Alexander Nevsky (1938)

7.5Not Rated112 minDirector: Sergei Eisenstein

1938 film by Sergei Eisenstein

Alexander Nevsky (Russian: Алекса́ндр Не́вский) is a 1938 Soviet historical drama film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. It depicts the attempted invasion of Novgorod in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights of the Holy Roman Empire and their defeat by Prince Alexander, known popularly as Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263).

Eisenstein made the film in association with Dmitri Vasilyev and with a script co-written with Pyotr Pavlenko; they were assigned to ensure that Eisenstein did not stray into "formalism" and to facilitate shooting on a reasonable timetable. It was produced by Goskino via the Mosfilm production unit, with Nikolai Cherkasov in the title role and a musical score by Sergei Prokofiev. Alexander Nevsky was the first and most popular of Eisenstein's three sound films. Eisenstein, Pavlenko, Cherkasov and Abrikosov were awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941 for the film.

In 1978, the film was included in the world's 100 best motion pictures according to an opinion poll conducted by the Italian publishing house Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.

Russia Beyond considers the film one of the 10 best Russian war films.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Alexander Nevsky about?
Alexander Nevsky (1938) — It is the 13th century, and Russia is overrun by foreign invaders. A Russian knyaz', or prince, Alexander Nevsky, rallies the people to form a ragtag army to drive back an invasion by the Teutonic knights. This is a true story based on the actual battle at a lake near Novgorod.
Is Alexander Nevsky based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Alexander Nevsky scary?
Content rating: Not Rated. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.
What is Alexander Nevsky (1938) about? Plot, synopsis and ending explained — Screencodex