On I List of Movie Reviews

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Ivan Groznyy I (1944)

Rate: 2
Viewed: 3/09

Ivan1
3/09: Well, Sergei Eisenstein got one thing right about Ivan the Terrible, Part One (Ivan Groznyy I): the film is indeed terrible...so terribly dated even by 1944 standards.

Worse than that, it's quite boring. Feeling my mind wandering more often than not, I had to pause the movie and take a break by looking up the history of Ivan the Terrible which is extensive. Yet in this biopic, what I was seeing is plain rubbish.

Although I like the interior pieces and the cinematography, it's limited for location shots. There are too many close-ups of faces, and the characters are constantly looking up to the ceiling and sounding out their lines as if they're in a trance. Hence, the acting is thoroughly stagy and outdated. At the same time, there's little plot development. I couldn't help but ask, "Are there missing scenes or what?"

All in all, because I was impressed with Bronenosets Potyomkin, my expectations got set too high for Ivan the Terrible, Part One, but this is a massive disappointment.