Serafima Birman Movies
The second part of Sergei Eisenstein's baroque chronicle of the legendary Russian czar was originally planned as a three-part epic. But Eisenstein had battles with Russian censors over the second part of his trilogy, ostensibly because of a negative depiction of Ivan's secret police force (Stalin feared that Eisenstein was making a veiled reference to himself). Although filmed shortly after Part One in 1946, the film was suppressed and was not released until 1958. In the meantime, Eisenstein, who died in 1948, never completed his project, spending most of his time defending himself before Stalin and his censor boards. Part Two takes up the story of Ivan the Terrible (Nikolai Cherkasov) upon his return to Moscow from Alexandrov. Ivan must deal with a group of unfriendly boyars and becomes even more insulated after his mother is poisoned and an assassination plot is uncovered. The black-and-white film ends with a luminous color banquet scene. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nikolai Cherkasov, Serafima Birman, (more)
- 1941
Wings of Victory was the American release title for Soviet filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov's Valeri Chkalov. After having been exiled from the Russian film industry for his so-called "negativism" (translation: he refused to adhere faithfully to the Communist party line), Kalatozov proved he'd "reformed" with this unabashed flag-waver. Vladimir Belokurov stars as legendary Soviet flying hero Valeri Chkalov, who garnered worldwide fame and effusive press coverage with his nonstop flight from Moscow to Seattle in 1937. Despite the fact that the outcome of the flight was well known, Kalatozov manages to stir up a great deal of suspense when Chkalov and his crew run out of oxygen. It is implied throughout that the selfless, courageous Valeri Chkalov is representative of all Russian flyers, both past and present. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vladimir Belokurov, Mikhail Gelovani, (more)
- 1936
Though its English-language title suggests a western or crime picture, Man With the Gun is actually a Soviet flag-waver about the toppling of the Kerensky government back in 1917. Though Alexander Kerenksy himself is never seen, his political foes Lenin and Stalin are well in evidence, portrayed respectively by M. Shtraukh and M. Gelovani. Not surprisingly, Kerensky's followers are depicted as ineffectual bullies, while Lenin and Stalin are regarded as Gods on Earth, insuring that the Russian peasantry will never again have to fear oppression from "the man with the gun." To "personalize" the story, emphasis is placed upon a humble Soviet soldier (Boris Tenin) who sets the machinery in motion to throw the rascals out, thereby making Russia safe for the glories of Marxist-Leninism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maxim Shtraukh, Boris Tenin, (more)
- 1927
Filmed to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 1917 Russian revolution, End of St. Petersburg was the second feature-length effort of director V. I. Pudovkin. Utilizing many of the montage techniques popularized by his contemporary Sergei Eisenstein, Pudovkin details the fall of St. Petersburg into the hands of the Bolsheviks during the revolution. Unlike Eisenstein, Pudovkin concentrates on individuals rather than groups (his protagonist is a politically awakened peasant played by Ivan Chuvelyov) humanizing what might otherwise have been a prosaic historical piece. The mob scenes, though obviously staged for ultimate dramatic impact, are so persuasive that they have frequently been excerpted for documentaries about the Russian Revolution, and accepted by some impressionable viewers as the real thing. Filmed just after his 1926 masterwork Mother, The End of St. Petersburg was followed by the equally brilliant Storm Over Asia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexander Chistyakov, Vera Baranovskaya, (more)
- 1927
In this silent Russian film, an underhanded boss pays an impoverished employee with a lottery ticket instead of the money she earned. However, when the ticket turns out to be a winner, the greedy man struggles to get it back. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Sten, Ivan Koval-Samborsky, (more)
