Originally conceived as a historical epic in three parts, Sergei Eisenstein's epic biography of Czar Ivan IV, the murderous 16th-century unifier of the Russian people, was truncated by the director's death in 1948, as he was about to begin part three. A spectacle of impressively baroque splendor, it remains one of the great anomalies of film history. Starring Nikolai Cherkassov as the eponymous ruler, the film opens with the 16-year-old's opulent coronation in 1546. He breaks with the custom of marriage to a foreign princess by marrying a Russian girl, Anastasia Romanovna (Lyudmila Tselikovskaya), thereby offending the nobility. In an effort to expand his territory eastward, he leads an army of 100,000 to seize Kazan, succeeding only after a long and bitter campaign. After contracting a seemingly fatal illness, Ivan summons the boyars, led by his aunt Euphrosinia (Serafima Birman), but they refuse his demand to swear allegiance to his one-year-old son, greatly angering the czar. When Ivan miraculously returns to health, he begins to consolidate power in opposition to the boyars. While Cherkassov gives a commanding performance, it's the film's unique visual quality, featuring spectacularly ornate set design and costumes, along with a performance style influenced by Russian classism, grand opera, and Kabuki theater, that makes it such a rewarding experience.

Stalin and his census board kept a close eye on every aspect of the film.

Eisenstein required actress Lyudmila Tselikovskaya to spend a night in a coffin for no apparent reason.

The scenes shot in Kazan required the actors to wear full armor with the temperature in the mid-90s.

DVD Features:

Region 0
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus: Chapter Index

Distributor Notes: Part One of Sergei Eisenstein's two-part epic chronicling the life of the 16th Century Tsar, Ivan Grozny, is one of film's most artistic and absorbing creations. Over three years in the making, "Ivan the Terrible" features an operatic score by the esteemed Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev.

Source: Image Entertainment, Inc.

Nikolai Cherkassov: Russian Actor
Ludmila Tselikovskaya: Russian Actress/1940s

Sergei Eisenstein: Russian Director/Theorist