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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nikolai Aparin	...	Mikhalka (uncredited)
A. Gulkovski	...	Teutonic Knight (uncredited)
Leonid Iudov	...	Savka (uncredited)
Ivan Klyukvin	...	Pskov Warrior (uncredited)
Lyan-Kun	...	Hubilay (uncredited)
Fyodor Odinokov	...	(uncredited)
Pavel Pashkov	...	Mikula (uncredited)
Nikolai Vitovtov	...	Teutonic Knight (uncredited)

Directed by
Sergei M. Eisenstein		(as S. Eisenstein)
Dmitri Vasilyev		(as D. Vasilyev)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sergei M. Eisenstein		writer (as S. Eisenstein)
Pyotr Pavlenko		writer (as P. Pavlenko)

Original Music by
Sergei Prokofiev		(as S. Prokofiev)

Cinematography by
Eduard Tisse		(as E. Tisse)

Film Editing by
Sergei M. Eisenstein		(uncredited)
Esfir Tobak		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Iosif Shpinel

Art Direction by
Sergei M. Eisenstein		(uncredited)
Nikolai Solovyov		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Sergei M. Eisenstein		(uncredited)
Konstantin Yeliseyev		(uncredited)

Production Management
Igor Vakar	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Valentina Kuznetsova	....	assistant director
Boris Ivanov	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Nikolai Maslov	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
A. Artsikhovsky	....	artistic consultant

Sound Department
Vladimir Bogdankevich	....	sound engineer (as V. Bogdankevich)
Neil Cedar	....	foley recordist: 1990 revision
Tony Faulkner	....	sound recordist (1990 revision)
Ken Hahn	....	sound re-recording mixer: 1990 revision
Valeri Popov	....	sound
Boris Volsky	....	sound
Rick Wessler	....	foley artist: 1990 revision

Special Effects by
L. Posorov	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
A. Astafyev	....	assistant camera
Nikolai Bolshakov	....	assistant camera
Sergei Uralov	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
N. Lamarov	....	costume maker
N. Makarov	....	costume maker

Music Department
William David Brohn	....	orchestra director, 1990 revision
Vladimir Lugovskoi	....	lyricist
Yuri Temirkanov	....	conductor (1995 digital re-recording) (as Yu. Temirkanov)

Other crew
Sonya Friedman	....	english subtitler, 1990 revision
K. Kalmykov	....	military consultant
Julian Leigh	....	subtitler (1938 US release)
Elena S. Telesheva	....	actor direction consultant

Production Companies

• Mosfilm

Distributors

• Amkino Corporation (1939) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Panthéon Distribution (1950) (France) (theatrical)
• Artkino Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical) (new subtitles) (reissue)
• Janus Films (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (new subtitles) (reissue)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Moskwood Media (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Moskwood Media (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sovexportfilm (19??) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Empresa Hispanoamericana de Video (EHV) (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Top1Video (19??) (USA) (VHS) (Russian language only)

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:

Despite the anti-Christian approach, Alexander makes a biblical reference when addressing the Russian people near the end of the movie stating that they "... will be Judases all ... " if they betray the victory just won.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Gavrila Alexich, one of the movie's main protagonists, could not participate Battle of Ice. He was killed one year before it, in 1241, storming the fortress of Koporye.

Quotes:

Alexandr Nevsky: [to the Mongol Envoy] We have a saying: it's better to die for your country than to leave it.

Movie Connections:

Edited into The Secret Glory (2001)

An Overwhelming Movie Forever

In 1242, Russia in being invaded by two sides: from the orient by the Mongols and from Europe side, by the Germans Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire. The city of Novgorod is the last free city in Russia. The population, in order to organize the defense of Novgorod and the lands of Russia, calls the Prince Aleksandr Nevsky, who had defeated the Swedish in a previous battle. His successful strategy defeats the Germans, after a great battle on a frozen lake. This movie was made in 1938 due to the threaten of the German to Russia, in a pre-Second World War period. The idea was to make propaganda pro-Russia. However, it is an overwhelming, marvelous, stunning powerful masterpiece. It is amazing the combat scene on the frozen lake. The present generation is very accustomed to special effects, like in the `Lord of the Rings' trilogy, and maybe cannot understand how fantastic is this black and white fight. If the viewer can forget the ideology and watch it as an art, he will certainly be astonished in the end with such a masterpiece. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): Alexander Nevsky