Ivan Groznyy I (1944)
Genre: Drama / History
Duration: 103 minuten / 95 minuten (VS)
Alternative titles: Ivan the Terrible, Part One / Ivan de Verschrikkelijke, Deel 1 / Ivan Groznyy / Ivan the Terrible, Part I / Ivan the Terrible / Иван Грозный I
Country:
Soviet Union
Directed by: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Stars: Nikolai Cherkasov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya and Serafima Birman
IMDb score:
7,6 (11.840)
Releasedate: 11 November 1944
Ivan Groznyy I plot
When Tsar Ivan IV comes to power in 1547, he promises to unify Russia and recapture lost territories. However, he soon learns that Kazan has declared war on Moscow.
Actors and actresses
Czar Ivan IV
Czarina Anastasia Romanovna
Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya
Prince Andrei Kurbsky
Czar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov
Czar's Guard Aleksei Basmanov
Fyodor Basmanov
Vladimir Andreyevich Staritsky
Boyar Fyodor Kolychev
Novgorod's Archbishop Pimen
Reviews & comments
wibro
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- 11590 messages
- 4098 votes
Both part I and part II re-watched last week. It had been almost 20 years since I last saw this diptych by Eisenstein. At the time, given my high score (4.0*), I was quite enthusiastic about it. Why, that is a mystery to me, because I now had the greatest difficulty watching both films. Boring. That is all I can say about it. Too bombastic and far too theatrical. Not a shadow of the silent films that Eisenstein made in the twenties. Stalin banned the second part, I read. Probably because he was shocked that Ivan the Terrible looked too much like him. Stalin and that Ivan also had a lot in common. Both suffered from persecution mania, which led to them eliminating their opponents at the slightest suspicion. Ivan Grozny used the secret service Oprichniki that he had created for this purpose and Stalin the NKVD. So, from a historical point of view, this diptych by Ivan Grozny is still somewhat interesting, but that is all that can be said about it.
3.0* after revision
Translated from Dutch · View original
Kiekerjan
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- 119 messages
- 106 votes
A Soviet epic in which the creation of Ivan the Terrible is followed. He is depicted by Eisenstein as a heroic, yet vulnerable figure with an iron will. This first part focuses on the conquest of Kazan, the beginning of the Livonian War and the betrayal of the boyars. This time, therefore, no 'current' view of the political landscape, in which countless Bolsheviks strive for ideological unity and the proletariat is mercilessly crushed. The acting is remarkably agile and expressive throughout the film, but that does not necessarily appear inappropriate in this context. The actors communicate mainly through eye contact and body language and not so much verbally, which quickly catapults you back twenty years in time. Fortunately, the acting never becomes as impenetrable as, for example, Laurence Olivier's Henry V, although you do have to get used to it. In terms of content, it is not equally strong across the board and a few large leaps in time and space can transport you rather abruptly from one period to another. The theme does not appeal to me much anyway. Eisenstein, as usual, portrays things very neatly. The interesting camera perspectives and the many beautiful shots are without a doubt the best aspect. There is also room for symbolism and here and there there is a nice play with shadows. It is visually attractive. The phenomenal opening scene approaches Dreyer's Passion of Joan of Arc, after which the level slowly but surely drops.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
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- 3213 messages
- 8295 votes
Literally translated, his name means “Ivan the Terrible”. After being consecrated by the metropolitan as the first tsar, he expanded the territory by conquests. He mercilessly suppressed opposition from the boyars, the old landed nobility. Stalin saw himself as a successor to Ivan the Terrible: a strong leader as protection against enemies outside and within the country’s borders.
Eisenstein used symbols. Crown, scepter and an abstract globe stand for power. Icons, crosses and candles represent the Russian Orthodox Church. Light and shadow are used optimally. Thanks to his pointed beard, the tsar is recognizable by his silhouette on the wall. His good wife Anastasia wears white; the evil Jefrosinja black. The murder of Anastasia is fictional. Important objects such as the poisoned chalice are made extra large.
Close-ups of faces show the reactions of the faithful and the unfaithful. The boyars are recognizable by their millstone collars. The war against the Khanate of Kazan produces epic images with many extras. Prokofiev's music reinforces the epic character. The choir singing with deep bass is influenced by Russian Orthodox church music. It is not a neutral approach to history, but the whole looks impressive.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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