Alexander Nevsky (1938) Aleksandr Nevskiy (original title)

Directors:

Sergei M. Eisenstein
Dmitri Vasilyev

Writers:

Sergei M. Eisenstein
Pyotr Pavlenko

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

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Nikolai Cherkasov	...	Aleksandr Nevsky (as N. Cherkasov)
Nikolai Okhlopkov	...	Vasili Buslai (as N. Okhlopkov)
Andrei Abrikosov	...	Gavrilo Oleksich (as A. Abrikosov)
Dmitriy 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		(as S. Eisenstein)
Pyotr Pavlenko		(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
Nikolai Solovyov		(as N. Soloviev)
Sergei M. Eisenstein		(uncredited)

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

Production Management
Igor Vakar	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Boris Ivanov	....	assistant director (as B. Ivanov)
Valentina Kuznetsova	....	assistant director
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
Frank Strobel	....	conductor
Frank Strobel	....	music restoration
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)
• Velissarios (1995) (Greece) (VHS) (sell through)

Also Known As:

"Aleksandr Nevskiy" - Soviet Union (original title)

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:

The battle on the ice was inspired by Sergei M. Eisenstein's love for the D.W. Griffith film Way Down East (1920), in which the climax is a chase over a vast river of melting ice heading toward a waterfall.

Goofs:

Continuity: Vasilisa's braids appear and disappear when she is being armed and dressed in chain mail.

Quotes:

Vasilisa - a Maid of Pskov:I'm coming with you, father!
Pavsha - Governor of Pskov:Flee from here, Vasilisa! Remember the blood we shed! Avenge us! Avenge us!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996)

Can be viewed from many sides:Propaganda film, Quite simply some of the best war scenes I have ever seen.....

A stunning piece of art.You can watch every image of the film and see the beauty in it.First I would like to say that ´when I saw the German´s soldiers helmet´s I understood that it was from here that "Star Wars" hade been inspired.The scene were they kill the baby is frightening and when I saw it I did not like it.But when the film was end I thought about that scene and I changed my mind and thought that in the World War 2 that was exactly what the German´s did.

The Ice-battle scene is some of the best war scenes I have seen(If not the BEST).They way this film combines music and so superbly stunning visual images is really excellent.Then the Prokofiev score is one of the most famous sound track´s in history and I thought it was some of the best to.

what more can you say then a work of art.Eisenstein have created a stunning masterpiece,a propaganda film and a Beautiful work of art. I am very happy because I have just got the criterion collection Eisenstein set.