Sergei Eisenstein's saga of Czar Ivan IV continues with the struggle for power and the use of secret police, a controversial segment that caused the film to be banned by Stalin in 1946 (but was later released in 1958). The predominantly black-and-white film features a banquet dance sequence in colour. Obviously the two parts must be viewed as a whole to be fully appreciated. Many film historians consider this period in Eisenstein's career less interesting than his silent period because of a sentimental return to archaic forms (characteristic of Soviet society in the... 1930s and '40s). Perhaps it was just part of his maturity. [show more]
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Eisenstein's epic production tells the story of one of Russia's greatest and most ruthless leaders. The first part chronicles Ivan's (Nikolai Cherkassov) childhood, coronation, marriage and illness. Eisenstein juxtaposes striking imagery with a stirring score by Prokofiev. In Part 2, Ivan continues his bloody struggle with the Boyars and the Church. Stalin, initially a supporter of the project, objected to Eisenstein's depiction of the Russian leader in the second part. The film was not released until 1958, and only a fragment of Part 3 exists.
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