tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post2190394820856330370..comments2024-03-25T06:50:31.379-05:00Comments on The War Movie Buff: #5 - Alexander Nevsky (1938)War Movie Buffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-22908646580953434062019-10-30T15:56:58.954-05:002019-10-30T15:56:58.954-05:00I am also a fan of the film, and the soundtrack is...I am also a fan of the film, and the soundtrack is also the main cause. In my case I had listened to the score several times before I had seen the film and was better able to ignore any incongruities between the tone of the music and the events on the screen.<br /><br />The blatant propaganda did not bother me as much as it might have in another movie, perhaps because I did not identify with the villains and was not asked to accept any principles or beliefs from the heroes beyond a generic nationalism. The propaganda aspects of the movie therefore only served to add bombast and at worst a comic cheesiness to the action, making it like a children's cartoon or a lowbrow adventure flick.<br /><br />I understand that Adolf Hitler was strongly influenced by his understanding of history (along, of course, with his paranoid hatred of Jews and his obsession with race). One of the main purposes of his invasion of the Soviet Union was to conquer land that was to be filled with German settlers in a kind of reenactment of Eastward German migration that occurred around the time of the Teutonic Order. This adds another layer of historical irony to the film - the analogy of Alexander Nevsky to contemporary events, while questionable to us, had acceptance among both sides of the Eastern Front.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-92063720419978712142018-07-06T22:44:27.892-05:002018-07-06T22:44:27.892-05:00Good defense.Good defense.War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-36754141233455387752018-07-05T04:06:33.298-05:002018-07-05T04:06:33.298-05:00No, I disagree with the review. Nevsky stands alon...No, I disagree with the review. Nevsky stands alone as one of the greatest war movies simply because of Prokofiev's score. Battle of the Ice. . . .with its mood of "THEY are coming" is the most terrifying piece in musical history, bar none. It was the inspiration of Khan's battle scenes in Star Trek II and makes the Darth Vader theme sound like pop. The anxiousness as the army awaits the oncoming evil horde. . . just a black dot on the horizon, mixed in with THAT music is stellar. greenwdsenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-69376945037961654212014-05-23T16:57:24.657-05:002014-05-23T16:57:24.657-05:00It is a must see, but any time before death will b...It is a must see, but any time before death will be fine.War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-64477135506775953762014-05-23T01:26:29.681-05:002014-05-23T01:26:29.681-05:00I have not seen it, and your review makes me dread...I have not seen it, and your review makes me dread the time when I will have to review it, which is fortunately far off. historyonfilmhttp://www.historyonfilm.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-14579696899212587422014-05-22T21:49:50.857-05:002014-05-22T21:49:50.857-05:00I suspect some of that what-if speculation is from...I suspect some of that what-if speculation is from Eisenstein fans who want an excuse for the blatant propaganda of the piece. We are told that he wanted to be more iconoclastic, but I have my doubts about that. Keep in mind the plot follows the actual history fairly closely. He did gte the movie that he wanted in the sense that he did want to warn about the Nazi threat. War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-23241357464626449972014-05-22T21:44:57.799-05:002014-05-22T21:44:57.799-05:00I agree. I use that "Emperor's New Cloth...I agree. I use that "Emperor's New Clothes" a lot with the classics. Perhaps in 1938 the battle on the ice was impressive, but it is laughable to claim it is still one of the great battle scenes. Speaking of the attitude that Eisenstein could do no wrong, the adulation for Prokofiev's score is even more head-scratching. War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-49552770583007135272014-05-22T11:14:07.105-05:002014-05-22T11:14:07.105-05:00I saw it on PBS many years ago; apparently, it was...I saw it on PBS many years ago; apparently, it was considered historically significant enough for educational TV. It was something of a letdown, and looked more like a stage play than a movie. In fact, I've seen low budget "B" Westerns with more impressive action scenes. I can't deny its historical importance, but it is overrated by critics, who apparently follow a party line that any movie by Eisenstein must be a masterpiece. Another example of a movie as the Emperor's New Clothes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-76552741475176990312014-05-21T17:47:08.665-05:002014-05-21T17:47:08.665-05:00A movie like this had no hope of escaping the poli...A movie like this had no hope of escaping the political climate in which it was made. If Eisenstein could have made the movie he wanted how do you think it would have turned out?Jovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16130432846436798472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-56017419636169510052014-05-21T16:39:48.812-05:002014-05-21T16:39:48.812-05:00Thanks. You are the first to comment about the ca...Thanks. You are the first to comment about the captions. I think I have a weird sense of humor. I am second guessing the B-, but I tell myself it is the accuracy that overcomes the movies shortcomings.War Movie Buffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05999735218343872013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201660899514011402.post-63406250898091928972014-05-20T21:45:26.193-05:002014-05-20T21:45:26.193-05:00Epic review (yet again) for a not so epic movie. I...Epic review (yet again) for a not so epic movie. I stll really want to see it though. I really enjoy your picture captions.Jovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16130432846436798472noreply@blogger.com