Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ivan the Terribly Strange, 16 May 2004
Made in 1944 but set in the mid 16th century, Ivan the Terrible part 1 follows the reign of Tsar Ivan IV. Ivan ascended to the title of Tsar when his father past away, Ivan was three at the time. It wasn’t until his 16th birthday, however, that he was given full control. He immediately embarked upon a journey to reform Russia. This involved reforming the church, law and army. At this time he was hugely popular with the Russian masses, who ultimately helped him in conquering both Kazan and Astrakhan. However his popularity did not stretch as far as the aristocracy, known as the boyars and partly made up of members of Ivan’s own family. They were very unhappy with some of his reforms and were especially angry when he took a Russian wife, Anastasia Romanova, instead of the usual foreign bride. When the Tsar became ill, shortly after conquering Kazan, the boyars’ loyalty was tested. Believing he would die Ivan asked that his 1 year old son be sworn in as his heir. The boyars however, also believing Ivan was going to die, decided they would instead swear allegiance to their fellow boyar, Ivan’s cousin Vladimir Staritsky. When Ivan recovered from the illness his enemies were apparent. Ivan continued his reign until the boyars poisoned his wife Anastasia. His reaction was understandable pain and grief, all of which lead him to retreat from public view. He did not stay there for long though as the masses soon begged him to return.This is the premise of part 1. Within this chapter of Ivan’s life and reign we see a man who was greatly liked by his public. It seems that he tried his best to make Russia a better place and had the people’s well being in mind. When Stalin commissioned Eisenstein to make a film this is the image he had in mind. What Stalin approved of, other than the portrayal of a leader loved by the people (the way he saw himself), was the glorified Russian heritage seen within the film. Churches, frescos, beautiful artwork are all portrayed to show that Russia has cultural value worth defending. Stalin was so happy with the film that he awarded it the Stalin Prize. An element of the film that is worthy of note is the music. It is very clear from the beginning of the film that the music is as important as the acting or story. Eisenstein once said that ‘ music is acting by other means.’ His view is certainly illustrated within part 1 because the placement and use of each song is so thought out. The acting is also incredible. It is reminiscent of German Expressionist cinema because it is so theatrical and operatic in nature. This is especially seen by the fact Eisenstein made the actor playing Ivan (and a few others) pin back his eyelids. His eyes are unnaturally big and white and he never blinks. This is clever because in part 2 Ivan becomes increasingly paranoid about the boyars, so much so that we assume that he won’t close his eyes or blink because he is supervising their behaviour. This film reflects 1940s Soviet mentality well. It also imagines 16th century Soviet life equally well. Eisenstein was a genius filmmaker, and he will be remembered as much for his efforts with Ivan the Terrible as he will for his early montage work.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great film but awful transfer, 11 Nov 2008
I remember this picture and its companion piece being screened by the BBC's Film Club in the late 1980s, and taping it so that I could re-watch it later. It was clearly a better print than this one, as the picture quality on the elderly VHS is still better than this unfortunate transfer.
The film itself is a masterpiece of cinematography - just look at the coronation scene at the beginning of the film, and see how much of the story is told without anyone having to say anything (I'm sure Kubrick learned a lot from this). The accompaniment of the fantastic singing - as part of a great score from Prokofiev - enhances the scene, climaxing with the bass soloist who starts singing as low as he can and gradually goes higher and higher, eventually ending up in stratospheric tenor territory.
If you can put up with the remarkably poor transfer - and have no other way to access the film - you may still be able to get some idea of the grandeur of this piece.
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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holy Russia, 25 Jan 2002
The story of the ascent of a ruler from boyhood in a Russia torn by corrupt foreign-dominated factions, this film is also the story of the decline of a ruler into paranoia and cruelty. At the same time, it is the positive success story of the emergence of Russia from the Mongol and Western dominated princely state of Muscovy. Very Russian and at times grotesque, with, so to speak, advance reminders of our own post-Soviet times too. The film shows why the symbol of Russia for a long time has been the double-headed eagle or the astrological sign of the fish looking both ways.
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