I read that Russian director Sergei M. Eisenstein had intended to make a three part series, but he only managed to make the first two films, dying of a heart attack before he could complete it. I had to see if it was indeed the masterpiece it is claimed to be, especially as both parts appeared in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Basically archduke of Moscow, Ivan IV (Nikolai Cherkasov) crowned himself Tsar of Russia in 1547, and set about reclaiming the territories the country lost. His success in the empire are under threat from his enemies among the Boyars, and the chief amongst them is the Tsar's Aunt, The Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya (Serafima Birman), who wants her simpleton son Vladimir Andreyevich (Pavel Kadochnikov) to have a fortune, and there is also warrior Prince Andrei Kurbsky (Mikhail Nazvanov) wanting power and the hand of Tsarina Anastasia Romanovna (Lyudmila Tselikovskaya). Throughout the picture we see the coronation the Tsar, his wedding to Anastasia, his campaigning against the Tartans in Kazar, his illness which everyone believes he will die from, his recovery, his campaigning in the Baltic and Crimea, his exile in Alexandrov which he imposed himself, and his request to return to the Muscovites. Okay, I will be honest, I didn't catch on to all of this myself, it was hard to follow, and not just because I was trying to read the subtitles as well. Also starring Mikhail Zharov as Tsar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov, Andrei Abrikosov as Boyar Fyodor Kolychev, Aleksandr Mgebrov as Novgorod's Archbishop Pimen and Amvrosi Buchma as Czar's Guard Aleksei Basmanov. What I understood of the story was good, the costume design is fantastic, the iconic imagery, such as the shadow the Tsar with that beard, is effective, it works without relying on moving camera-work (i.e. no pans or zooms), and there are certainly some poignant scenes, it may have be hard to read the subtitles due to scratchiness, but it is a historical drama to see. Very good!
Review of Ivan the Terrible, Part I
