Tsar

2009 1h 59m RU

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 61

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 16th-century Russia in the grip of chaos, Ivan the Terrible strongly believes he is vested with a holy mission. Believing he can understand and interpret the signs, he sees the Last Judgment approaching. He establishes absolute power, cruelly destroying anyone who gets in his way. During this reign of terror, Philip, the superior of the monastery on the Solovetsky Islands, a great scholar and Ivan's close friend, dares to oppose the sovereign's mystical tyranny. What follows is a clash between two completely opposite visions of the world, smashing morality and justice, God and men. A grand-scale film with excellent leading roles by Mamonov and Yankovsky. An allegory of Stalinist Russia

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Pyotr Mamonov
Иван Грозный
Oleg Yankovskiy
метрополит Филипп
Alexandr Domogarov
Алексей Басманов
Ivan Okhlobystin
Вассиан, царский шут
Yuriy Kuznetsov
Малюта Скуратов
Aleksey Makarov
воевода Колычев
Aleksandr Ilyin Jr
Федька Басманов
Ville Haapasalo
Генрих Штаден

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pavel Lungin
Writers: Aleksei Ivanov, Pavel Lungin
Languages: Russian
Countries: Russia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pavel Lungin, shot by Tom Stern. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yuri Krasavin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Albina Antipenko shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Pyotr Mamonov and Oleg Yankovskiy and Alexandr Domogarov carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1424431 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pavel Lungin directs. Tom Stern behind the camera. Yuri Krasavin scores. Albina Antipenko cuts. Produced in Russia. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Directed by Pavel Lungin, shot by Tom Stern. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Yuri Krasavin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Albina Antipenko shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Pyotr Mamonov and Oleg Yankovskiy and Alexandr Domogarov carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1424431 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.