guardian

MYSTERY OF LAST TSAR

The discovery of the mass grave of the assassinated royal family of Russia in 1993 brought out a few public-television explanations, including a DNA-oriented special on NOVA. The makers of this film had already been at work on the subject for about three years at the time of the discovery, and continued using science, handshakes, and gallons of vodka to hammer away at the truth of the executions. The framing of that truth is not far in style from an Unsolved Mysteries episode ----yes, there are reenactments, “expert” testimonials, and an intriguing network of theories all cut together very cleanly. But there is also a more incisive approach to the material, the sites in Russia, and the pondering of the skulls, and a legitimate sifting through the murk that led to the death, demonization, and the canonization of Russia’s royal family. (Crouse) Roxie

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