Alexander Nevsky

Original title: Aleksandr Nevskiy

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Nikolay Cherkasov in Alexander Nevsky (1938)

Docudrama Action Biography Drama History War

The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.The story of how a great Russian prince led a ragtag army to battle an invading force of Teutonic Knights.

Directors
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Dmitriy Vasilev
Writers
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Pyotr Pavlenko
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Dmitriy Vasilev
Writers
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Pyotr Pavlenko
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins

Photos64

Top cast24

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Nikolay Cherkasov

Aleksandr Nevsky
(as N. Cherkasov)

Nikolai Okhlopkov

Vasili Buslai
(as N. Okhlopkov)

Andrei Abrikosov

Gavrilo Oleksich
(as A. Abrikosov)

Dmitriy Orlov

Ignat - the Master Armorer
(as D. Orlov)

Vasili Novikov

Pavsha - Governor of Pskov
(as V. Novikov)

Nikolai Arsky

Domash Tverdislavich - a Novgorod Boyar
(as N. Arsky)

Varvara Massalitinova

Amelfa Timoferevna - Buslai's Mother
(as V. Massalitova)

Valentina Ivashova

Olga Danilovna - a Maid of Novgorod
(as V. Ivashova)

Aleksandra Danilova

Vasilisa - a Maid of Pskov
(as A. Danilova)

Vladimir Yershov

Von Balk - Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
(as V. Yershov)

Sergei Blinnikov

Tverdilo - Traitorous Mayor of Pskov
(as S. Blinnikov)

Ivan Lagutin

Anani - a Monk
(as I. Lagutin)

Lev Fenin

The Archbishop
(as L. Fenin)

Naum Rogozhin

The Black-Hooded Monk
(as N. Rogozhin)

Nikolai Aparin

Mikhalka
(uncredited)

Boris Belyakov

Rytsar
(uncredited)

A. Gulkovski

Teutonic Knight
(uncredited)

Avenir Gulkovskiy

rytsar Tevtonskogo ordena
(uncredited)

Directors
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Dmitriy Vasilev
Writers
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Pyotr Pavlenko
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Joseph Stalin wanted this film to be a propaganda tool to warn Soviet citizens to be wary of German aggression. However, it was rejected at first due to it being "too anti-German", as it came out shortly before the Soviet-German non-aggression pact of 1939 was signed. In 1941, the peace was broken and Stalin reportedly demanded that it be shown in every Soviet movie theater as a rallying cry against the invasion.

Goofs
Gavrila Alexich, one of the movie's main protagonists, could not participate in the Battle of Ice. He was killed one year before it, in 1241, storming the fortress of Koporye.

Quotes
Alexandr Nevsky: Go tell all in foreign lands that Russia lives! Those who come to us in peace will be welcome as a guest. But those who come to us sword in hand will die by the sword! On that Russia stands and forever will we stand!

Crazy credits
Before the word "End" appears Alexandr Nevsky's famous quote "But those who come to us sword in hand will die by the sword! On that Russia stands and forever will we stand!" appears on the screen, right after Nevsky said it in the movie.

Alternate versions
A new edition appeared on video in 1995 with the entire Prokofiev score newly recorded in hi-fi stereo, using the same 1938 orchestrations and perfectly synchronized to the original 1938 dialogue and sound effects tracks, so that it is now possible to see and hear the film exactly as it always was, with the exception being that the music is now heard in hi-fi sound, rather than the tinny 1938 recording.

Connections
Edited into Wizards (1977)

User reviews105

Review

Featured review

10/10

One Brief Moment Shows Eisenstein's Genius

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.