Mussorgsky’s masterpiece is given the full cinematic treatment in this 1954 film. Few stage productions could begin to emulate the sheer vastness of this production highlighted by the gripping performance of Alexander Piragov in the title role. It has been said that the real protagonist of Boris Godunov is the Russian people and they are given full rein in some of the awesome crowd scenes reminiscent of Eisenstein’s best work.