Ivan Groznii—II, (Ivan The Terrible—Part II—The Boyars' Plot.)

I don't think that the film society could have started this year's programmes with a better one than this. Eisenstein made this part in 1946 but it was banned by the Soviets until 1958. As he was ill from then until the time he died in 1948, it is not likely that he finished Part III of the intended trilogy. This print is all black and white, though overseas critics make mention of Eisenstein's striking use of colour. He used this, magnificently, in the banquet scene where Ivan dresses Vladimir in ceremonial robes. This was the only colour sequence in this part, though we know that he planned to make Part III entirely in colour, and had received Stalin's permission to make it.

The Boyars' Plot deals with the conflict between the Boyars (headed by Boyarina Euphrosinia Staritskaia), the Orthodox Church (under the Metropolitan Philip), and Ivan. The Tsarina Anastasia had already been poisoned by Euphrosinia and now the Boyarina is plotting to destroy Ivan. The murder of some of the Kolichevs by Ivan's henchman results in the Metropolitan's hate and his consequent union with Euphrosinia. Ivan discovers this though, and it is Euphrosinia's son Vladimir who is murdered mistakenly in his place. The film ends with Ivan destroying his enemies and predicting his future course.

The film is notable for its epic proportions and the virtuoso performance by Cherkasov as Ivan. It has a controlled and sure pace which deliberately creates a mood of foreboding and suspense. The composition and settings are equally carefully designed, and Prokofiev's music, especially the choral settings, is imprsesively appropriate.

To quote Liam O'Laoghaire,

"It is impossible to give in a brief review an adequate idea of the rich pictorial quality of the film, the dramatic manipulation of light and texture of setting and costume, the ballet of human figures, the careful orchestration of voice and music and the processional development of images. The magnitude of the film raises it beyond any quibbling."