80 years ago, Eisenstein's movie ‘Ivan the Terrible’ was released
This movie became the last masterpiece of Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein. He filmed it in 1943 during evacuation in Alma-Ata: Stalin himself approved the script. He also banned the release of the second part of the movie, while the third remained on paper.
"The poet of the state idea," is what Eisenstein called Ivan IV, who united the lands, creating a centralized state. The idea to make a movie about him belonged to Joseph Stalin. Of all the possible candidates, they chose the director of ‘Battleship Potemkin’ and ‘Alexander Nevsky’. Having received the offer, he was in no hurry to agree and spent another two weeks studying materials related to Ivan the Terrible. And then, he answered: He would make not one, but three movies. The first – about the rise to power and the campaign against Kazan, the second – about the ‘oprichnina’ and the third – about the further policies of the tsar.
The lead actor was cast immediately: Nikolai Cherkasov had shone in ‘Alexander Nevsky’ and received the Stalin Prize for his role as the prince. Filming was a real challenge: “From above”, they were constantly rushing Eisenstein, but they could only film at night. During the day, electricity was needed to supply the factories that were working for the front. The viewers, who were delighted to watch the action in the Moscow Kremlin chambers, had no idea what efforts it took to recreate them. After all, the shortage was such that instead of plywood, they sometimes had to make “boards” from the branches of local bushes.
The movie was released in January 1945 and instantly became popular: almost one million people watched it in the first year. ‘Ivan the Terrible’ was also awarded the Stalin Prize. Inspired by its success, Eisenstein sent Stalin the second part. The leader’s answer was unambiguous: ban it from being shown. He considered that the movie had too many parallels with his own reign.
The director then suffered a heart attack. And he never recovered. In 1948, Eisenstein passed away. The second part was posthumously released, but, in 1958, after Stalin's death.
