Ivan the Terrible in Cinema

No films had been made about one of the most fascinating characters in history until Stalin requested Eisenstein to make his classic, IVAN THE TERRIBLE in 1945. None were made since. But even the great Eisenstein portrayed Ivan as a single man after the death of his first wife Anastasia, ignoring the historic fact that he took a second wife, Maria Temroko Idarova and was married to her from 1561-1569..
For Eisenstein, the 1560s were the greatest decade of Ivan’s reign; and Russian historians concur that it was the period of his highest achievements. Yet Eisenstein totally ignores the partnership of Ivan IV and Tsarina Maria, even though it was Maria who convinced the increasingly psychotic Tsar to create the governmental framework which eventually made him the absolute ruler of the realm by the end of the bloody decade. Eisenstein also ignored the existence and vital role played by Archbishop Makarii in this period of Ivan’s life. The two men’s constant battles over the power of state vs. church is vividly reminiscent of the struggles between Henry II and Becket in the film classic BECKET, as well as those between Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More in A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.
It was difficult even for Eisenstein to portray this complex man and his Tsarina. His choice was to ignore the existence of Maria and show all the characters around Ivan as weak, conniving figures – probably at the insistence of Stalin who faced similar internal threats. The result was a Communist propagandist theatrical drama. Stalin wanted the film to develop the cult of the hero for a nation at war. But Eisenstein failed (in Stalin’s eyes) and the film was banned. Even so, Eisenstein’s film is full of historical falsehoods in order to accommodate Communist ideology.

Why Should This Film be Made?

Not only is IVAN AND MARIA great entertainment; not only does it fill a vacuum in historical filmmaking, but it also shows the unchanging nature of the Russian character which has remained alienated and ostracized for centuries, misunderstood and misinterpreted – even today. The characterizations in the film will shed light on the unchanging nature of Russians and how they will respond to the competitive pressures of the capitalist world in which they find themselves for the first time in their long history -- yet again, alienated and misunderstood.
On the international front, Russia finds itself embroiled in an endless war in Chechnya while trouble brews in other largely Muslim nations on her southern flank – exactly the same position Russia found herself during the reign of Ivan IV.