Ivan the Terrible is a two-part film based on the life of Russian Czar, Ivan IV. The movie was written and directed by Sergei Eisenstein and part one was released in the Soviet Union on December 30, 1944.

In part one of the movie, Ivan declares himself the Czar of Russia. He marries Anastasia Romanovna. He becomes gravely ill, but is miraculously cured. Anastasia was poisoned and killed by his enemies. Ivan leaves Moscow waiting for the people to call him back.

Part two begins with Ivan's return to Moscow. His friend, Monk Philip, becomes the metropolitan of Moscow. Philip tries to stop Ivan's abuse of power. Ivan's aunt Efrosinia Staritskaya tries to make her son, Vladimir, the Czar of Russia. Ivan, aware of the plot to kill him, makes Vladimir lead the prayer in the Cathedral as the Czar. Vladimir is then killed instead of Ivan and Ivan kills Efrosinia

• Nikolai Cherkasov as Czar Ivan IV

• Lyudmila Tselikovskaya as Czarina Anastasia Romanovna

• Serafima Birman as Boyarina Efrosinia Staritskaya]]

• Mikhail Nazvanov asPrince Andrei Kurbsky

• Mikhail Zharov as Czar's Guard Malyuta Skuratov

• Amvrosi Buchma as Czar's Guard Aleksei Basmanov

• Mikhail Kuznetso]v as Fyodor Basmanov

• Pavel Kadochnikov as Vladimir Andreyevich Staritsky

• Andrei Abrikosov as Boyar Fyodor Kolychev

• Aleksandr Mgebrov as Novgorod's Archbishop Pimen

• Maksim Mikhajlov as Archdeacon

"Evidently the spark of inspiration and vigorous concept along pictorial lines that fired Eisenstein when he was making his first study of the reign of Ivan IV had burned out when he got around to this look-in on the phase of the sixteenth-century czar's career that embraced his return to Moscow from foreign adventures and his suppression of intriguers in the land.""Bosley Crowther, The New York Timeshttp://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9500EED71531EE3BBC4D51DFB7678382649EDE

""Ivan the Terrible has drawn-out scenes, with only some analytical editing and some symbolism, as when the crown is shown in close-up before being placed on Ivan's head.""—Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=11686