Aleksandr Nevskiy (1938)

Directors:

Sergei M. Eisenstein
Dmitri Vasilyev

Writers:

Sergei M. Eisenstein (writer)
Pyotr Pavlenko (writer)

Release Date:

22 March 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Plot:

The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.

Plot Keywords:

Knight | Prince | Battle | Russia | Invasion

Cast

Nikolai Cherkasov	...	Aleksandr Nevsky (as N. Cherkasov)
Nikolai Okhlopkov	...	Vasili Buslai (as N. Okhlopkov)
Andrei Abrikosov	...	Gavrilo Oleksich (as A. Abrikosov)
Dmitri Orlov	...	Ignat - the Master Armorer (as D. Orlov)
Vasili Novikov	...	Pavsha - Governor of Pskov (as V. Novikov)
Nikolai Arsky	...	Domash Tverdislavich - a Novgorod Boyar (as N. Arsky)
Varvara Massalitinova	...	Amelfa Timoferevna - Buslai's Mother (as V. Massalitova)
Vera Ivashova	...	Olga Danilovna - a Maid of Novgorod (as V. Ivashova)
Aleksandra Danilova	...	Vasilisa - a Maid of Pskov (as A. Danilova)
Vladimir Yershov	...	Von Balk - Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (as V. Yershov)
Sergei Blinnikov	...	Tverdilo - Traitorous Mayor of Pskov (as S. Blinnikov)
Ivan Lagutin	...	Anani - a Monk (as I. Lagutin)
Lev Fenin	...	The Archbishop (as L. Fenin)
Naum Rogozhin	...	The Black-Hooded Monk (as N. Rogozhin)

Also Known As:

Александр Невский (Soviet Union: Russian title)
Aleqsandre Neveli (Soviet Union: Georgian title)
Alexander Nevsky (USA)

Runtime:

112 min | France:90 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Portugal:M/6 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company:

Mosfilm

Trivia:

Joseph Stalin wanted this film to be a propaganda tool to warn Soviet citizens to be wary of German aggression. However, it was rejected at first due to it being "too anti-German", as it came out shortly before the Soviet-German non-aggression pact of 1939 was Stalin reportedly demanded that it be shown in every Soviet movie theater as a rallying cry against the invasion.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the request in made for rope to bind the people of Novgorod, the person making the request places himself between the Teutonic Grand Master and the seated religious figure with his front to the crowd. The next scene shows him with his back to the crowd and having moved a little distance from the seated figure.

Quotes:

Von Balk - Grand Master of the Teutonic Order: [scornfully] The men who can defeat us have not yet been born.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Some remarks

Guys, before saying that Alexander Nevsky is a propaganda film, please keep in mind that it is about a Russian saint, prince and patriot and it was produced in the country which totally denied religion, patriotism and nobility. If you look more attentively you can notice that the Novgorod churches had no crosses on top. The full helmets Eisenshtein took from ancient manuscripts and followed the history precisely. The portable organ the monk plays was an exact copy of the real thing from the 13th century which crusaders used. The children auto-da-fe was taken from ancient chronicles (both Russian and German). But in addition it had religious meaning since it draws parallel with Herod's slaughter of the innocents (used later once again in Ivan The Terrible). Alexander Nevsky is a Russian historical saga which has everything in common with old Russian cultural and historical tradition but nothing (or very little) with the Soviet propaganda. The film definitely has allusions to the Stalin's time: free Novgorod republic fights for its freedom at the expense of prosperity, elected prince Alexander (leader but not czar) etc. But nevertheless I think that the French critic Robert Brasillach (he was very close to nazis) was right when he called Alexander Nevsky the slavic war carol which has nothing to do with bolshevism, communism etc.

But IMHO Serghey Eisenshtein was against the war and followed the tradition of War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy. The same plot with common people uniting to oppose the uppish professional army. If you remember the scene when Russian soldiers alike in color with the earth and trees butted into the German close formation they use axes the same way they did when chopping woods. No pride, honor or awards but every day job. I think it is an excellent film which is larger then our judgements.