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Poster for Ivan the Terrible, Part I

Ivan the Terrible, Part I

Seen it?

1944 | 95 min | Drama, History

Sunday Safe Bet

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office flop and almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for history buffs. If you loved The Two Popes or The Count of Monte Cristo, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 35 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1944: an older pace and style.
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

Set during the early part of his reign, Ivan faces betrayal from the aristocracy and even his closest friends as he seeks to unite the Russian people. Sergei Eisenstein's final film, this is the first part of a three-part biopic of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia, which was never completed due to the producer's dissatisfaction with Eisenstein's attempts to use forbidden experimental filming techniques and excessive cost overruns. The second part was completed but not released for a decade after Eisenstein's death and a change of heart in the USSR government toward his work; the third part was only in its earliest stage of filming when shooting was stopped altogether.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    100% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.3 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerWeak

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    Not enough engagement data yet

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Sergei Eisenstein

  • Nikolai CherkasovCzar Ivan IV
  • Lyudmila TselikovskayaCzarina Anastasia Romanovna
  • Serafima BirmanBoyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya
  • Mikhail NazvanovPrince Andrei Kurbsky
  • Mikhail ZharovCzar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov
  • Amvrosii BuchmaCzar's Guard Aleksei Basmanov
  • Mikhail KuznetsovFyodor Basmanov
  • Pavel KadochnikovVladimir Andreyevich Staritsky
  • Andrei AbrikosovBoyar Fyodor Kolychev
  • Alexander MgebrovNovgorod's Archbishop Pimen