Synopsis
Navigating the deadly waters of Stalinist politics, Eisenstein was able to film two parts of his planned trilogy about the troubled sixteenth-century tsar who united Russia. Visually stunning and powerfully acted, Ivan the Terrible charts the rise to power and descent into terror of this veritable dictator. Though pleased with the first installment, Stalin detected the portrait in the second film—with its summary executions and secret police—and promptly banned it.
Cast
| Ivan the Terrible | Nikolai Cherkasov |
| Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna | Lyudmila Tselikovskaya |
| Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya | Serafima Birman |
| Vladimir Andreyevich Staritsky | Pavel Kadochnikov |
| Malyuta Skuratov | Mikhail Zharov |
| Alexei Basmanov | Amvrosi Buchma |
| Fyodor Basmanov | Mikhail A. Kuznetsov |
| Prince Andrei Kurbsky | Mikhail Nazvanov |
| Boyar Fyodor Kolychev | Andrei Abrikosov |
| Nikola, a simple beggar | Vsevolod Pudovkin |
Credits
| Director | Sergei Eisenstein |
| Written, produced, and directed by | Sergei Eisenstein |
| Cinematography | Andrei Moskvin and Eduard Tisse |
| Original music by | Sergei Prokofiev |
| Lyricist | Vladimir Lugovskoi |
| Production Design | Issac Shpinel |
| Costume design | Leonid Naumov |
| Makeup | V. Goryunov |
| Sound | Vladimir Bogdankevich and Boris Volsky |
Disc Features
- Multimedia essay on the history of Ivan the Terrible by Joan Neuberger, director of the Center for Soviet Studies at the University of Texas at Austin
- Deleted scenes
- Drawings and production stills
- New English subtitle translation
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
From the Current
Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II
by Apr 23, 2001A majestic synthesis of disparate forms, Sergei Eisenstein’s final film seems to be as much a ballet or an opera or a moving painting (or a mutant kabuki show) as it is a movie. As elaborately scored by the distinguished composer Sergei Prokofiev, the two-part Ivan the Terrible...
Related Films
The Auteurs Forum
Displaying 0 discussion topics.
