Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears

The December issue of Harper's features part of the transcript of an amazing 1947 conversation between Joseph Stalin, Sergei Eisenstein, and a couple of sinister apparatchiks. They're discussing Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible, Part I, from 1944, and sharing their "thoughts" for Part II. (If you're a Harper's subscriber, you can read the whole excerpt here; the full document appears in this book.) Mr. Stalin says:

You need to depict historical figures correctly. For instance, it's wrong that Ivan the Terrible kisses his wife for so long. In those days, that wasn't allowed. And Ivan the Terrible was very cruel—you can show that—but you have to show why it was essential. One of Ivan's mistakes was that he didn't finish off the five major feudal families. If he had wiped them out, there would never have been a Time of Troubles. But he would execute someone and then spend a long time repenting and praying. God hindered him in this matter. He should have been more decisive.

He goes on to say:

Historical images have to be depicted truthfully. A director can retreat from history—he has to work with his imagination—but he can vary only within the limits of the style of the historical era. The portrayal of Vladimir Staritsky is very fine. He was very good at catching flies. What a man! A future tsar, and he catches flies with his hands! You have to give details like that. They reveal the essence of a man.