Description:

Sergei Eisenstein
Moscow, Russia, ca. 1944
Sergei Eisenstein Signed "Ivan the Terrible", Exceedingly Rare 1944 Moscow Edition
Signed Book

Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948). Ivan Groznyi (Ivan the Terrible). Moscow: Goskinozdat, 1944. An exceptional presentation copy boldly signed and inscribed in Cyrillic by Eisenstein, translated to English: "To Arthur, in whose interpretation this script benefited so much. Thankfully, S. Eisenstein". Contemporary ownership inscription dated 1945 at front pastedown. With eight full-page illustrations. Containing the lyrics of songs by Vladimir Lugovskii. Sergei Prokofiev provided the film's original score. Text in Russian. Octavo. Original brown paper boards. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Interior quite fresh with scattered toning, faint trace of marginal dampstaining to rear leaves not affecting text, fragile boards with light edge-wear, small closed tear to spine. Exceedingly rare and boldly signed.

Eisenstein remains "one of the world's most creative, pioneering and influential filmmakers… his films, as well as his writings and his theory of montage, have shaped how cinema is made and understood." From Battleship Potemkin (1925) to Ivan the Terrible, his films "still shock with their extraordinary beauty and invention" (University of California, Berkeley Art Museum). Above all, "Eisenstein stands alone as the maker of a fully historical cinema." Of all his films, Ivan the Terrible is "unique in the extremes to which it develops character psychology and an individual tragedy… Eisenstein stated that the fundamental theme in Ivan the Terrible is 'Ivan's despair'" (Goodwin, Eisenstein, Cinema and History, 210-20).

His final project, it "carries to astonishing extremes his experiments in narrative architecture, mise en scène, audiovisual synthesis, and the interweaving of motifs… a work so rich in formal and stylistic invention, so strong in emotional appeal, and so evocative in significance that cinema indeed seems the natural heir of Joyce, Shakespeare, Balzac, Zola, Scriabin, Wagner, Piranesi and El Greco, Majestic and outlandish, Ivan the Terrible marks the triumph of film as both the synthesis and equal of the other arts" (Bordwell, Cinema of Eisenstein, 270, 253).

"We have in Ivan the Terrible something closer to the ever-expanding valences of Potemkin...Part I's organization into a prologue, seven majestic scenes, a brief linking segment (scene 8) and a grandiose finale allows Eisenstein to return to Potemkin's mode of constructing parallels between large-scale episodes." Ivan's "principle source was Robert Wipper's Ivan Groznyi, originally published in 1922 and republished in 1942...Stalin perceived parallels between himself and this tsar, and he was convinced by revisionist historians that Ivan had been a progressive leader. Eisenstein was expected to make a grandiose historical pageant about a ruler who had striven to unify Russia and protected it from foreign influence. Contrary to normal Soviet procedure, Eisenstein was permitted to write his own script...He had originally planned a two-part film...and Ivan's literary scenario published in 1943 contained such a division," as here, but Eisenstein also envisioned a third part.

Part I premiered in December 1944 and was released in January 1945. Part II, however, was banned in 1946 when it became "one of four films denounced by the Party Central Committee." After Eisenstein wrote an imposed self-criticism, in which he "confessed to mispresenting history," he hoped to complete the planned trilogy by filming approved new scenes for Part II, but "virtually all the material shot for Part III had been destroyed." In February 1947, in a meeting with Stalin, Molotov and Zhadanov, "the leaders offered criticisms...Stalin opined that Eisenstein had failed to show 'why it is necessary to be cruel'...nevertheless he gave permission to create a new second part" (Bordwell, 223-28, 28-32).

Within a year, Eisenstein was dead from a fatal heart attack. In 1958, five years after the death of Stalin, Ivan the Terrible Part II finally had its long-denied premiere. Text in Russian. With eight full-page illustrations. Containing the lyrics of songs by Vladimir Lugovskii. Sergei Prokofiev provided the film's original score.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: Octavo
  • Medium: Signed Book

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

April 23, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000