Eisenstein - The Sound Years (DVD, 2001, 3-Disc Set, Criterion Collection)

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These two spectacular, grandiose battle epics from great director Sergei Eisenstein--who pioneered the Soviet montage style of the silent era--are prototypes for many of the classic war epics that preceded them. Produced under the totalitarian Stalin regime, Eisenstein's work managed to turn Soviet propaganda into revolutionary art. ALEXANDER NEVSKY, which details the true story of the general's triumph over Teutonic Knights, features the much-imitated Battle on Ice sequence. IVAN THE TERRIBLE is the story of the powerful czar who regressed into an insane tyrant. Ironically, the second part of this film was banned when Stalin noticed too many similarities between the portrayal of Ivan and himself.