Alexander Newski

Für Russland! Ein fesselnder Film mit einer völlig hinreißenden Musik von Prokofjew und vielen fantastischen Aufnahmen. Einen fünften Stern bekommt von mir Alexander Newski nicht, weil er manchmal sehr langwierig ist. Dass es ein Propagandafilm ist, hat bei meiner Bewertung keine Rolle gespielt (es hat mich nicht besonders gestört; außerdem werden ständig Propagandafilme gedreht und es wird sie auch immer geben). Besonders der Teil nach der Schlacht hätte etwas kürzer sein können. Otakar Vávra hat in diesem Film offensichtlich vieles für seinen Jan Žižka gelernt. (11.10.2015)

Ich würde nie sagen, dass ich einen Film Eisensteins mit dem Wort "schön" bewerten würde, aber hier ist alles schön. Ein schöner und klarer mittelalterlicher Schauplatz, ein geradliniger und eindeutiger Held, ein klares Problem, eine nette Geschichte in der Seitenlinie sogar mit einer weiblichen Action-Heldin... und ich könnte jedes Element dieses netten kleinen Stücks immer wieder loben. Die Musik unterstützt den Schnitt sehr, der geradlinig eine Geschichte darüber erzählt, wie böse deutsche Ritter (mit dramatischer Musik) die Rus erobern wollen (ein verspieltes musikalisches Motiv). Ja, die Schlacht geht nicht ohne Opfer ab, aber die Liebe und das Gute siegen über Lüge und Hass und fertig. Warum es kompliziert machen, wenn es so schön ist? (20.06.2017)

Sergei M. Eisenstein is a creator whose films are simply worth attention even nowadays. I'm not sure if it was him who directed the action scenes or if his collaborators had more involvement in them, but I would believe it was mainly him behind them. They are very well done and don't lose anything even in the present time, except for the fact that they are not bloody. (23.05.2016)

The historic Russian people, every man, every woman, must come together under the leadership of their powerful ruler (no individualism) in order to crush (no offensive) the imagined Germanic beast (no humanity) threatening their beloved motherland. (Of course, the priests with the swastika embroidery stand at the very top of all rottenness.) Each of them brandishes their sword for themselves only during the battles, which are rather more frolicsome than terrifying and wonderfully turn in favour of the Russians as a matter of course. At least from the formalistic perspective – the fighters facing their faceless, helmeted enemy are filmed in separate shots. With every theatrical gesture, Eisenstein’s first film with sound is anti-German propaganda, which brought the legendary director praise from Stalin himself (“You’re a real Bolshevik, Sergei”), allegedly to his own dismay, and rescued his career after the failure of his Bezhin Meadow project. All of the action in the film is subordinated to the idea of “we will defend ourselves”. The battle is coming for an hour, the battle is fought for half an hour, and then the battle subsides for twenty minutes. Nothing complicated. Neither the presence of Eisenstein’s trademark shots (a character filmed in profile with great depth of field with the distant landscape in the background) nor Prokofiev’s rousing music nor the masterful synthesis of image and sound in the scene with the cracking ice changed my conviction that Eisenstein’s silent films (Battleship Potemkin, Strike) were more impactful. 70% (13.11.2013)

“People of Russia, rise to the glorious battle and come fight to the death." Affected? Yes. Pathos? Maybe too much. Propaganda? Unmistakably. Theatrical? Unarguably. Funny from today’s point of view. In some places it certainly is. Bad? Not even remotely. If you approach it with certain detachment, it is impossible to miss that Eisenstein was an excellent, visionary filmmaker. Even so, his talent is outshone by Prokofiev’s music which is simply unbelievable. Personally, I would have preferred less studio scenery and more exteriors. If you’re the sort of viewer who gets pumped up with enthusiasm, Alexander Nevsky is a movie you should give a wide berth to. Otherwise it could easily happen that you will be filled with such a pressing desire to go out into the streets to slaughter some good-for-nothing Germans in the name of Mother Russia. (27.01.2008)