Rating: 
Summary: Okay...
Review: I'm a film fan, but I just can't seem to get into Eisenstein. I liked POTEMKIN, but sitting through these films made me restless. I'm sorry, I know that they are important pieces of filmmaking, but I found them extremely slow-moving...Luckily, though, if you do like these films, the Criterion prints are amazingly good-looking. The quality of the films is outstanding and the special features are also very enlightening. I think of the two films I liked IVAN THE TERRIBLE better, but it still moved extremely slow for me. I was amazed with the color sequences at the end...they were so clear and bright, they seemed to be from another movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Nevsky DVD
Review: I'm only telling you about the Nevsky DVD here - my local library has a copy of it, and that was all i got to see.Terrific transfer - firstly. The film's look, like with Ivan, is its greatest attribute - and here it looks incredible. The images are just so clear, i couldn't believe it. You can fully appreciate the brilliance and purity of Eistenstein's cinema. Sound quality was good. Special features were particularly good (as usual). Audio commentary and tidbits from film historians and critics. Most interesting was a reconstruction from stills and titlecards of Eistenstein's unfinished/lost pastoral film Bezhin Meadows. This is the only place you'll get to see this. And i was quite impressed by it. There are some striking images in there, similar to some compositions from Nevsky. Unlike Ivan (which i have seen Part I of, but not on this DVD) in my opinion, Nevsky does not suffer from a creaky plot, but has good unity and good progression to the climax of the battle of the ice. Part love triangle, part battle epic, Nevsky feels wearisome in places for how very much it is soviet propaganda. In both films, the performances are unusual, because they are more like silent performances, which would have been poetic in a silent, but definitely look quirky in a sound movie. If i had any complaints it would be these: one for Eisenstein, for his sound engineer, for the terrible job he did of constructing the sound for the battle on the ice. I could hear the foley artist literally clanking a whole lot of swords together rhythmically. Very distracting indeed. one for Criterion: i would not have subtitled every line of the singing. Nevsky and Ivan are both part Eisenstein movie, part Prokofiev opera. But the lyrics of the songs the people/army are constantly singing in the background of Nevsky get very repetitive, because its the same verse over and over. Continually reinforcing this propagandising message of unity. And i'm sure its the same for Ivan, but the release i saw of Ivan didn't continue to subtitle every line of song, which is why i know this was a much better option. Otherwise, a beautiful DVD edition (of Nevsky) with an incredible image and good special features.
Rating:
Summary: Eisenstein's sound films
Review: If the definition of a great film was that it reflected the society in which it was made, Sergei Eisenstein's sound films -"Ivan" parts 1 and 2 plus "Alexander Nevsky" (1938)- would probably be voted the best films ever in perpetuity. However, this is not the case: a film which reflects the society in which it was made is often merely a soiological work. Or a historical artifact, if you prefer. The works of Eisenstein made during the terrible years of the Stalinist Great Terror and the ensuing war are merely that: grotesque displays of how bent out of shape Russia had become. All lowering camera angles, charioscuro lighting, absurdly over-the-top performances, the film looks like an exercise in Stalinist aesthetics, made for a country which knew all about Uncle Joe first-hand.
Nikolai Cherkassov's performance as tsar Ivan is much like the rest of the film: impossible to criticise in conventional cinematic terms. His character is a wild-eyed, glowering pantomime-like puppet, flailing around looking for some scenery to chew. There is absolutely no character development, not only with Ivan but with anyone; this fact alone disqualifies this film, in my opinion, from being ranked alongside even good films, let alone great ones. Besides this, continuity errors abound, and the sets look like they were made out of cardboard.
Goodness knows how some critics could describe this film as a "visual opera": this isn't a tragedy but a farce.
As for "Alexander Nevsky", I think this film has had a lot of unfair criticism over the years. I feel that the editing and camerawaork are far less overwrought than in "Ivan the Terrible", with a stronger sense of logic in the unfolding of the cinematic space in the film; the characters are correspondingly stronger than in the other films (although that isn't saying very much). However, "Nevsky" also has the faults -to us modern viewers- of its successor: a chilling message of the need for tyrrany by the oligarchy and terrible sacrifice by the underlings to save Russia; and weak character devlopment which again shows this film to be ostensibly a propaganda exercise.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: It has always been hard to enjoy these movies because of the poor prints available, but Criterion has undertaken the trouble to restore these three great movies to their original (almost) quality. It was worth the wait. Sergei Eisenstein was a master of merging image upon image with a musical background. In Alexander Nevsky, you almost feel like you are watching a Prokofiev score, rather than just watching a movie. Ivan the Terrible Parts I and II are even better; they are materpieces of image and symbolism. I can't believe Eisenstein was able to make these movies under the oppressive watch of Stalin, but the fact that he did makes these works all the more impressive. These pictures don't take the Hollywood instant gratification route, so they require the viewer to concentrate. Stick with them; they are wonderful. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Warning: Mastering Bugs!
Review: June 2001: The Eisenstein box set from Criterion is based on new transfers but has serious problems with the mastering. If you have a progressive DVD player or a line doubler you will not be able to get a picture free of motion artifacts since the pulldown on the discs is screwed up many times. In addition it seems the Nevsky disc has footage before digital restoration instead of after, a bizarre mix up. Wait for a remastered version.
Rating:
Summary: These two masterpieces are a treasure
Review: The famous battle on the ice and the perfect harmony of Prokofiev's music and cinema language create a natural esthetic emotion in Alexander Nevski as well as in Ivan the Terrible. In the last, it is wonderful the almost unnoticed passage from black and white to color. Undoubtedly, these two masterpieces of the genius at so early a stage of development of cinema industry, make me recommend to anyone fond of the seventh art,to have this DVD. Moreover if they are accompanied by comments of learned speciaists.
Rating:
Summary: These two masterpieces are a treasure
Review: The famous battle on the ice and the perfect harmony of Prokofiev's music and cinema language create a natural esthetic emotion in Alexander Nevski as well as in Ivan the Terrible. In the last, it is wonderful the almost unnoticed passage from black and white to color. Undoubtedly, these two masterpieces of the genius at so early a stage of development of cinema industry, make me recommend to anyone fond of the seventh art,to have this DVD. Moreover if they are accompanied by comments of learned speciaists.
Rating:
Summary: Three Great Films that Deserve Great Releases
Review: These are three great epic films that until this release have suffered from some truly miserable DVD releases that are basically copies of cheap videotapes. For me, the most depressing thing about other DVD releases of these films is how bad the sound is-- especially the great Prokofiev scores. Critereon has done an excellent job in cleaning up the visuals on these films, though unfortunately the soundtracks are still pretty bad. There are lots of good features on the DVD that really, including some very informative commnetaries by film historians. This set is a definite buy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent box set. Thank you Criterion!
Review: This box set is one of the Criterion Collection's best releases yet. In this set are 3 films. Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible (Ivan Grozny) parts 1 and 2. Alexander Nevsky is based on the true story of 13th century Prince Alexander Nevsky who helped fend off Teutonic (German) soldiers out of what is now Russia. The film has an excellent score composed for the film by Sergei Prokofiev. The acting in the film is also very good also. The film was very popular and was temporarily banned by Stalin after Germany signed a nonagression pact with the Soviet Union. The film is on disc 1 and has the following special features.
Restoration demonstration, Production stills and storyboard drawings, a multimedia essay by Russel Merrit on Sergei Eisenstein's work with Sergei Prokofiev on the film's score, an feature length essay on the film by David Bordwell, who wrote a book on Eisenstein's films, and there is also stills and dialog from Eisentein's unfinished film, Bezhin Meadow with photos of the film's set. Ivan the Terrible parts 1 and 2 are the first two parts of an unfinished trilogy. Several scenes of part 3 were filmed but only one scene is known to survive today. The film follows the life of Tsar Ivan Vassilivich also known as Ivan the Terrible (Ivan Groznyy). He is credited with uniting the people of Russia into a single nation. The first film covers his coronation and a battle that was fought to reclaim lost territory. The film is also very famous and has music by Prokofiev. The first part on disc 2 has the folloving special features:
The deleted prologue sequence covering part of Ivan's childhood where he witnesses the poisoning murder of his mother and also contains another deleted scene. It also has the surviving fragment of the unfinished part 3 There are also a slide show of production stills and drawings, and an essay on the history of the film. Part 2 covers the time where Tsar Ivan roots out the traitors who helped poison his wife and executes them. The film has an excellent Color sequence cofering much of the last 30 minutes of the film. The Agfacolor film stock was captured from the Germans during WWII and was used for this film. The cinematography is really gpood and there is a flashback sequence from the deleted prologue of part 1 Disc 3 also contains an audio essay by Yuri Tsivian on the stunning cinematography of the film. The set is well worth the $79 if you are a fan of Russian Cinema like I am. This set remains one of my favorites and it is really worth looking into.
Rating:
Summary: A Review for Alexander Nevsky
Review: This is a Russian film released in 1938, just before the start of World War II. Although the film features battle sequences between the Germans and Russians, it is not about World War II. It is set in the 13th century cities of Pskov and Novgorod. Alexander Nevsky is the prince and a famous war leader who previously defeated the Swedes when they tried to invade Russia. The film has very strong images (and songs) of Russian patriotism, and is probably one of the reasons it was so popular when it was released. Since the Russians were preparing to fight the Germans once again in WWII, this film was likely a morale-booster for the soldiers and the public alike. The opening sequences of the film feature beautiful cinematography. Alexander Nevsky and his men are fishing on a lake when a band of Mongols crosses their path. The Russians have just fought a war with the Mongols and so some fighting ensues as the Mongols pass by the Russians. Alexander Nevsky, irritated with this commotion as it is scaring the fish away, breaks up the fight. Some of the Mongol leaders recognize him as the man who defeated the Swedes and invite him to become a general in their army. He replies with an old Russian saying that it is better to die than to leave your homeland, giving yet another shot in the arm to Russian patriotism. After the Mongols depart, one of Alexander's men comes up to him and warns him that they may have to battle the Mongols yet again. However, Alexander brushes this warning aside and advises that the Germans will have to be defeated before the Mongols. Next, we move on to the city of Pskov. The Germans have already taken over this city and are holding the surviving Russians captive. The men are tied up in the center of the city while the women and children look on. The site of the German army is actually rather amusing. The Germans are dressed up in sheets, somewhat reminiscent of the garb members of the Ku Klux Klan are famous for wearing. Regular German infantry soldiers have buckets on their heads with cross cutouts allowing for them to see out. The German nobility also have buckets on their heads but they get specials horns and other decorative regalia. This is probably the most graphic and disturbing scene of the movie as the Germans then proceed to exterminate every surviving Russian, somewhat ominous as this is also what the Germans do in WWII. There are close-ups of a German soldier throwing children into a pit of fire as they are screaming out in fear. Everyone else is either burned to death or hanged. However, at least one man manages to escape Pskov and goes to warn Alexander that the Germans are advancing. When the escapee relates his message to the famed prince, Alexander is deeply disturbed and begins planning how to seek revenge on the Germans. He forms a company of troops and even orders the peasants to join in. One exceptionally brave female also joins the army. They then march to the city of Novgorod to gather more troops. Although some at Novgorod initially refuse to fight, more patriotic speeches are made and everyone agrees the Germans must be stopped. Once the battalion is formed, they begin marching towards Pskov and run into some German troops. Although the German troops appear to win this minor battle, Alexander regroups and forms a plan for attack set for the next morning. The attack is staged on an ice-covered lake and while some of the men are worried the ice may give way, Alexander advises them that if it does, the Germans are likely to go in first since their armor is heavier... so, all the better. The lake battle is really quite spectacular for its time, although it would probably be considered cheesy by today's standards. Some of the more hilarious images involve the German soldiers getting conked on the top of the head with an axe and then their buckets crumple up, presumably squishing their heads. As it is mainly a sword battle, there are images of several soldiers getting played out from swinging their heavy swords and having to lean upon their teammates in order to remain standing. The Russians begin to chase the Germans away, seemingly towards areas of thin ice as the next scene is that of the remaining German troops falling through the ice into the piercing cold lake beneath them. The rest of the film is rather anti-climatic as the Russians return to Pskov and prove their moral superiority over the Germans by releasing the captured foot soldiers and holding the captive nobility for ransom, rather than executing everyone as the Germans were notorious for doing. Then, some brave soldiers choose wives and Alexander declares that everyone should celebrate. All in all, this is a decent film worth watching.
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