In the end it's a measure dolt tale of how power corrupts. Look more closely and it's also a reworking of the Rasputin Story. The Russian monk and faith healer who cares for the moribund child of the Tsar and worms his way into the Romanov stock purely to be assassinated by political opponents. Rasputin was also called Gregory and the Hemmings character is called Rast...spell that backwards and what do you get.
As to how long this movie has been here. Does the lack of comment mean that no-one has watched it? I do hope not, for they know not what they have missed.