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Cast
Nikolai Cherkasov
as Czar Ivan IV
Serafima Birman
as Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya
Pavel Kadochnikov
as Vladimir Andreyevich Staritsky
Mikhail Zharov
as Czar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov
Amvrosii Buchma
as Czar's Guard Aleksei Basmanov
Vsevolod Pudovkin
as Nikolay the Fanatic
Mikhail Kuznetsov
as Fyodor Basmanov
Alexander Mgebrov
as Novgorod's Archbishop Pimen
Andrei Abrikosov
as Archbishop Philip (formerly Fyodor Kolychev)
Vladimir Balashov
as Pyotr Volynets
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1958
Runtime1h 22m
LanguageRussian
CertificationNR
GenresHistory, Drama
Votes176
DirectorSergei Eisenstein
WritersSergei Eisenstein
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.4 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsIvan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot
About Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot
This is the second part of a projected three-part epic biopic of Russian Czar Ivan Grozny, undertaken by Soviet film-maker Sergei Eisenstein at the behest of Josef Stalin. Production of the epic was stopped before the third part could be filmed, due to producer dissatisfaction with Eisenstein's introducing forbidden experimental filming techniques into the material, more evident in this part than the first part. As it was, this second part was banned from showings until after the deaths of both Eisenstein and Stalin, and a change of attitude by the subsequent heads of the Soviet government. In this part, as Ivan the Terrible attempts to consolidate his power by establishing a personal army, his political rivals, the Russian boyars, plot to assassinate him.
Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot leans on a strong ensemble — Nikolai Cherkasov, Serafima Birman, Pavel Kadochnikov — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about history titles of 1958.
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