Ivan the Terrible (film)

Ivan the Terrible Russian , Ivan Grozniy is a twopart historical epic film about Ivan IV of Russia commissioned by Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, who admired and identified himself with Ivan, to be written and directed by the filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein. Part I was released in 1944 but Part II was not released until 1958, as it was banned on the order of Stalin, who became incensed over the depiction of Ivan therein. Eisenstein had developed the scenario to require a third part to finish the story but, with the banning of Part II, filming of Part III was stopped and what had been completed was destroyed.

The marriage feast is interrupted by news of the burning of several boyar palaces, carried into the Tsars palace by a mob of the common people who also complain that the Tsar is being led astray by the Tsarinas family the Romanovs, the Glinskys and the Zakharins. Ivan calms the crowd, but is interrupted by envoys from the khanate of Kazan, who send him a ceremonial knife with the suggestion that he do himself a favor by using it to commit suicide. Ivan immediately proclaims that his kingdom is at war with Kazan.The next scene shows the siege of Kazan, in which Ivans army digs saps underneath the city and fills them with gunpowder. Kurbsky, nominally in command, is reprimanded by Ivan for senseless brutality he ties Tartar prisoners to palisades within earshot of the walls of Kazan and tells them to shout to the city to surrender the defending archers immediately shoot the prisoners. The city of Kazan falls to the Russian army. ........

Source: Wikipedia