About the Movies |
Who was Ivan the Terrible? |
Ivan the Terrible is a two-part historical epic directed by Sergei Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin), which was commissioned by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, who identified with Ivan. Each part is approximately an hour and half long. Part One was released in 1944, but Part Two wasn’t released until 1958, after both Eisenstein’s and Stalin’s deaths, because it had been banned by Stalin, who didn’t like the depiction of Ivan in the second part. There had been a third part in development, but its production was halted and footage destroyed with the banning of Part Two.
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Ivan IV Vasilyevich (1530-1584) was the Grand Prince of Moscow and in 1547 was the first to be crowned Tsar of all the Russias, uniting Russia under his rule. This move put him at odds with the boyars, members of the highest feudal rank.
The Oprichnina was an organization of secret police created by Ivan in reaction to his paranoia about the boyars. Although Ivan is well-remembered for his harsh treatment of the boyars and other nobles, he was generally popular among the Russian commoners. |
Part One
Part One tells the story of Ivan’s coronation as Tsar of Russia, marriage to Anastasia Romanovna, and uneasy relationship with the boyars, including his aunt Efronsinya and cousin Vladimir. The plot includes Ivan and his friend Kurbsky going to war against the neighboring Khanate of Kazan, the claim that the Tsarina’s family holds too much political power, and a boyar rebellion against Ivan. When Ivan has a near-death experience following his win in Kazan, Efronsinya convinces their relatives to swear loyalty to Vladimir. Kurbsky alone remains loyal. Ivan sends Kurbsky to protect the western border and Alexei Basmanov, a new ally, to protect to Crimean border. While Kurbsky and Basmanov are away from Moscow, Efronsinya poisons the Tsarina, just as Ivan learns that Kurbsky has defected to the enemy. In mourning, Ivan wonders if God is punishing him and questions his ability and authority to rule. Basmanov returns and tells Ivan to surround himself only with loyal, iron men and offers his son Fyodor as the first of the Oprichnina. Ivan decides to leave Moscow until the people beg him to return to rule with absolute power.
Ivan is depicted as a well-intentioned ruler, who wants to bring glory to Moscow, calling it “the third Rome” (implying it’s the spiritual successor to imperial capitals of first, Rome and second, Constantinople), but is surrounded by political intrigue and disloyal subjects. The boyars are shown attempting to convince Kurbsky to betray Ivan after the storming of the palace by commoners fails to achieve political change. The common people of Russia play an important thematic role. By ending the movie with Ivan’s decision to rule only with the approval of the people, it calls to mind not only the historical truth of Ivan’s popularity with the commoners, but also Stalin’s political philosophy that the government should be elected by the people.
The movie alternates between lots of dialogue and long silent sections set only to a musical soundtrack. Song plays an important storytelling role in the movie; many scenes include choral songs with lyrics describing the conflict between Ivan and the boyars. Shadows are also used to convey characters’ power and control.
Ivan is depicted as a well-intentioned ruler, who wants to bring glory to Moscow, calling it “the third Rome” (implying it’s the spiritual successor to imperial capitals of first, Rome and second, Constantinople), but is surrounded by political intrigue and disloyal subjects. The boyars are shown attempting to convince Kurbsky to betray Ivan after the storming of the palace by commoners fails to achieve political change. The common people of Russia play an important thematic role. By ending the movie with Ivan’s decision to rule only with the approval of the people, it calls to mind not only the historical truth of Ivan’s popularity with the commoners, but also Stalin’s political philosophy that the government should be elected by the people.
The movie alternates between lots of dialogue and long silent sections set only to a musical soundtrack. Song plays an important storytelling role in the movie; many scenes include choral songs with lyrics describing the conflict between Ivan and the boyars. Shadows are also used to convey characters’ power and control.
Part Two
Part Two follows Ivan’s return to Moscow, his consolidation of power, and the worsening relationship between him and the boyars. Ivan seizes land from the boyars, installing them as managers instead of owners, to reduce their power and expand his own. This conflict comes to a head when the boyars’ spokesman confronts Ivan, who then vows to be exactly what they call him: “terrible.” The boyars decide their only course of action is to assassinate Ivan.
Meanwhile, Ivan and Fyodor determine that Efronsinya was responsible for the Tsarina’s death. Ivan invites Vladimir to a banquet, gets him drink, and convinces him to try on the tsar’s outfit. While Vladimir is dressed like Ivan, he gets mistaken for Ivan and is assassinated. Efronsinya, expecting to celebrate Ivan’s death, is horrified to find her son has been killed instead. Ivan sentences her and proclaims with Russia’s enemies within have been dealt to, so now he can turn his attention to the enemies outside. The big theme in Part Two is color. While Part One was entirely in black and white, Part Two uses color film for about 10 minutes towards the end to showcase its importance and the culmination in the struggle between Ivan and Efronsinya and Vladimir. |