Rating: 
Summary: Shameless propaganda but a classic nontheless
Review: Like one of the other reviewers, I own the BMG laserdisc, with the completely remastered soundtrack. Therefore, I can only comment on the movie in general, not this particular DVD. Having said that, I strongly recommend the movie to any viewer with a taste for classic cinema. In my opinion, it is epic storytelling of the highest order. The character of Nevsky appears early and is made larger than life from the outset. Anyone looking for complex characters won't find them here - the focus is on storytelling (and just a bit of political propaganda) and the clearcut portrayal of good vs. evil. It's a nice break from life's ambiguities. There can be no doubt that the entire film is in large part a backdrop for the battle scene on the ice. And what a scene! The creative imagery combined with Prokofiev's masterful music made a lasting impression on me, and, like a great work of music, I found the scene so artistically complex and effective, that no matter how many times I watch it, it never loses its appeal. Equally moving is the following section of the movie, where, in the dim light, a young woman makes her way among the bodies of the fallen soldiers, looking for her own beloved hero. A heartbreaking soprano aria accompanies her. This scene, more than all the rest, makes clear just how integral the music is to the movie's substance; at times it almost seems like an opera written for the screen (except that the actors don't actually sing). Sentimentality flows like water, but at least molded in the finest romantic Russian tradition. For simple, effective storytelling, grandiose heroism, unforgetable imagery, and as perfect a synthesis of music and drama as ever graced the screen, I think this film is hard to beat. And while the movie may have lost some of the immediacy and relevance it had for the Russians of the thirties, faced with having to fend off yet another hostile German invasion, the movie touches on some social/political themes which are still very relevant today. Unprovoked military aggression is thwarted; arrogant, self-righteous religious fanaticism is humbled; and cowardly sedition is held up as the worst possible evil. The movie even makes an argument for feminism, since the honour of highest valour is given to a woman soldier. If the movie has any serious failings at all, I haven't found them. True, the political "message" is at times so blatantly crude as to seem almost comic. But the movie is, after all, a creature of its time, and was funded by the Soviet government, who I'm sure cared far more about the film's political effect than its artistic merit. Happy for us that Eisenstein was able to marry the two, and achieve the first without compromising the second. All in all, it's a film that I treasure as one of the most prized in my collection. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: One of the great sword flics
Review: Much more than symbolism drives this tale of a 13th century battle between Russians and Germans. Russians at the time were squeezed between the Golden Horde and approaching legions of Teutonic knights. The Germans were Catholic, and the Russians were and are Orthodox. So the Eisenstein visions of priests and monks blessing the Germans before battle blend well with the frightened bishop scurrying over the landscape after the final Russian victory. Stalin didn't have trouble getting extras, so the screen is full of warriors. Some today might think that the plot is a bit manipulative and corny, but Eisenstein was trying to rouse the Russian people to the very real prospect of war with Germany. A criticism could be of the white vs. black casting of the sides in what was a complex historical event. The peasants must have really dug it. This is black and white, the premier way to tell a film story (with apologies to Ted Turner and his colorizing contingent). The dialogue is in 20th century Russian, but the subtitles are well done and generally consistent with the tone of the movie. Prince Nevsky won the battle on tactics, not weight of numbers. The film is a good reminder why even today the main street in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) still carries his name.
Rating:
Summary: I agree with Moreno
Review: Note that this was released as RCA Red Seal on laser disc. On laser disc, it is spectacular. A pity that none of the RCA laser dics have been transfered to DVD .. yet?
Rating:
Summary: I agree with Moreno
Review: Note that this was released as RCA Red Seal on laser disc. On laser disc, it is spectacular. A pity that none of the RCA laser dics have been transfered to DVD .. yet?
Rating:
Summary: Not 5 but 6 Stars !
Review: Now that (09/99) Hollywood is in pursuit of flooding the market with even lower quality productions with the mentality that 'people will watch these movies since they will not find an alternative,' I am delighted to spend more time to watch Eisenstein's films.I am not so sure what to write since Eisenstein is probably the greatest director and his films, including Alexander Nevsky is among the very best produced in the history of cinema. I would not comment since I am not a filmmaker or have any experience in that area yet one thing is certain. When you watch Alexander Nevsky, you will experience filmmaking at its very best.
Rating:
Summary: DVD is good, live is best!
Review: Other reviewers have accurately stated what a great cinematic achievement this movie is. More enduring for me has always been Prokifiev's score. This is one of those brilliant combinations of the visual and musical arts. Each is wonderful in its own right, but the combination is greater than the sum of the parts; each makes the other that much better. A few years ago I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the movie at Philadelphia's Mann Music Center. The film was projected on a huge outdoor screen and the score was played live by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Gives me a chill even now thinking how stunning the whole experience was. I'm sure other orchestras do this kind of thing. If you *ever* get the chance to see it this way, jump on it! You won't be sorry! In the meantime, the DVD is a great addition to the library of any serious fan of cinema, history and/or music. And while you're at it, why not buy a copy of the score? Personally, I like Andre Previn's 1987 version on Telarc CD-80143, which also includes the Lt. Kije Suite (just do an Amazon search under Classical Music for "nevsky previn kije" and you'll go right to it.)
Rating:
Summary: A Kept Promise
Review: Russia in the 13th century: The opening shot shows the relics of the last invasion: moldering uniforms, human skulls, a horse's skeleton. Prince Alexander Nevsky (Nikolai Cherkasov) chased the swedish army away and impresses the mongol ruler to such a degree that he proposes to promote him to the rank of captain. But Nevsky replies: "Die on your homeland, but don't leave it". He wants to fish, build ships and trade. But he also warns of a more dangerous enemy: nearer, meaner, and no possibility to buy oneself out: Germany. Their objective is Novgorod. They have already reached Pskov. Mothers and Daugthers suffer for their fathers and sons. The marauding occupation forces distribute the looty among each other. Rich merchants want to purchase their liberty (always place for some anti-capitalist p.r.), but the "common people" are ready to fight and want Alexander as their leader. Pskov is burned to the ground. The teutonic knights feel invincible and have just a smug smile for the russian women who witness helplessly how their fathers and sons are butchered. Babies are thrown in the fire while high dignitaries of the church look on and remain idle. In Novgorod: Olga Danilovna has two admirers: Rich and staid Gavrilo and tall and jolly Vasili. She promises to marry the most valiant. Vasili calls on Alexander Nevsky in Perejaslav: the prince decides not to wait for the attack, but to strike at once. Even women put on a chain armor. The invaders want to bait the "russian bear", but Nevsky's stratagem stands the test: Lake Peipus is his war zone: his men know the territory, but the germans, who are heavier, will break through the ice... Open your eyes and watch the most impressive battle-scenes ever filmed. It's not just the multitude of extras (who were, I think, pressed in this patriotic exercise), but Eisenstein's masterful management of such a large number of individuals. He displaces divisions like pieces on a chess-board and nearly every shot looks like a composition for a painting of Rubens or Rembrandt (including horses in phantastic outfits). Russia in winter looks intimidating in itself, but Eisenstein's visual imagination is hors concours. Heaps of corpses are plunged in cosmic light under an endless horizon. At nighfall Olga and other women search with torches for survivors. A devoted falcon sits on his master's dead body while a crow waits for the right moment to pick out the eyes of the deceased. Eisenstein's direction and Prokofjev's score make ALEXANDER NEVSKY the "Rolls Royce" among propaganda films. Nevsky is, of course, Stalin (who commissioned the film), and the russians are tall, good-looking, heroic, and they have a perfect hairdo. The germans are bearded savages and look like members of the Ku-Klux-Klan. The actor who plays Vasili gives a one-man-four-characters performance: first wavering, then heroic, youthful lover and comic relief. Cherkasov's main duty is to look heroic: At the end Nevsky-Stalin displays his generosity: He pardons the little soldiers and barters the knights for soap. Only a bearded killer and a traitorous cleric are turned over to the mob. He does not forget a final warning: who comes with the sword will die by the sword...He kept his promise...
Rating:
Summary: ALEXANDER NEVSKY!
Review: SERGEI EISENSTEIN's first SOUND FILM tells the epic tale of the great ALEXANDER NEVSKY, who led the people of RUSSIA against the Tutonic Knights invading from GERMAN! This film was made in 1938 and obviously constitutes one of the better examples of Soviet Propaganda during World War II! Not that they were the only ones: LAURENCE OLIVIER did the same thing with his version of "HENRY V"! The thrilling BATTLE ON THE ICE actually foreshadows the way the harsh Russian WINTER would stop the NAZI assault into the Motherland! The MUSIC score by SERGEI PROKOFIEV is truly awesome!
Rating: 
Summary: Great film, but.....
Review: The Image transfers to DVD of Eisenstein's 'Ivan the Terrible' parts One and Two are sensational -- gleaming blacks, crisp whites; tonal values as exciting as full colour. And the sound is rich and strong. This transfer of 'Nevsky' though gives us a palette of greys instead of the crisp black and whites it deserves. And the sound is too muted; there's been little attempt to get the best out of the 1930s soundtrack. That soundtrack doesn't sound the greatest on any version, but it is still preferable to the better sounding but artistically mechanical and drab re-recording done in the 1990s by BMG. Until there's a better DVD on the market, this one will have to do. Put up with the flaws, because this is one of the greatest films of the fondly remembered 20th Century. There is a rumour that Criterion is going to remaster both 'Alexander Nevsky' and the two 'Ivan' movies. The Image 'Ivan' is already good enough, but I'll be ordering the Criterion 'Nevsky' the day it appears. But Criterion, make sure you use the original soundtrack, with all its faults, not the BMG technological update. Or, to satisfy everyone, and if BMG agrees, why not a dual music track to let everyone choose between the better sounding but dull modern re-recording, or the poorly recorded but exciting original!
Rating: 
Summary: A little dated, but still a classic epic of cinema
Review: The story of Alexander Nevsky is set in the year 1242, at a time when Russia was surrounded by powerful enemies both East (the Mongols) and West (the Germans). It should be interesting to note that in 1938, when the film was made, Soviet Russia probably felt much the same, with world powers such as Japan and Germany within striking distance of the Motherland.
The story begins with Nevsky assisting his peasants in fishing (clearly Communist propaganda - noblemen would almost never associate with peasants) and meanwhile, a band of Mongols rides up, demanding subservience of the Russians. This leads to a scuffle, and Nevsky goes to stop it, as it is scaring off the fish. The Mongols recognize Nevsky as the Russian general who defeated the Swedes at Nava (Sweden was also a powerful nation in the 1200's) and try to recruit him. However, Nevsky is a patriot and refuses.
While Nevsky's people advise him to gird for war against the Mongols, the Germans invade and capture the city of Pskov and Novgorod. In Novgorod, the exterminate the population, and there is a scene where the German chieftain (denoted by the huge horns on his helmet) throws a couple of Russian children into a huge bonfire, one of which he has ripped away from the grasp of his mother. You would think that such a scene, if made in 2004, would have enormous potential for gore and poignancy, but since it was made in 1938, it seemed rather cheesy and even fairly comical in its execution. The kids aren't thrown so much as dropped a short distance, in the same fashion a father would help his child dismount a jungle gym.
Anyhow, all this stirs up the Russian peasantry into pure patriotic fervor, and there is more Communist propaganda in a scene where Nevsky urges the nobles of Novgorod (who had fled) to go along with the army, and fight patriotically, instead of worrying about their financial situation. Nevsky is urged to take command of the newly-formed army, and he quickly sets about scouting a suitable battlefield.
The battlefield in question is the surface of a frozen lake, and Nevsky skillfully baits the Germans into following his army onto the ice, then doing battle. A skillful flanking manuever sends the Germans into flight, and the Russians chase them all the way to the thin part of the lake, where the heavily-armored Germans fall through the thin ice and many are drowned.
I have to say that the battle scene was, IMHO, a bit overlong, and not particularly imaginative or enlightening. It had the quality of a huge, confusing melee, with shots of the main characters swinging away with their swords. The battle scenes take up more than half the movie. The movie can certainly be considered a classic, but for someone used to seeing movies like "Braveheart", it's a bit dated.
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