Aleksandr Nevskiy

Eisenstein's "Alexander Nevsky" was made mostly for propaganda purposes in 1938. It was a reminder to all Russians of their dastardly neighbors (the Nazis) to their west. The film plays on this comparison and several others to a lesser degree. The evil Germanic Teutonic Knights just happen to be of the Christian faith and their religious leaders make for very effective villians. Although Nikolai Cherkasov as Nevsky and Nikolai Okhlopkov as his right-hand man, Vasili, are commanding in their roles, this movie is mainly noted for the final climactic battle between good (the Russians) and pure evil (the Germans). Eisenstein purposely covers the Germans with over-sized helmets so that they're totally devoid of any human facial expressions. On the contrary, the Russian peasants who comprise most of Nevsky's army are portrayed with a variety of emotions and their humanity is not only recognizable but refreshing and appealing to the viewer. When the Teutonic Knights make their charge on the Russian position, the action is fast and furious and it would be difficult to find any other film which stages its action scenes as well as Eisenstein does here. Although a bit dated in the print that I saw (the sound was certainly a bit off) this movie is a must-see for anyone interested in foreign films and especially the Russian cinema during the days of Stalin. The Germans might have thought twice about attacking Russia in 1941 if they had seen this film beforehand. The message was clear back then. In the words of Alexander Nevsky himself: "Do not enter Russia with a sword in your hand." Well, you can't say they weren't warned.

I've loved this movie since the first time I saw it lo these many years ago. I'm not sure how many times I've seen it, perhaps 10, perhaps 20. This last time I watched it I was struck by a detail that I hadn't noticed before.

Toward the end of the picture, the slain heroes are conveyed back to the town via sled. There are a couple of closeups of the dead men. The one that struck me most was a shot of the blond youth. All you see on the screen is his profile from head to hands. His hands hold a flickering candle. The wind is blowing and his thick blond hair is dancing in the wind, in sync with the flicker of the candle flame. The contrast between death and the life he has lost is incredibly powerful. The moving hair and candle flame remind us of the life force that once inhabited his body.

Every time I revisit this film I see something new.

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.

Guys, before saying that Alexander Nevsky is a propaganda film, please keep in mind that it is about a Russian saint, prince and patriot and it was produced in the country which totally denied religion, patriotism and nobility. If you look more attentively you can notice that the Novgorod churches had no crosses on top. The full helmets Eisenshtein took from ancient manuscripts and followed the history precisely. The portable organ the monk plays was an exact copy of the real thing from the 13th century which crusaders used. The children auto-da-fe was taken from ancient chronicles (both Russian and German). But in addition it had religious meaning since it draws parallel with Herod's slaughter of the innocents (used later once again in Ivan The Terrible). Alexander Nevsky is a Russian historical saga which has everything in common with old Russian cultural and historical tradition but nothing (or very little) with the Soviet propaganda. The film definitely has allusions to the Stalin's time: free Novgorod republic fights for its freedom at the expense of prosperity, elected prince Alexander (leader but not czar) etc. But nevertheless I think that the French critic Robert Brasillach (he was very close to nazis) was right when he called Alexander Nevsky the slavic war carol which has nothing to do with bolshevism, communism etc.

But IMHO Serghey Eisenshtein was against the war and followed the tradition of War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy. The same plot with common people uniting to oppose the uppish professional army. If you remember the scene when Russian soldiers alike in color with the earth and trees butted into the German close formation they use axes the same way they did when chopping woods. No pride, honor or awards but every day job. I think it is an excellent film which is larger then our judgements.

I think it's a superb cinematography experience, once again Einsenstein goes beyond the conventional visual elements of the movies, lets take an example, we are used to see the white color as a sign of purity, and the black color as the "bad" element. Here this visual elements are twisted, showing the enemy in white and the russians in dark uniforms. Certainly there is a propaganda tone in the whole story, but it's quite comprehensible for the time (previous to WWII) and the country. There is another element for which this movie is so touching, the excellent music by Serge Prokofiev, and specially the part of the battle. Alexander Nevsky is very much worth seeing not seeking for a conventional war movie, but as an alternative way of cinematic expression.