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:

russian history | kill | battle | knight | invasion | 

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Taglines:

The mighty epic of 13th Century Russia...of the "Battle on the Ice" when the invading German hordes led by the Teutonic Knights were driven from the soil of Russia - forever.

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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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Propaganda 2 Anti-Christianity: the Teutonic knights bear crosses on their capes, pennons and shields; crucifixes borne on rods by knights; the religious figures in the service of the knights and the religious services held; the destruction of the tent after the battle by the Master Armourer; the lack of religious figures and services/ celebrations on the Russian side (despite the crosses on top of the buildings).

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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

Russian Chorus: [singing] The Russian lands we shall never surrender, Whoever arises against Russia will be smitten...

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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 Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

User Reviews

I kinda want to beat up some Germans right now...

When I first saw this film around 6 months ago, I considered it interesting, but little more. But it stuck with me. That interest grew and grew, and I wondered whether my initial boredom and response had more to do with the actual VHS quality rather than the film itself. I purchased the Criterion DVD box set, and it turns out that I was right the second time. Alexander Nevsky is a great film. It is rousing, and I'm sure it succeeded in its main aim: propaganda against the Germans.

That is the most common criticism against this film, and against Eisenstein, that it is merely propagandist and nothing else. It's untrue. He is an amazing film artist, one of the most important whoever lived. By now, the world is far enough beyond Joseph Stalin to be able to watch Eisenstein's films as art.