--- title: "Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot" year: 1958 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ivan-the-terrible-part-ii-the-boyars-plot" fi1m_id: "ivan-the-terrible-part-ii-the-boyars-plot" imdb_id: "tt0051790" tmdb_id: 43118 wikidata_id: "Q1436866" fi1m_score: 64 critics_reviews: 2 published: "2026-09-25T03:45:55.861077+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T03:45:56.234413+00:00" region: "GB" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot (1958) Directed by Sergei Eisenstein · 1h 22m · History, Drama ## Identity Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/ivan-the-terrible-part-ii-the-boyars-plot - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** ivan-the-terrible-part-ii-the-boyars-plot - **IMDb ID:** tt0051790 - **TMDB ID:** 43118 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1436866 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051790/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/43118, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1436866 **Fi1m score: 64** · Critics: 2 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* An imperial banquet with better music than company > Sergei Eisenstein’s court drama rewards patience with its colour banquet and Sergei Prokofiev’s score. Stiff performances and heavy pacing make this a qualified recommendation for those more interested in how films are made than in an absorbing story. ## Synopsis Czar Ivan IV (Nikolay Cherkasov) is the ruler at the centre of a boyar plot. Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya (Serafima Birman) and Vladimir Andreyevich Staritsky (Pavel Kadochnikov) belong to the court surrounding him. In his service are Czar’s Guard Malyuta Skuratov (Mikhail Zharov) and Czar’s Guard Aleksei Basmanov (Amvrosii Buchma). Novgorod’s Archbishop Pimen (Alexander Mgebrov) brings the Church into this circle of nobles and guards. The film also includes Ivan IV as a boy (Erik Pyryev), setting the adult ruler alongside his younger self. ## Review *Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars’ Plot* is an exacting 82 minutes, worth the effort chiefly for those already interested in historical cinema. Sergei Eisenstein gives the material an oppressive seriousness that can be compelling, although it too often becomes a demand for reverence. We wanted more freedom to consider these people without being continually impressed by their importance. The colour banquet and Sergei Prokofiev’s music provide persuasive reasons to persevere through some difficult stretches. Nikolay Cherkasov gives Czar Ivan IV sufficient force to hold our attention, but the severity of the performance keeps us at a distance. There is something rewarding about having to study a face rather than simply accept its appeal. Serafima Birman, as Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya, is harder to defend: her performance feels fixed, with too little variation to sustain its force. Deliberately formal acting still needs changes of emphasis, and here the stiffness becomes tiring. Eduard Tisse and Andrey Moskvin’s cinematography makes its strongest impression in the colour banquet. We were stirred by this sequence: the colour gives the ceremony an excitement that the performances alone seldom achieve. It is a pleasure to look closely, and the pleasure feels uncomfortable enough to suit this company. The sequence also makes us impatient with the surrounding drama, which so often demands attention without offering an equally strong reason to give it. The production design, credited to Sergei Eisenstein and Iosif Shpinel, contributes substantially to that uncomfortable splendour. The court feels imposing without becoming somewhere we would wish to spend much time. That is effective, though the grandeur can overwhelm our interest in the people occupying it. The banquet puts the film’s appetite for ceremony to good use; elsewhere, the same solemnity can make human behaviour feel like another item arranged for inspection. Sergei Prokofiev’s score is the element we would defend with the fewest reservations. It has vigour and menace, and its extravagance suits a film that would hardly benefit from discreet musical accompaniment. Crucially, the music sustains interest when the acting threatens to become merely emphatic. There is more variety of feeling here than in several of the performances, and listening becomes an important part of getting through the less involving passages. Esfir Tobak’s editing maintains the pressure, but the film could use more changes of pace. At 82 minutes, it has no obvious excuse for feeling quite so demanding, yet duration is only part of what makes a film feel long. Too many moments seem to require the same degree of solemn attention. The cutting does not sufficiently relieve that insistence, leaving us with time to admire the work and rather too much time to notice our distance from it. Historical drama is entitled to be theatrical; asking for casual behaviour here would miss what Sergei Eisenstein is attempting. Our reservation is that the formality so frequently limits what we can feel about the characters. There is enough invention to reward a patient viewer, particularly one interested in the relationship between images and music. Choose it for that encounter, and allow for an evening in which admiration will have to do some of the work of enjoyment. *Fi1m score 64, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot worth watching?** *Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars’ Plot* is worth watching for patient admirers of historical cinema and film craft; we score it 64 out of 100. The colour banquet and Sergei Prokofiev’s vigorous, menacing music reward close attention, but stiff performances and heavy pacing make it harder to recommend for an absorbing evening’s drama. **How long is Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot, and what is it rated?** *Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot* runs 1h 22m. It is a history and drama film. **Where can I watch Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot in the UK?** *Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot* is not on any streaming or rental service in the UK at the moment. It is available in 4 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot compare to The Passion of Joan of Arc?** *Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars’ Plot* keeps us at an emotional distance, while [*The Passion of Joan of Arc*](https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc) makes institutional cruelty painfully immediate. We recommend the latter more strongly for Maria Falconetti’s fearful, faithful central performance, though its close-ups can be exhausting. Eisenstein’s film chiefly suits those drawn to imposing court ceremony and the relationship between images and music. **What should I watch after Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot?** After *Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars' Plot*, try [*Throne of Blood*](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood) (1957, Fi1m 88): Another ruler’s fear spreads through a court where nobody can speak freely. Then [*The Passion of Joan of Arc*](https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc) (1928, Fi1m 94): Faces and formal compositions make institutional cruelty painfully immediate; and [*The Favourite*](https://film.one/film/the-favourite) (2018, Fi1m 87): Court politics become sourly funny without making the powerful any nicer. ### Reviews we read (2) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (76/100, inferred): The page is a Great Movies review discussing both parts of Eisenstein’s film. The blocked page does not reveal the critic’s specific verdict or what the review singles out. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-ivan-the-terrible-parts-i-and-ii) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (60/100, inferred): The review finds the film not especially entertaining but worthwhile for students of history and cinema. It praises the color banquet sequence and Prokofiev’s score, while criticizing Serafima Birman’s wooden performance. [Read](https://variety.com/1957/film/reviews/ivan-grozni-ii-1200419110/) ## Details - **Director:** Sergei Eisenstein - **Director:** Sergei Eisenstein - **Writer:** Sergei Eisenstein - **Cinematography:** Eduard Tisse, Andrey Moskvin - **Editor:** Esfir Tobak - **Music:** Sergei Prokofiev - **Production design:** Sergei Eisenstein, Iosif Shpinel - **Costume design:** M. Safonova, Leonid Naumov - **Producer:** Sergei Eisenstein - **Cast:** Nikolay Cherkasov as Czar Ivan IV; Serafima Birman as Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya; Pavel Kadochnikov as Vladimir Andreyevich Staritsky; Mikhail Zharov as Czar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov; Amvrosii Buchma as Czar's Guard Aleksei Basmanov; Vsevolod Pudovkin as Nikolay the Fanatic; Mikhail Kuznetsov as Fyodor Basmanov; Alexander Mgebrov as Novgorod's Archbishop Pimen - **Runtime:** 1h 22m - **First release (the US):** 10 October 1958 - **Genres:** History, Drama ## Where to watch in the UK Not streaming, renting or buying in the UK at the last check. Also available in: BE, CA, FR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Throne of Blood* (1957), Fi1m 88: Another ruler’s fear spreads through a court where nobody can speak freely. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md) - *The Passion of Joan of Arc* (1928), Fi1m 94: Faces and formal compositions make institutional cruelty painfully immediate. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc.md) - *The Leopard* (1963): An aristocratic gathering gives political change an imposing, uneasy setting. - *Andrei Rublev* (1966): A less theatrical encounter with faith, cruelty and Russian history. - *The Favourite* (2018), Fi1m 87: Court politics become sourly funny without making the powerful any nicer. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-favourite.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/ivan-the-terrible-part-ii-the-boyars-plot