Tsar

Following in the footsteps of Sergei Eisenstein, critically acclaimed director Pavel Lungin adds an intriguing footnote to Eisenstein's classic "Ivan The Terrible", focusing on the tsar's relationship with Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow.

The year is 1566. Ivan the Terrible and his private militia, known as the Tsars' Dogs, rule Russia with an iron fist. Increasingly paranoid by treats from the Polish army, as well as conspiracies within the borders of Russia, Ivan unleashes a reign of terror on his own citizens. When the head of the Orthodox Church resigns in protests, Ivan appoints his childhood friend Philip as the new Metropolitan in the belief that he will have an unfailingly loyal ally in him. But Philip's religious devotion almost immediately puts him at odds with his childhood friend.

"Tsar" is both a marvelous-looking historical epic - rich in extreme camera angles and spectacular costumes - and a poetically introspective drama in a mystical-religious context. Essentially an epic about good and evil, the film also serves as an allegory of Stalin's more recent Russia.

Cast
Piotr MAMONOV, Oleg YANKOVSKY: Producer
Vasily Bernhardt, Pavel Lungin, Olga Vasilieva: Script
Aleksei Ivanov: Cinematography
Tom Stern: Music
Yuri Krasavin: Spoken language
Russian: Subtitle
English