There are great films that entered history books not only because of their quality, but also because they, at least allegorically, gave precise visions of the near future. One of the more recent examples can be found in Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. However, no other film displayed its prophetic quality so effectively and successfully as Alexander Nevsky, a 1938 historic epic directed by Sergei Eisenstein, one of the greatest classics of Soviet and world cinema.
The plot is set in the 13th century in Northwestern Russia. Recent Mongol invasions have destroyed or subjugated most of Russian principalities, and the only piece of Russia that retains its independence is the Novgorod Republic. However, it is considered weak by its western neighbours – the German knights of the Teutonic Order, led by Grand Master (played by Alexander Yershov). They, under the pretext of spreading Catholicism eastwards, launch a campaign of conquests and, with the help of the treacherous Tverdilo (played by Sergei Blinnikov), conquer the Russian city of Pskov and massacre its inhabitants, including babies and little children who are thrown into the fire. Monk Annaniy (played by Ivan Lagutin), Tverdilo’s henchman, tries to talk the nobles and rich citizens of Novgorod not to resist the invasion. They, however, decide to call Prince Alexander Yaroslavich (played by Nikolay Cherkasov) to lead an army that would confront the invaders. Alexander has few years earlier defeated the Swedes at the Battle of Neva, earning the nickname “Nevsky” (“of Neva”). While he prefers diplomacy and co-operation with Mongol overlords, he considers the Teutonic Knights a much bigger danger for Russia. He not only brings an army but fills its ranks with masses of enthusiastic volunteers from common folk. The decisive clash between the two armies occurs on April 5th, 1242, on the ice-covered Lake Peipus (or “Chudskoe Lake” as Russians call it).
Alexander Nevsky was Eisenstein’s first sound film, despite the technology being available for the Soviet film industry for years and despite Eisenstein enjoying a reputation as one of the most celebrated and influential filmmakers in the world. The reason can be found in Eisenstein’s revolutionary enthusiasm for innovation and experimentation, which was increasingly at odds with the dogmatic principles of Socialist Realism, the official arts doctrine of the Soviet Union. Even more importantly, Eisenstein experienced open hostility from Boris Shumyatsky, the boss of the Soviet cinema industry, who had, among other things, sabotaged Eisenstein’s previous project Bezhin Lug. After Shumyatsky was arrested and later executed during the Great Purge, fortunes suddenly changed in Eisenstein’s favour, and the great filmmaker was finally allowed to finish his first sound film. When offered various scripts, he deliberately chose a historic epic set in the 13th century and dealing with an event that hadn’t been extensively covered in contemporary historical records; Eisenstein later explained that the filming event with little or no historical sources allowed greater creative freedom.
Eisenstein used that opportunity, despite having to co-direct the film with Dmitry Vasilev and co-write the script with Pyotr Pavlenko, a journalist and writer famous for adhering to Socialist Realism. Eisenstein had clearly studied sound technology well and knew how to adapt it, even if it meant abandoning the style that had made him famous a decade earlier during the silent era. Alexander Nevsky is a film that applies longer shots and a much more conventional narrative structure. The most important effect of using sound is the use of music. In that, Eisenstein had the best possible collaborator. Sergei Prokofiev, a famous composer who had actually been a great fan of Eisenstein’s work, enthusiastically wrote the soundtrack, which would soon become one of the most popular among his works and one of the most influential pieces of film music ever. His theme for “Ice Battle” has, many decades later, inspired John Williams for his famous theme for Jaws. Eisenstein also took great care of visuals, paying a lot of attention to props, costumes, and general iconography. But the most impressive was the battle itself, reconstructed with hundreds of extras and excellent stunt work and shot in the middle of the summer with clever cinematography, use of white sand, and other tricks to make it look as if it depicts winter conditions. The battle would set the standards for similar scenes in historical films for decades to come. It would, together with helmets used by villains, later inspire John Milius for similar scenes in Conan the Barbarian.
Another thing that sets Alexander Nevsky apart from his earlier silent classics is the replacement of the abstract collective protagonist or the “masses” with a clearly defined individual protagonist. Although the film still adheres to Marxist-Leninist dogmas and celebrates peasants and common folk and pays homage to internationalism by having victorious Russians freeing ordinary German soldiers from captivity (while keeping upper-class knights for ransom), the film is truly centred on the large-than-life charismatic figure of Alexander Nevsky. He is played by the tall and handsome Nikolay Cherkasov, an actor with a striking resemblance to Hollywood star Gary Cooper. Cherkasov delivers a strong performance and would few years later play another great historical figure in Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible. Eisenstein makes his film even more Hollywood-like with the introduction of comic relief in the form of blacksmith Ignat (played by Dmitry Orlov), who is allowed to tell rather crude jokes that probably wouldn’t have passed most censorship offices at the time. Eisenstein even indulges himself with a semi-humorous subplot about two of Alexander’s champions – Gavrilo Oleksich (played by Andrey Obrikosov) and Vasily Buslay (played by Nikolay Okhlopkov) – who are rivals for the hand of Olga (played by Valentina Ivashyova), a beautiful Novgorod maiden who tells that she would marry the one who fights the best. The contest, much to the delight of progressive audiences in the 1930s (and which would probably delight the “woke” audience today) is won by a woman named Vasillisa (played by Alexandra Danilova) who took up a sword and armour as a way to avenge her father and, in the process, proved that women, just as men, can be effective warriors. The acting in Alexander Nevsky is, however, at times a little bit too theatrical and burdened with not particularly inspiring dialogues.
Eisenstein’s good fortune with Alexander Nevsky also had a lot to do with his film being in line with the political agenda of the Soviet leadership. In late 1930s, Stalin was becoming increasingly concerned over the rise and rapid militarisation of Nazi Germany, whose leader Adolf Hitler had a decade earlier outlined his plans for expansion eastwards and subjugation of “subhuman” Slavs and their lands in Mein Kampf. Cinematic depiction of Germans invading Russia in medieval times was a good way to prepare the Soviet public for a similar eventuality in modern times. Alexander Nevsky served that purpose brilliantly, becoming one of the most popular films in the history of Soviet cinema. Ironically, less than a year after its premiere came the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and in light of the newly forged Soviet-German partnership, it was removed from theatres. It was re-released soon afterwards when Germans invaded Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa. Subsequent events showed how prophetic Alexander Nevsky was and how, by an original depiction of the past, it actually showed the future. Germans not only invaded Russia but behaved with incredible arrogance and cruelty, committing all kinds of atrocities and actually burning children alive; like in the film, they didn’t take into account winter conditions and, like in the film, they underestimated the willingness of Russians, including ordinary people, to resist the invaders; the defence effort, like in the film, included women who proved to be effective warriors. But even those who care little about 20th-century history and the way it was interpreted or predicted on screen would probably appreciate this great piece of cinema.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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