Alexander Nevsky [USSR 1938]

Александр Невский
Directors: S. Eisenstein, D. Vasilyev
Cinematographer: E. Tissé

Eisenstein's first sound film, this is a markedly more Hollywood-style film than his earlier ones; this makes it of less intrinsic artistic interest than his earlier films, though of course its content and message remain of interest as an aspect of the build-up to the war.

The film of course tells the mythologised story of Alexander Nevsky, the 13th century Russian prince who defeated an invasion by the German Teutonic knights. It was created as a vehicle to rouse Russian nationalism in defence against the coming German invasion. Thus it is replete with very thinly veiled Nazi symbols and depicts Germans as faceless, evil and inhuman invaders, and Russians as peaceful, honourable people. Nevsky is clearly a Stalin figure--the strong, charismatic prince who rallies the people and leads Russia to victory against the invaders. The weapons and armour makers pledge to make hundreds--no, thousands--of their wares, echoing the pledge to 'meet and exceed production quotas' to support the front line. And at the end Nevsky frees the captured enemy soldiers, for they have been forced to fight; but the people's wrath falls most on the traitor.

Interestingly, like The New Babylon, Love and Hate and The Girlfriends, this film places great emphasis on the bravery and importance of women combatants--specifically it only depicts one woman combatant, but she is prominent and in the end it is suggested that she was the bravest fighter in the battle.

It is worth reiterating the context of this film: throughout the 1930s, the USSR had watched fascism rising in Europe, with the explicit message that it planned to wipe out Bolshevism. Soviet investment in military hardware skyrocketed from 1933 as the entire country prepared for war. Thus it is a myth that the non-aggression pact meant that the USSR did not expect an invasion; this tactical manoeuvre was known to be only a temporary measure. This film is part of the process of preparing the Soviet people for the inevitable war. Although it was temporarily shelved after the pact was signed, it was quickly revived after the invasion happened.

As this film was clearly intended mainly as a vehicle for its very necessary message, it must be evaluated largely on that basis. One suspects that the Hollywood style of the film and the highly stylised acting and battle sequences were part of an attempt to make the film more populistic and to deliberately portray war in a more heroic and honourable light; after all, such a film could not really afford to scare people just before the fight was about to begin. So the less sophisticated aspects of the aesthetic are to be understood.

There are of course some real strong points in the form of the film as well. The battle scene is apparently unprecedented and has influenced other directors; the use of long still shots of wide landscapes creates a haunting and foreboding effect that is beyond the capabilities of motion and montage. At times the shots of faraway armies on the horizon of the frozen lake are reminiscent of the barren Hungarian plains in The Round-Up. And there are many genuinely beautifully well-composed shots.

Nevertheless, one cannot help feeling that the partnership of Eisenstein and Tissé has suffered here aesthetically in comparison with their earlier work in the 1920s, such as Strike. Does it really matter? If this film helped give Soviet people courage for the war effort, perhaps it does not. And perhaps a frantic montage is an appropriate style for social criticism, but not so much for a grave situation in which serious respect--respect for those who will soon fall victim--is demanded. So I think we have to be careful how we evaluate this film.

The score by Prokofiev contributes greatly to the sense of foreboding and somehow ties the film to the real world; the music tells us that we are not concerned so much about the characters in the film as about ourselves. At times however, the jubilant score accompanying bits of battle seems a bit too simplistic. And the soundtrack is at times less than perfect.

But the overall effect is to create a clear message, a message undoubtedly enhanced greatly by its social context. That is the primary reason for the importance of this film. It is however also interesting in that it shows the versatility of Eisenstein and has some shots that are genuinely strong in their own right.