Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: A & E Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 7, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000006QIU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,474 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ivan was more terrible than this video seems to indicate, July 8, 2004

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Biography - Ivan the Terrible [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In the sixteenth century, a ruler emerged to unite and expand, geographically as well as economically, the primitive, isolated Russian state; while the nation in and of itself prospered, however, the Russian people suffered through decades of the tyrannical, increasingly mad dictums of Ivan IV, known to history as Ivan the Terrible. Was he really so terrible? Was he really more of an Ivan the Moody, or an Ivan the Sorry I'm Having a Bad Day, or maybe even an Ivan the Misunderstood? Nope - his moniker fit him to a tee. I was quite interested to learn that his special nickname was originally bestowed upon him as a sign of respect, the modern equivalent of Ivan the Bad - (well, you fill in the blank). After the young czar (and he was the first czar of Russia) defeated an enemy Tatar fortress of 30,000 men with an army of six thousand soldiers, the people celebrated his accomplishment. Here was a ruler who didn't beat around the bush when it came to decision-making and strengthening himself (oops, I mean his nation) - just ask those men he hanged on suspicion of starting a big fire that burned two-thirds of Moscow early in his reign. No, Ivan was definitely a guy you wanted to play for - let the other guys see just how terrible he could be. After the heroic victory at Kazan, though, much of Ivan's terror stayed within the confines of his own country.

The young Ivan had been born under a prophecy (or curse); his father was told that this son would be evil and bring pain and tears to Russia - score one for the psychic. His father died when he was two, and his mother died six years later (possibly poisoned); at 17, Ivan ascended the throne and named himself czar, determined not to give the sneaky nobles of the court any power over him. While he trusted no one and always looked to consolidate power within himself - using trade, military might, and a number of politically-motivated marriages to do it - it must be said that Ivan also worked for the greater good of Russia. Domestically, though, he was an agent of pain and destruction. Increasingly unpredictable and paranoid, Ivan reportedly ordered all sorts of torture, including impalings, for his enemies (no one was safe), he prohibited "last rites" from being said over his victims (barring them from heaven, according to the beliefs of that era), and he created his own special police force to wreak havoc all over the land. In 1570, hearing a rumor that Novgorod was going to align itself with Lithuania against him, Ivan ordered the destruction of the entire city - 60,000 people were massacred there. By the age of 30, Ivan was already going insane, expressing a deep commitment to the church even as he ordered the agonizing deaths of untold numbers of innocent Russians. In 1584, he struck and killed his 28-year-old son and future heir in a fit of rage. As happy as his countrymen must have been to see this tyrant die, the succession of his other son (bluntly called retarded in this video) led to chaos across the land, and many of Ivan's positive accomplishments were lost as quickly as they had been achieved.

In what has to be the most fascinating segment of the video, we see the remains of Ivan the Terrible, unearthed and examined by scientists after Stalin's death, and learn that he suffered from a chronic arthritis-like condition which was treated at the time with a concoction containing mercury, and this may help explain the wild mood swings he seemed to exhibit. It looks pretty clear to me, though, that Ivan was a monster even on the best of days, mercury or no mercury. Josef Stalin idolized the man, which gives you a pretty good idea just how bad old Ivan really was. While this video is quite fascinating, it seems to give Ivan a little too much slack - many of the heinous crimes the czar committed are never mentioned, and an element of psychobabble results in a more favorable treatment than Ivan deserves. As good as this video is, it just doesn't show the true extent of the man's evil.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning, March 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Biography - Ivan the Terrible [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This was a very well researched and, therefore, interesting film. I learned many things about Ivan I had not considered, and not only about Ivan. I had to wonder, after watching this video, how many other occurances in history happened for the same reasons.

3.0 out of 5 stars Ivan the Terrible, November 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Biography - Ivan the Terrible [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Overall, this video was a interesting overview of the life of one of Russia's most fascinating Tsars. However, I was a little dissapointed at the lack of indepth coverage.