and skin a beaver
And with its fur then to adorn
A kingly mantle for... for...
Tsar Vladimir
As for her...
A black beaver was bathing...
I swear before God
to accomplish
in Russia, my royal mission
to purge the Motherland
of her savage enemies
to shed with my own hands
the blood of the guilty
without mercy, either to myself
or others
For the sake of the great land
of Russia
A Tsar must always weigh
and assess
Mercy and gentleness
for the good
Cruelty and torment
for the wicked
A Tsar who hesitates in this
will never make a Tsar!
Today in Moscow,
we have struck down
the enemies
of Russian unity
My hands are free!
From now on the sword of justice
shall flash against those
who dare to oppose from without
the greatness of Russian might
We will not let Russia
be abused!IVAN THE TERRIBLE
Part Two
THE BOYAR`S PLOT
Written and Directed by
SERGEI EISENSTEIN
This story about Ivan the Terrible,
the founder of the Tsardom of Muscovy,
tells of his struggle
against the foes of Russian unity.
In the role of Ivan the Terrible:
Nikolai Cherkasov
The Oprichniki:
Malyuta Skuratov:
Mikhail Zharov
Alexei Basmanov:
Amvrosy Buchma
His son, Fyodor Basmanov:
Mikhail Kuznetsov
Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow
and of all the Russias:
Andrei Abrikosov
Pimen, the Archbishop of Novgorod:
Alexander Mgebrov
Pyotr Volynets:
Vladimir Balashov
Efrosinia Staritskaya,
the Tsar's aunt:
Serafima Birman
Her son, Vladimir Staritsky:
Pavel Kadochnikov
Prince Andrei Mikhailovich Kurbsky:
Mikhail Nazvanov
Sigismund, King of Poland:
Pavel Massalsky
It is the year
fifteen hundred and sixty-four,
the year in which the Tsar
formed his special bodyguard,
the Oprichniki.
The year in which Tsar lvan
withdrew to Alexandrov.
The year in which the people
organized a procession
to beg the Tsar to return.
The year in which Prince Kurbsky
committed the base treachery
of surrendering
the Russian armies to the Poles
and transferred his allegiance
to King Sigismund.
There are certain defeats
that are more resounding
than victories.
The defeat of my Russian army near Revel
will spark off the revolt.
Tsar Ivan has fled the wrath of the boyars
and taken refuge in Alexandrov.
The Moscow boyars, the Kolychevs,
have managed to get some messages through.
The Tsar is assailed on every side
like a baited bear.
The boyars are seething with revolt,
the Tsar will fall
without a blow being struck,
and the throne of Moscow
will be free for a new Tsar
well-disposed towards Poland.
God in his wisdom decreed
that Lithuania, Poland
and the Baltic States
should serve as the outposts of Europe,
in order that the
civilized nations of the West
might be protected
from the Muscovite barbarians.
They say the Muscovites eat children alive.
Russian soil is fertile.
The herds are well-fed.
The sub-soil conceals inexhaustible riches.
Of course, the Russians
have to be kept down,
but a strong man on the throne of Moscow
would shatter
the most cherished dreams
of all the European sovereigns.
We need the dim-witted Vladimir Staritsky.
We must support the rebel boyars.
The solitary reins of absolute power
must be wrenched from the Tsar
and returned to the feudal princes.
We must destroy the unity of Ivan's Russia.
Once that has been done,
the Christian kings will embark
on a new crusade.
We will force the Muscovite to serve the West.
We will drive the Russians out of Europe
and force them back
to their Asian steppes.
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Tsar Ivan is on his way back to Moscow!
So I've caught you!
You didn't expect me back, eh?
You were delighted by the Tsar's departure!
You've shown yourselves
for what you are, traitors!
The rogues.
They wanted to govern the land themselves!