Time Out, 13 November 1991, by Rick Jones
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That Hollywood should have considered Jacques Deval an 
expert in Russian history on the strength of this quaintly 
fanciful, loosely political 1930s romance doesn't say much 
for either of them. Still, it's a pleasing diversion with 
entertaining performances from its leading quartet.

A brace of post-revolutionary royal Russian refugees, Prince 
Mikhail Romanov (cool, nonchalant and apparently ageless 
Robert Powell) and haughty Natalia Makarova--great 
deportment, very sexy accent) are in Paris, skint and down 
to their last Imperial sword. Actually, the Prince has four 
billion francs, but honour forbids him to touch them until 
the Tsar has been restored. The Romanovs have a bright idea: 
get a job. They take positions as servants to a politically 
"gauche" financier (from a left bank, presumably) and 
socially gauche wife (the excellent Rowland Davies and 
Frances Cuka). The employers' arrant snobbism and the topsy-
turvyness of a world in which masters are servants provides 
an excuse for some high-class comedy.

Then Gorotchenko, the new commie oil minister, comes to 
dinner and the subversion of roles takes on a poignant edge. 
Gorotchenko persuades the Romanovs to part with the billions 
for the good of Russia. The royals accept that the Tsars are 
now history and reluctantly croak out the word "Tovarich" 
(comrade). Deval, of course, had no way of knowing that by 
1990, the Tsars would be planning a come-back.



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