The next source is a fragment from the Piskarev Chronicle, in which the oprichnina is depicted as division of towns, Boyars and courtiers as a punishment ‘from God through the fury of the tsar for the sins of people.’ In the passage, the clique of Ivan IV who were instrumental in the implementation of the new order such as Vasilii Mikhailov Iur’ev and Aleksei Basmanov are represented as ‘evil men.’ The source also mentions that the tsar resided beyond the river in Petrovka, and his special corps oprichniki ‘walked and rode in black, carrying brooms in their quivers.’ This grim image caused hatred towards the tsar among the people and they signed a petition for the abolition of oprichnina. The ‘evil men who hate what is good’ interfered and
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The tsar confronts Boyars in his court and he says that he does not trust them. He makes the Boyars knee in front of oprichniki and he explains the reason for establishing his special corps: ‘… as God created man in his own image, so I have created men in mine. They will carry out my orders and only they will enjoy my confidence. That is why I have christened them oprichniks.’
Actually this portrayal of the oprichniki conforms to the depiction of the corps in the sources. Yet the tricky presentation appears when the oprichniki perform their dance during the banquet, in the scene which is called ‘The Feast of the Oprichniki.’ This is where we see Ivan and (Eisenstein) at the height of their powers. It is a scene which included color as well, using the available technology. Although this vivid and exciting atmosphere provide the spectator an opera-like enthusiasm, it meanwhile creates a heavy element of ‘alienation’ from the ‘real’ portrayal of the tsar and his …show more content…
He and his leading actor Nikolai Cherkasov met Stalin in 1947 to ask the permission to remake the second part and finish the third part. Stalin, who is known to have compared himself with Ivan IV, stated during this interview that the director’s portrayal of the tsar was not ‘terrible enough’ and that he should have been ‘more decisive.’ Apparently Stalin was not happy about the ‘Hamlet-like’ depiction of the tsar; and he was fine with the fierceness of Eisenstein’s character, even affirming that he might have been more
The tsar confronts Boyars in his court and he says that he does not trust them. He makes the Boyars knee in front of oprichniki and he explains the reason for establishing his special corps: ‘… as God created man in his own image, so I have created men in mine. They will carry out my orders and only they will enjoy my confidence. That is why I have christened them oprichniks.’
Actually this portrayal of the oprichniki conforms to the depiction of the corps in the sources. Yet the tricky presentation appears when the oprichniki perform their dance during the banquet, in the scene which is called ‘The Feast of the Oprichniki.’ This is where we see Ivan and (Eisenstein) at the height of their powers. It is a scene which included color as well, using the available technology. Although this vivid and exciting atmosphere provide the spectator an opera-like enthusiasm, it meanwhile creates a heavy element of ‘alienation’ from the ‘real’ portrayal of the tsar and his …show more content…
He and his leading actor Nikolai Cherkasov met Stalin in 1947 to ask the permission to remake the second part and finish the third part. Stalin, who is known to have compared himself with Ivan IV, stated during this interview that the director’s portrayal of the tsar was not ‘terrible enough’ and that he should have been ‘more decisive.’ Apparently Stalin was not happy about the ‘Hamlet-like’ depiction of the tsar; and he was fine with the fierceness of Eisenstein’s character, even affirming that he might have been more