Ivan the Terrible, Part I
This is the first part of a three-part biopic of Czar Ivan Grozny directed by Sergei Eisenstein, which was never finished due to producer unhappiness with Eisenstein's attempts to use forbidden experimental shooting techniques and significant cost overruns. After Eisenstein's death and a change of heart in the USSR government regarding his work, the second part was completed but not released for a decade; the third part was only in the early stages of production when shooting was halted entirely. In this first installment, set during Ivan's early reign, he faces betrayal from the aristocracy and even his closest friends as he attempts to unite the Russian people.
Released: 1945-01-20