Emily Chan
So, he alleged that the film defamed his wife, Princess Irina, the niece of Nicholas II. The film showed his wife, who was portrayed as “Princess Natasha,” as a devoted follower of Rasputin.
In the movie, she was hypnotized and assaulted by Rasputin, making her unfit to be a wife. In reality, that had never happened to Irina. She hadn’t even met Rasputin before.
An MGM researcher even pointed out the inaccuracy to the studio during production. She warned that the Yusupovs could sue, but the studio fired her for speaking up.
Irina ended up suing the studio. In court, it was argued that audiences would associate the movie with the Yusupovs since they were the only significant characters still alive.
The jury sided with Irina, and she was awarded about $125,000. The court’s decision that the film’s disclaimer should’ve stated that it was not meant to portray factual events led to it becoming the norm in every Hollywood film from then on.
