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      Tempest

      1928 1h 42m Drama List
      Reviews 50% Audience Score 50+ Ratings Despite his peasant upbringing, proud Ivan Markov (John Barrymore) rises to the officer ranks of the Russian Army during the waning years of the czarist era, regardless of the class-based resentments of his aristocratic fellow officers. His love for Princess Tamara (Camilla Horn) leads to his downfall when she rebuffs his affections and has him imprisoned out of spite. But when the Bolshevik Revolution begins, Markov's common origins work to his advantage, giving him a chance to even the score. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Edmund Wilson The New Republic There is something false about the whole thing perhaps, because the story is false from beginning to end. Sep 11, 2023 Full Review Joseph Jon Lanthier Slant Magazine Tempest is a pretty paradox, simultaneously pooh-poohing Russian socialism and applauding the American faux-ideal that love is blind to hierarchy. Rated: 3/4 Jul 3, 2009 Full Review Sean Axmaker Seanax.com Director Sam Taylor... guides this gorgeous costume drama like he was a master of the epic form... Jul 6, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (4) audience reviews
      Louisa E This was great. Barrymore was great in most parts. There was great contrast and it felt polished. The madness scene was great and I liked the friendship between Bulba and Ivan. Interesting plot the whole way through. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/08/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie was so boring, I couldn't watch it all. It's not that it's bad, I just couldn't stand it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Quite modest and cliched for a self-proclaimed epic. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Not to be confused with Shakespeare's The Tempest. This silent picture won an Art Direction Oscar for William Cameron Menzies. I was also impressed by the camera work of Charles Rosher, which included a through the bottom of a shot glass shot and what appears to be aerial shots of the Russian village, but are actually carefully planned shots of a model lining up with a live action set I think. A Sgt. Ivan Markov (John Barrymore) of lowly birth is not accepted by the aristocratic officers of the Russian army. He falls for a stuck-up princess and through a misunderstanding is thrown in jail where he is driven to hallucinate. When the Communist Revolution hits, a creepy peddler (Boris de Fast) who is a leader of the revolution recognizes Ivan and offers him freedom if he helps to judge all the aristocrats who have been ripped from power. One other Sergeant (Louis Wolheim) is a rough and ready revolutionary and steadfast friend to Ivan. Ivan's conscience is tested when the former General who broke tradition to promote Ivan to officer status comes before the revolutionary panel of judgement, and Ivan who has always been a just man is the only one willing to offer the General and his daughter mercy. This Hollywood film is well made, but has a confusing message. Ivan is of the lower classes. He achieves professional advancement, but no real change in social status. The revolution's purpose is to give power to the common people, where Ivan can rise to an even more prominent position. However, the revolutionary leaders are portrayed as being quite morally corrupt, snarlingly evil, and excessively unforgiving. Really qualities shared by the aristocrats although their established power masks these unpleasant flaws. Hollywood often lifts up the underdog, the common man rising above his station, but established producers and creatives must have been leary of promoting Communism in America, so Ivan is between a rock and a hard place with no clear societal order that is clearly the better choice. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Tempest

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Despite his peasant upbringing, proud Ivan Markov (John Barrymore) rises to the officer ranks of the Russian Army during the waning years of the czarist era, regardless of the class-based resentments of his aristocratic fellow officers. His love for Princess Tamara (Camilla Horn) leads to his downfall when she rebuffs his affections and has him imprisoned out of spite. But when the Bolshevik Revolution begins, Markov's common origins work to his advantage, giving him a chance to even the score.
      Director
      Sam Taylor
      Production Co
      United Artists
      Genre
      Drama
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jul 15, 2003
      Runtime
      1h 42m