Alexander Nevsky (film)
Alexander Nevsky is a
film directed by
Sergei Eisenstein and Dmitry Vasiliev, made by
Mosfilm and released in 1938, during the
Stalin era, with
Nikolai Cherkasov in the title role.
The screenplay is based on the
13th century conflict between the
Teutonic Knights and the
Russian people of
Novgorod. The film follows the knights as they invade
Pskov and massacre its population.
Alexander Nevsky then rallies the people of Novgorod and at a battle on the surface of the frozen
Lake Peipus the outnumbered Novgorodians defeat the Germanic invaders.
Encyclopedia
Alexander Nevsky is a
film directed by
Sergei Eisenstein and Dmitry Vasiliev, made by
Mosfilm and released in 1938, during the
Stalin era, with
Nikolai Cherkasov in the title role.
The screenplay is based on the
13th century conflict between the
Teutonic Knights and the
Russian people of
Novgorod. The film follows the knights as they invade
Pskov and massacre its population.
Alexander Nevsky then rallies the people of Novgorod and at a battle on the surface of the frozen
Lake Peipus the outnumbered Novgorodians defeat the Germanic invaders. Setting this historical defeat of
Germans by Russians to film was a not so subtle prophecy that history was about to repeat itself.
The film was requested of Eisenstein directly by Stalin, who wanted a film that would warn the Soviet people of German aggression. The film contains many elements that reflect the then current global political situation. The helmets worn by the Teutonic soldiers look much like larger German soldier helmets from the period.
Swastikas are also to be found decorating many of the Teutons. The film also shows Nevsky making peace with his old enemies the
Mongols in order to face the knights, hinting at the necessity of making peace with the western powers to deal with Nazi Germany.
Unfortunately the film was released moments before Stalin agreed to the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which provided for non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union. The film was suppressed and not shown in theaters. This changed dramatically in 1941 after the German attack on the Soviet Union and the film began to be shown in many Soviet cinemas.
Eisenstein, still regarded as one of history's greatest film makers, used all his abilities to produce another acclaimed picture. The film is far more western than any of his previous works—it tells one story with a single narrative arc and focuses on one main character. The special effects and cinematography were some of the most advanced ever. The film is the first of Eisenstein's to use sound. The
film score was composed by
Sergei Prokofiev, who later reworked the score into a concert cantata. Eisenstein developed dramatic new methods of mixing music and visuals. The entire film culminates in the half hour battle scene set to Prokofiev's pounding score, a scene that has been the model for most epic battle scenes to have come since.
See: Ulrich Wuenschel, Sergej Prokofjews Filmmusik zu Sergej Eisensteins ALEXANDER NEWSKI, 2005
See also
External links
- , the Journal of the Serge Prokofiev Foundation, on the radio version of the Nevsky soundtrack.
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