Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot
This is the second part of a planned three-part movie about Russian Czar Ivan Grozny, made by Soviet film-maker Sergei Eisenstein at the request of Josef Stalin. It's about Grozny's life. Because producers didn't like Eisenstein's use of forbidden experimental filming techniques, production of the epic was halted before the third part could be made. This was because this part of the film was more interesting to watch than the first part. As it turned out, this second part was not shown until after both Eisenstein and Stalin died, and the Soviet government changed its mind about it after that. It is in this part that Ivan the Terrible tries to consolidate his power by setting up a personal army. His political rivals, the Russian boyars, plan to kill him.
Released: 1958-09-01