Alexander Nevsky (1938)

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

Directors:

Sergei M. Eisenstein (as S. Eisenstein), Dmitriy Vasilev (as D. Vasilyev)

Writers:

Sergei M. Eisenstein (as S. Eisenstein), Pyotr Pavlenko (as P. Pavlenko)

Stars:

Nikolay Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nikolay 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)
Valentina 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)

Storyline

It is the 13th century, and Russia is overrun by foreign invaders. A Russian knyaz', or prince, Alexander Nevsky, rallies the people to form a ragtag army to drive back an invasion by the Teutonic knights. This is a true story based on the actual battle at a lake near Novgorod.

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Plot Keywords:

female warrior | 1200s | famous score | prisoner of war | character name as title | 

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Taglines:

Original Symphonic Score by Sergei Prokofieff

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

22 March 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alexander Nevsky

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is included in "Eisenstein: The Sound Years", which is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #86.

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Goofs

The cross displayed on the shields borne by the Teutonic knights is different in shape and colour to the actual one on their coat of arms.

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Quotes

Amelfa Timoferevna - Buslai's Mother: [helping the wounded Buslai walk] You've shamed your mother. I wanted to celebrate your wedding.
Vasili Buslai: And so you shall.
Amelfa Timoferevna - Buslai's Mother: [grumbling] Why couldn't you have been first in battle?
Vasili Buslai: Well, I wasn't the last.
[he reaches out and takes Vasilisa by the hand, pulling her to him]
Vasili Buslai: Accept as your daughter-in-law this maiden in armor.
Amelfa Timoferevna - Buslai's Mother: [looks Vasilisa over, then smiles broadly] Eh! A beautiful maiden!
Vasili Buslai: We've always been able to take care of our own.

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Alternate Versions

A 109-minute version distributed by Janus Films and broadcast on the IFC channel in 2006 carries a 1986 date by Mosfilm, and has a lot more credited crew listed than is currently in the IMDb database. Most are untranslated and requires familiarity with the Crillic alphabet to read and a knowledge of Russian to translate. One significant translated addition is Vladinir Lugovskoi as lyricist (and he perhaps is Vladimir Lurovski). Of those names currently in the IMDb database, the following changes were noted: Sergei M. Eisenstein (as S.M. Eisenstein), Pyotr Pavlenko (as P.A. Pavlenko), Dmitriy Vasilev (as D.I. Vasilyev), Esfir Tobak (as E. Tobak),Iosif Shpinel (as I. Shpinel), Nikolai Solovyov (as N. Solovyov), Konstantin Eliseev (as K. Yeliseyev), Valentina Kuznetsova (as V. Kuznetsova), Boris Ivanov (as B. Ivanov), Nikolai Maslov (as Nikolai Maslov), Valeri Popov (as V. Popov), Boris Volsky (as B. Volsky), Nikolai Bolshakov (as N. Bolshakov), Sergei Uralov (as S. Uralov) and Elena S. Telesheva (as E. Telesheva).

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Connections

Referenced in Conan the Barbarian (1982)

User Reviews

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