Two mad tsars, one cursed throne — Russian history as Shakespearean bloodbath.
Based on two plays by Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy – "The Death of John the Terrible" and "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich".
Acting
Viktor Sukhorukov's Fyodor — tormented saint in velvet prison.
Production
Cathedral-worthy sets that suffocate with Orthodox gold.
Writing
Tolstoy's verse dialogue, brutal as prayer.
Director
Yuriy Eryomin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tolstoy's plays were banned 1868-1898 — too dangerous for actual Romanovs. The irony of staging them post-Soviet? Delicious.
Yatsko played both Ivan and Fyodor in different productions; this film finally let him torment himself across generations.
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