Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944) on Netflix

Plot summary

In 1547, Ivan IV is crowned in the cathedral as Tsar of all the Russias. The boyars in attendance, among them his aunt Efrosinia Staritskaya, had wanted a puppet ruler and are displeased; she hopes to advance her son Dmitri. Ivan declares his intention to recover lost territories and to unite and defend Russia against enemies outside its borders and within. He marries Anastasia Romanovna, and the marriage costs him his two closest friends: Fyodor Kolychev, who receives Ivan's leave to retreat to a monastery, and Prince Andrei Kurbsky, who wanted power and the hand of Anastasia. At the wedding feast, a crowd brings news that several boyar palaces are burning. Fyodor Basmanov, a commoner who spoke for the crowd, becomes Ivan's loyal supporter. Envoys from Kazan arrive with an insulting message, and Ivan declares war.