Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot
Original title: Ivan Groznyy. Skaz vtoroy: Boyarskiy zagovor
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
As Ivan the Terrible attempts to consolidate his power by establishing a personal army, his political rivals, the Russian boyars, plot to assassinate their Tsar.As Ivan the Terrible attempts to consolidate his power by establishing a personal army, his political rivals, the Russian boyars, plot to assassinate their Tsar.As Ivan the Terrible attempts to consolidate his power by establishing a personal army, his political rivals, the Russian boyars, plot to assassinate their Tsar.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Vsevolod Pudovkin
- Nikolay the Fanatic
- (as V.I. Pudovkin)
Ada Voytsik
- Elena Glinskaya, Ivan's Mother
- (as Ada Vojtsik)
Aleksandr Rumnev
- The Stranger
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film was withheld by Soviet authorities by order of Joseph Stalin, since this film, dealing with Ivan's slide into madness and the tyranny of the Oprichnina, did not properly mythologize Ivan IV Grozny to Stalin's satisfaction. It was not finally released until 10 years after the deaths of director Sergei Eisenstein and Stalin.
- GoofsWhen Vladimir sits in drunken slumber on the Czar's throne, in the medium shots his head is leaning to his right, but in the long shot as Ivan approaches, it leans to his left.
- Quotes
Czar Ivan IV: From now on I will become the one you call me. I will become terrible.
- Crazy creditsThe main cast and their roles is read by the narrator with accompanied footage.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Secret Life of Sergei Eisenstein (1987)
Featured review
Brilliant
Ivan the Terrible Part II, the culmination of Eisenstein's career, is easily one of the most brilliant films of all time.
Nothing - repeat absolutely nothing - in this film is sub-par. The acting, especially the inhuman physical contortions of Nikolai Cherkasov as the Tsar himself, is uniformly excellent. As is to be expected from Eisenstein, the direction is perfect. Eisenstein's compositions create painterly tableaux that can be watched endlessly on pause (especially now that Criterion has issued both Ivans on DVD), allowing the audience to take in the full breadth of this man's genius. Additionally, unlike, for example, Alexander Nevsky or Strike, Ivan the Terrible Part II (and part I) benefits from a smoother pace and better editing, putting Eisenstein's theory of montage to its best use since Potemkin.
For me, however, what two key components of this film set it apart from its prequel and Eisenstein's earlier Potemkin and October.
Those components, as you can imagine, are its more pronounce political allegory and its color sequence towards the end.
Certainly October and Potemkin were highly politicized affairs, both celebrating the Communist victory in Russia. In Ivan the Terrible Part II (and to a lesser extent Part I), the audience bears witness to a moment of challenge wherein Eisenstein becomes critical of the course his country and its post-Lenin leaders have taken. As such, Ivan the Terrible becomes one of the bravest moments in film history and, for that alone, should be commended.
Brilliant as a political critique, the film also represents a dazzling demonstration of how color could be used in cinema. The colorized dance at the end of the film rivals and prefigures the technicolor explosion in Douglas Sirk's 1950s melodramas; furthermore, it reveals that color can be used to achieve specific effects. It does not have to mimic reality; rather it can be used artistically to enhance the mood and atmosphere of the film.
Taken as a whole, the two-part Ivan the Terrible is a masterpiece of Russian Cinema and should be required viewing for anyone with the slightest bit of interest in film. My preference lies with the second part, but both are fantastic moments in film history.
Nothing - repeat absolutely nothing - in this film is sub-par. The acting, especially the inhuman physical contortions of Nikolai Cherkasov as the Tsar himself, is uniformly excellent. As is to be expected from Eisenstein, the direction is perfect. Eisenstein's compositions create painterly tableaux that can be watched endlessly on pause (especially now that Criterion has issued both Ivans on DVD), allowing the audience to take in the full breadth of this man's genius. Additionally, unlike, for example, Alexander Nevsky or Strike, Ivan the Terrible Part II (and part I) benefits from a smoother pace and better editing, putting Eisenstein's theory of montage to its best use since Potemkin.
For me, however, what two key components of this film set it apart from its prequel and Eisenstein's earlier Potemkin and October.
Those components, as you can imagine, are its more pronounce political allegory and its color sequence towards the end.
Certainly October and Potemkin were highly politicized affairs, both celebrating the Communist victory in Russia. In Ivan the Terrible Part II (and to a lesser extent Part I), the audience bears witness to a moment of challenge wherein Eisenstein becomes critical of the course his country and its post-Lenin leaders have taken. As such, Ivan the Terrible becomes one of the bravest moments in film history and, for that alone, should be commended.
Brilliant as a political critique, the film also represents a dazzling demonstration of how color could be used in cinema. The colorized dance at the end of the film rivals and prefigures the technicolor explosion in Douglas Sirk's 1950s melodramas; furthermore, it reveals that color can be used to achieve specific effects. It does not have to mimic reality; rather it can be used artistically to enhance the mood and atmosphere of the film.
Taken as a whole, the two-part Ivan the Terrible is a masterpiece of Russian Cinema and should be required viewing for anyone with the slightest bit of interest in film. My preference lies with the second part, but both are fantastic moments in film history.
helpful•401
- jay4stein79-1
- Nov 4, 2004
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $1,655
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot (1958) officially released in India in English?
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