Alexander Nevsky (1938)

Pretty Good

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Alexander Nevsky is a tough movie to review. It almost HAS to be viewed within the framework of its historical importance to the media. It has influenced a lot of different movies in the nearly eighty years since it was released, but the problem with watching something that was an influence on other things you've already seen is that the influence can sometimes be less impressive in comparison. The story centers on Alexander Nevsky's battle against an invading Teutonic army, and the battle itself makes up a good chunk of the film. There's no doubt that a battle on this scale was something that was seldom (if not never before) seen in movies of this era, but it probably isn't going to do much for today's viewers, and the attempt at a romantic subplot that gets halfheartedly shoehorned into the movie is almost painful to watch. We don't regret having watched Alexander Nevsky, but it isn't something that we would necessarily recommend people rush out and watch, either.This was the third movie we covered for our podcast, Tara and Andrew Versus The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide, and in the episode we go into more detail about the plot, what we liked and didn't like, and some of the history behind the movie (which is pretty fascinating). It's a fairly short time investment on your part if you're interested in checking it out, and you can find it either at our website (www.taraandandrewversus.com) or on Apple Podcasts/Google Play/whatever.

The story of how a great Russian prince (Nikolai Cherkasov) led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.After August 23, 1939, when the USSR signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which provided for non-aggression and collusion between Germany and the Soviet Union, "Alexander Nevsky" was removed from circulation. But the situation reversed dramatically on June 22, 1941 after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and the film rapidly returned to Soviet and western screens.Understanding the film in context is important. We could look at it as merely a historical battle of the Russians, Germans and Mongols... and we can certainly enjoy the movie in this context. But it is no accident that the movie was made in 1938, at a time shortly before Russia was to take on Nazi Germany. What better way to excite the Russian people than show them what one of their ancestors did to the Germans?

Seen from a historical point of view, the film 'Alexander Njefski' features prominent in the life of the Soviet Union from the late 1930-s.In 1937, one year before its issue, Joseph Stalin had murdered the majority of his top-ranking army commanders. Thus 'beheading' his Red Army. As in the same period Adolf Hitler's foreign policies grew increasingly aggressive, many Soviet citizens became worried. Wondering what would happen to them if Hitler attacked their country.To soothe this public anxiety, Stalin ordered Eisenstein to revive Alexander Njefski's victorious 1242-battle against the Teutonic knights. Its message had to be clear: no German invader will succeed to defeat Russia.Backed by government support, 'Alexander Njefski' was a hit in the Soviet Union from the late 1930's. The more so, while it contains every exceptional high-quality film skill Eisenstein could provide.On June 22, 1941 Adolf Hitler attacked the Soviet Union in real. And saw his bloody defeat almost four years later, after the most savage war in history of mankind. Stalin had kept his promise from 'Alexander Njefski', but with way more efforts than Eisenstein's film shows.

This might surprise some, but in this film, Eisenstein lays down the model for how to create a montage for a pre-modern battle scene. To my knowledge, all movies dealing with such scenes have used essentially the same template. This comes from the scenes when the Russian army is waiting for the Teutons coming over the ice. When you see this sequence, you will never see movies like Braveheart or the Two Towers the same way again. f Moreover, for those who care about such things, the movie actually manages to be truer to how battles were waged than many more contemporary films - you can actually tell how these forces fight on formation!Aside from these aspects, the film also showcases Eisenstein's directorial genius throughout, so it's really a must-see for anyone interested in his contributions to the development of cinema.