Customer Reviews

Alexander Nevsky [VHS]

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have watched Alexander Nevsky more times than I've watched any other movie. It is a great movie, deserving 5 stars. This particular DVD, however, is the worst transfer to DVD that I have seen. At first I intended to watch it on my computer. The image was so jumpy I could not watch it more than a few minutes.

There are at least two versions of this movie with English subtitles on VHS. Both are worth watching. Some are older and have the "mistaken" music track. A new version was released in 1995 with new subtitles and a newly recorded score. There are editing changes in the 1995 version as well.

I see that there is a version of Alexander Nevsky that is part of a 3-dvd set.
But at this date (May, 2002) there doesn't seem to be a single dvd of Alexander Nevsky that is worth watching.
There are Russian versions without subtitles and a few versions with English subtitles. I hope someone does a good tranfer of at least ONE of the versions to a single DVD soon.

Although I truly love the film (and the video tranfer is great), this DVD has the horrible 1930's recording of the soundtrack. Prokofiev's great score sounds like it is playing from an AM radio placed undera mattress. Unless you are truly wedded to DVD format, get the BMG video which includes an excellent re-recording of the score in modern stereo (along with a great video). We can only hope that the BMG version gets to DVD soon.

There is good propaganda, and bad. Alexander Nevsky obviously falls into the former category. So much about this film seems prophetic. Done in 1938, the former Soviet Union stood on the brink of war, as did the rest of the world at that time. This is a film that celebrates the heroic Slavic spirit of yore. There were also many useful similarities for comparison. Like 13th Century Rus, Russia in 1938 faced enemies both to the East and West. A recent victory over the Japanese in 1938 helped to erase memories of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, and it seems no coincidence that Eisenstein was allowed to make this film at that time. Make no mistake about it, this is a film born out of
Soviet-Stalinist propaganda of the period. No viewer can truly understand this film without understanding that reality.

In its scope and production value one is reminded of a simlier film done in Facist Italy around this time celebrating the exploits of Ancient Rome - "Scipio Africanus." Both films draw on inspirational leaders of the past to serve up useful propaganda for the present.

In this film Rus is besiged on all sides by enemies. The Mongols had conquiered much of the land by this time. To the West there are the Crusading Teutonic Knights seeking to exercise a Lebenstraum of their own in the 13th Century. Nevsky, a local prince seems the natural leader that the great city of Novgorod needs. Again, we see nationalistic ideas expressed here that were surely beyond the outlook of the time. Few could have had any notion of a greater Rus in such Feudal times. For Eisenstein's propaganda we must have a strong and inspirational Alexander Nevsky. The actor who plays him is certainly impressive looking, but hardly any great thespian! Actually all of the characters hwon in the film are pretty one dimensional. Indeed, much of the acting here is wooden at best, but there is certain sarcastic humor which is nonetheless appealing. The crude love interest between two leading males and the Russian princess is an attempt to throw some light fair into the otherwise heavy story. The Teutonic Knights are shown in all their horid glory. Seldom is evil shown more impressively on screen than here! With dark faces, cruel eyes and heavy looks the Knights look every bit the part of the latter day nazi's. Depicted here they are nazi's of the Middle Ages, and their white-hooded cavalry brings up images of the KKK almost! There is also a very blatant slap at the cathloic church sanctioning in the film the slaughter of innocents and babes. Is it not surprising that a Soviet film should condemn Rome as Rome had done the same to them! Surprising is the lack of the Orthedox church in the film, which certainly would have been a main source of moral support for resistence against its enemies. Only at the end of the film are they shown briefly before Nevsky dominates the final scene.

The battle of Lake Peipis in 1214 is the central theme of the movie. This is magnificently done. The initial charge of the Knights over the ice is one of the most impressive cinematic cavalry charges on film. Whether such a charge was actually done against massed infantry with long spears seems debatable. Such an infantry phalanx would have been almost impervious against heavy cavalry in this period. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are as good as anything you might see today. There is also that sardonic since of humor thrown in as well. The massive battle ebbs and flows. The amazing thing is that these are extras, not computer graphics! We see some interesting examples of tactics as the German Knights are shown to rally in a close formation with lances supported by cross bows and light troops. Eisenstein wants to show us the terror of Germanic discipline. But Russian elan and spirt overcomes all and the knights are finally sent in head-long retreat until they are swallowed up by the thin ice on the lake. Again, this seems somewhat like enduring myth, but most myths do have some ground for basis if closley examined. No doubt so knights were lost in this way.

The film concludes with a victory procession and the one-dimensional characters finding happiness in their newly won freedom. The DVD does the film little justice as no attempt has been made to clear up the picture or improve the sound track. Prokofiev's interesting music sounds like it is coming out of a submarine. This film badly needs a Criterion production to fashion it up like the classic it truly is. Still, don't turn it down because of this problem. This film shall remain a classic of its kind. See it for its granduer, humor and depiction of a famous hero of Slavic yore.

It is amazing to think that when this film was released in1938, many dismissed it as merely propaganda, as war loomed ahead with Germany. Though certainly the conditions of the time influenced the script, the film is an epic masterpiece. The history depicted in the story is of the Russians in 1242, already oppressed by the Mongols, being invaded by the Teutonic Knights.
Director Sergei Eisenstein, one of the pioneers of editing for dramatic effect, here created filming on a scale that is astounding. The famous battle sequence takes place on a frozen lake, with a cast of thousands, many who were a part of the regular army.
Eisenstein also collaborated extensively with the great classical composer Sergei Prokofiev, whose magnificent score is so intricately meshed with the cinematography by Eduard Tisse, and along with the spectacular battle scenes, the sweeping panoramas of desolate plains are also extraordinary.

Nikolai Cherkasov's charisma and majestic presence fill the screen as Nevsky. He's considered one of Russia's greatest actors, and here as the warrior prince, he is a larger-than-life heroic figure, with blazing eyes and resonant voice.
An epic film that has influenced many of today's filmmakers, this is one not to miss.
There are a few signs of age in this film, it has been well restored, though the subtitles are sometimes in awkward syntax. Total running time is 108 minutes.

All the complaints about this DVD in the previous reviews are valid. The sound is so bad, you should familiarize yourself with the music before you watch it so that you know what you are missing. But still, this is one of the greatest films ever made and until we get a better version, this is a must have DVD for any serious film lover. This is a 5 star film with 1 star for the transfer

I agree completely with Dan Sherman from Washington, D.C., the Image DVD is horrible compared to the BMG VHS version of Sergei Eisenstein's "Alexander Nevsky". This true masterpiece of cinema is presented in a poor print with a muddled Prokofiev score on the DVD. Image should be praised for releasing such classics as F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" and several of Eisenstein's classics on DVD, but it is truly disappointing that this DVD version of "Alexander Nevsky" is not preferable to a VHS version already available. I was very excited when the DVD was released, but when I put it in my player and played the Battle on the Ice to see how good it would be on DVD, I was absolutely depressed after having seen the beautiful print and new recording of Prokofiev's score that BMG had used for their VHS version. Hopefully, BMG releases their version on DVD someday.

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!

Eisenstein in this soviet film is probably at the highest point in his career. He uses the technique of the silent film entirely for a talking film, and associates this technique to that of acting and speaking and to what he is famous for, mass action and the movements of masses most of the time shown through the actions of one character, but with a swift movement from a complete army or a scene on a frozen lake to the concentration on one or two details, be they characters, a bird, a sled, a tree, or anything that looks brittle or human. That enables the director to focus his film on human feelings and defocus his film from mass action. He is helped in this task by the text that emphasizes the general idea that Russia will never accept to be conquered and at the same time the simple human feelings of some particular characters, like love and heroism. That enables him to mix dramatic elements and more entertaining events. The music by Prokofiev helps the film tremendously by giving it a dramatic depth when necessary and a soft and human dimension the rest of the time. Even the patriotic songs retain a great human value.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

This is a good movie by a great director. Anyone who has ever seen "Battleship Potemkin" has seen the genius of Sergei Eisenstein. He has made other movies of greatness as well. However, he was challenged by the limits of Communist censorship which should allow us to place an asterisk by any of his movies that come up short. "Alexander Nevsky" is an excellent example of the good that can still emerge from the limitations that Eisenstein was dealing with. It is a movie that tells of an earlier time in Russian history when the people rose up to repel an invading Germanic army. It was made in 1939 at a time when the Soviets knew that Nazi Germany was a real threat to become another invading Germanic army.

Propaganda in war movies isn't anything unique to Stalinist Russia. Heck, even the cartoons that were made in America during WWII are laced with propaganda. Indeed, "Alexander Nevsky" tends to portray the German invaders in a better light that most US WWII era movies portrayed the Japanese enemy.

If there is a fault to this movie, it's the limited number of recognizable charaters in the cast of thousands. The good guys have three leaders, one comic relief character, and a couple of women whom we come to know. The bad guys are more recognizable by their head gear than by name or face. Is this a fault or not? One could argue that the director is giving us a collective picture of national character. It is the nation, rather than the individual, this is challenged and prevails. Certainly that would correspond to the Communist ideolgy so why make a scape goat of the director with a political editor looking over his shoulder.

The real success of "Alexander Nevsky" are the extensive battle scenes. Without the modern, often excessive, use of blood and body parts, we get a real understanding of the ebb and flo of two large armies in battle. Naturally, the "good guys" win and in an impressive way. Let's not quibble about how a civilian army becomes formated, armed, equipt, and trained in a flash, the results are inspiring.

We know that Eisenstein is capable of greater things so let's just give this a 4 star rating (with an asterisk).

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.