S2 Ep. 1: Ivan the Terrible, Part 1 & 2 (1945/1958, Sergei Eisenstein)

Join hosts Jason, Tony, and our new co-host, Paul, on Episode One of Season Two! On this episode we discuss Sergei Eisenstein's epic two-part Soviet masterpiece Ivan the Terrible, released in 1945 and 1958 respectively. The films were commissioned by Joseph Stalin in 1941 as a means to rehabilitate Ivan the Terrible's image for a contemporary Soviet audience. Stalin celebrated Part 1, but the state banned Part 2. A third part had been in the works, but was abandoned by Eisenstein after the suppression of the second part. Our discussion touches on this history and many other topics, including Soviet montage, dialectical art construction, Eisenstein's queerness, his fraught relationship with Stalin, and more. This is the first episode of a new format in which we take book or movie recommendations from each of us, which are found below: Tony's book recommendations: Sergei Eisenstein: A Life in Conflict by Ronald Bergan (2016) Narrative, Apparatus, Ideology, edited by Philip Rosen (1986) Film Form: Essays in Film Theory by Sergei Eisenstein (1949) Paul's book and film recommendations: This Thing of Darkness: Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible in Stalinist Russia by Joan Neuberger (2019) Ivan the Terrible by Joan Neuberger Battleship Potemkin (1925; dir. Sergei Eisenstein) Jason's movie recommendations: Come and See (1985; dir. Elem Klimov) The Ascent (1977; dir. Larisa Shepitko) Wings (1966; dir. Larisa Shepitko) Please subscribe to the podcast, and don't forget to leave a review! Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonAChristian and Anthony at @tonyjballas; follow Paul on BlueSky at @ptklein.com. Paul writes about movies at www.howtoreadmovies.com. Paul's handle on Letterboxd is https://letterboxd.com/ptklein/; Jason's is https://letterboxd.com/exilemagic/. Our logo is by Jason Christian The theme music for this episode and all forthcoming episodes is by DYAD (Charles Ballas and Jeremy Averitt). Please drop us a line anytime at [email protected]. Happy listening!

NOW PLAYING

0:00 1:41:35

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975) with David Dylan Thomas

May 14, 2026 ·117m

Testosteron: Das Hormon, das verkauft

May 13, 2026 ·6m

Vertrauen durch das Kuschelhormon: Oxytocin im Marketing

May 11, 2026 ·6m

Leute kaufen nicht, weil sie ihre Probleme lieben

May 8, 2026 ·4m

The Blind Side (2009)

May 6, 2026 ·97m

Lead ist begeistert vom Angebot, aber bucht dann trotzdem nicht - Lösung

May 6, 2026 ·5m

Similar Podcasts

Song Against Songs, The by G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936) LibriVox LibriVox volunteers bring you 9 recordings of The Song Against Songs by G. K. Chesterton. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for October 16, 2011.Chesterton was a large man, standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighing around 21 stone (130 kg; 290 lb). His girth gave rise to a famous anecdote. During World War I a lady in London asked why he was not 'out at the Front'; he replied, 'If you go round to the side, you will see that I am.' On another occasion he remarked to his friend George Bernard Shaw: "To look at you, anyone would think a famine had struck England". Shaw retorted, "To look at you, anyone would think you have caused it". P. G. Wodehouse once described a very loud crash as "a sound like Chesterton falling onto a sheet of tin."( Summary from Wikipedia ) Nightline: War with Iran ABC News Late-night television's award-winning news program featuring anchors Juju Chang and Byron Pitts. For in-depth reporting on today's major news stories, to features, profiles, Nightline has the last word in live network news. The David Burnell Podcast Life, leadership, and truth forged in real experience. Reflections on service, leadership, faith, and the lessons forged through a life spent in war zones, rescue missions, and humanitarian work. davidburnell.substack.com WW2 - the Key Questions, answered by Laurence Rees. Laurence Rees A former Head of BBC TV History programmes, Laurence has specialized in writing books and making television documentaries about World War Two, the Nazis and Stalinism for thirty years. He won a BAFTA and a Peabody for his TV series 'The Nazis: A Warning from History' and a British Book Award for his book on Auschwitz, which is also the world's best selling book on this notorious camp. His book 'the Holocaust: A New History' was described by the Times as 'exemplary' and by the Daily Telegraph as 'the best single volume account of the atrocity ever written'. Educated at Oxford University, for several years he was a visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics, London University. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Sheffield and the Open University. Professor Robert Service, of Oxford University, described Rees as 'one of the world's experts on the Second World War'. Sir Max Hastings wrote in the Sunday Times, in a review of Laurence Rees' 'World War Two: Behi

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Cold War Cinema?

This episode is 1 hour and 41 minutes long.

When was this Cold War Cinema episode published?

This episode was published on March 19, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Can I download this Cold War Cinema episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!