Note to I.G. Bolshakov, September 13, 1943

Source: Tom 18

Comrade Bolshakov!

Eisenstein's screenplay for "Ivan the Terrible" has turned out well. Comrade Eisenstein has coped with his task correctly, presenting the image of Ivan the Terrible as a progressive and far-sighted statesman. The screenplay may be approved for production. The film should be excellent.

I. Stalin

Note

Ivan Grigoryevich Bolshakov (1902-1980) was the Chairman of the Committee on Cinema Affairs under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. The note concerns Sergei Eisenstein's screenplay for the film "Ivan the Terrible," which was completed in two parts. Part I (1944) received a Stalin Prize. Part II, however, fell under sharp criticism from the political leadership, particularly for its portrayal of Ivan's oprichniki as a band similar to the Ku Klux Klan and for its generally negative depiction of Ivan's mental state in his later years. Part II was banned and not released until 1958.