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.

---

Plot Keywords:

russian history | kill | battle | knight | invasion | 

---

Taglines:

The culminating triumph in the career of the man who made "Potemkin" and "Ten Days That Shook the World." Nikolai Cherkassov, in the title role, heads a cast of thousands.

---

Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | History | War

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

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

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.

---

Quotes

Russian Chorus: [singing] The bloody battle raged on, We broke their ships into matchsticks, We spilled our blood like water, All for the sake of our land, the great Mother Russia.

---

Crazy Credits

Before the word "End" appears Alexandr Nevsky's famous quote "But those who come to us sword in hand will die by the sword! On that Russia stands and forever will we stand!" appears on the screen, right after Nevsky said it in the movie.

---

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).

---

Connections

Edited into The Secret Glory (2001)

User Reviews

"Nevsky" with live music

There is a version of "Nevsky" that is shown with a live symphony orchestra, chorus, soloist and the movie. If it's EVER performed within a day's travel of you see "Nevsky" done that way. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic did it with the OKC Canterbury Choir (one of the finest anywhere) a couple of years ago. I think I cried through the whole thing, it was one of the most emotionally powerful movie experiences of my life. I'm listening to "Nevsky" on the radio right now and it still tears me up. There are movies that I love, and classical music pieces I love, but there is no combination I can think of that comes close to the impact of "Nevsky" performed in real time.

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

22 March 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alexander Nevsky

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,226

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1