MovieChat Forums > Ivan Groznyy (1947) Discussion > This is probably one of the worse movies...

This is probably one of the worse movies ever made!


I mean OK, Eisenstein is one of the best directors this world has ever known but his take on this film is excruciating pompous, the acting is ridiculous(I want anyone to argue against that if they can) and I laughed out loud at the parts it turns into a musical! It is hilarious how modern critics now try to turn all the bad stuff into a good thing with comments like :"Its style is highly artificial, the acting operatic with no condescension to realism" etc., etc. Come on people even geniuses like Eisenstein have bad moments, let's not try to excuse everything!
They say Stalin did not appreciate the many parallels between him and Ivan that's why the film was banned. After seeing this I think that maybe he had better taste than we believe.

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It still wouldn't be around/talked about if it didn't have at least some value. To say something is Eisenstein's worst is a distortion anyway. His worst is better than most's best.

The acting doesn't need defending because unlike modern films, it never made any promises anyway.


Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.

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Well, Ed Wood's films are still around and talked about too; I hope modern critics will not try to present his movies as masterpieces in the future! I hate this new thread that we have to idolise someone's work no matter what! Artists have bad moments too!

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What you see as "ridiculous" acting is an extremely purposeful and stylized way of movement studied by Eisenstein known as "Biomechanics" based off the works of a man called Vsevolod Meyerhold, Eisenstein's mentor.

Although I must commend you on your eloquent criticism that "modern critics now try to turn all the bad stuff into a good thing"... I can assure you that this film has been appreciated since its release.

Also, you need to check your resources, Stalin was a great fan of part I. It was not until the latter parts that he recognized the parallels Eisenstein was making between him and Ivan.

This film is brilliant, especially considering its unprecedented artistic value to the Russian cinema and culture. Therefore, I can hardly agree with the opinion that this is one of the worst films ever made, in fact, it is usually thought of as Eisenstein's masterpiece and a grand example of his "Montage of Attractions"(without which modern cinema/TV would not exist in its current form.)

Remember, you are looking through the filter of a modern audience member... we are much more used to seeing "naturalistic" style of acting, which could possibly seem ridiculous to future audiences.

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I have watched lots and lots of classic movies from Intolerance to M to Citizen Kane and I do not consider myself a modern audience member. And no, this film was NOT appreciated since its release; actually it was in the list of the worse films ever made for years until some critics decided it was time to treat this as a classic just because it was made by Eisenstein!

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[deleted]

I certainly don't agree that this was one of the worst movies ever made but its problem is the melodramatic acting. I honestly think if this was filmed as a silent picture it would have had a far greater impact on me than it did. Certainly it's highly stylised and has some vivid scenes but I don't think it stands in comparison with Battleship Potemkin.

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I completely agree with everything The Triple Lindy said and to call this film "one of the worst movies ever made" is absolutely ridiculous, nonsense, and hyperbole. You can say YOU disliked it for several reasons, but to try to make a case for it being outright terrible is just arrogant. Just because you can't appreciate expressive and stylized acting doesn't mean they're doing something wrong and Eisenstein made a mistake. Stalin disliked Part II because, besides noticing the parallels between himself and Ivan, he thought it didn't adhere to Socialist Realism and was an example of the dreaded Formalism, something Soviet Cinema was forbidden to practice.

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Try looking up the word "expressionist" with regard to the acting. Foolish person.

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