Ivan the Terrible, Part II

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Audience Member striking and well worth watching, Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. I saw this on Youtube and Kanopy. Epic and creative. Good music. The bringing in of color helped the contrast. However, it was long winded, overly dramatic with close ups and a confusing narrative at times. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L Even lacking the planned third installment, Ivan the Terrible still conveys a sense of impact. Eisenstein's visual prowess is on full display, while the narrative takes a turn for the Shakespearean; the limitations of the first component (the exaggerated, wide-eyed acting, which previous generations might have taken as a necessity for a dramatic epic) are still here, but the setpieces and camerawork make up for it in part. (4/5) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/12/20 Full Review Audience Member The second half of Ivan the Terrible’s story is a direct continuation from the first film. In fact, it’s like watching the Kill Bill volumes as two separate films when they were clearly meant to work together as one piece. Once again, I was intrigued by the story of Ivan’s reign and some of the personal and political struggles he had to endure as czar. This movie makes it clear that the divide between Ivan and the Boyars is deeply rooted and personal. I liked that they showed what motivates his dislike for the Boyars, and it didn’t take much to actually get me back onto Ivan’s side, even though it’s been more than a year since I saw the first film, and he’s not exactly a likable character. I followed the story in this chapter much easier than the first one, because it played out in a more traditional narrative flow. I felt that the political machinations of Ivan and his enemies all made sense, and I was interested in seeing what each side would do in response to the escalating political struggle. Ordinarily not knowing history is a detriment, but when you sit down to watch a movie about history, it’s kind of nice not being able to predict what will happen next. There also seems like there is something to be learned by Americans when we watch a film like this that has a vast political divide that should be surprisingly familiar to all of us. My biggest problem with Ivan the Terrible (both parts) is the pacing of the story. I do start to get bored at times waiting for the story to progress, or waiting for someone to make the next major move. There are times that it lingers too long on a scene and I start to think “Get on with it” which is never a good feeling. That being said, I think I liked this chapter of the story more. All the personal stuff got more intense, and the plot flowed in a way that I preferred. I also have the desire to revisit both films back-to-back sometime in the future and see how they rate for me as a whole, because I think this is a film that could grow on me. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/20 Full Review Audience Member Every frame of this film could easily be a painting (something that is done on purpose) but I guess that's just one of the numerous points of this great work of art. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Perhaps the first ever "part 2" (which never made it to "part 3"), Eisenstein once again uses some well placed color to accentuate a black and white masterpiece. With Ivan well established as Czar by this film, his descent into despotism continues the conflict between him and his opponents, ending with his acceptance of the "terrible" title. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Ivan the Terrible, Part II

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