#87: EISENSTEIN, Sergei: Alexander Nevsky (1938)

-
EISENSTEIN: THE SOUND YEARS {Spine #86} [1938-58]
OOP

EISENSTEIN, Sergei (Soviet Union)
Alexander Nevsky [1938]
Spines #87
DVD
OOP


Eisenstein drew on history, Russian folk narratives, and the techniques of Walt Disney to create this broadly painted epic of Russian resilience. This story of Teutonic knights vanquished by Prince Alexander Nevsky's tactical brilliance resonated deeply with a Soviet Union concerned with the rise of Nazi Germany. Widely imitated — most notably by Laurence Olivier's Battle of Agincourt re-creation for Henry V — the Battle on the Ice scene remains one of the most famous audio-visual experiments in film history, perfectly blending action with the rousing score of Sergei Prokofiev.

112 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in Russian
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2001

Director/Writers

Eisentein was 40 when he directed Alexander Nevsky, with the collaboration of Dmitri Vasiliev.

Other Eisenstein films in the Collection:

#88: Ivan The Terrible, Parts I & II (1945/1958)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by J. Hoberman.

Commentary

None.

Audio essay

By film scholar David Bordwell, author of The Cinema of Eisenstein.

Multimedia essay

By Russell Merritt on the Eisenstein-Prokofiev collaboration.

Bezhin Meadow

A reconstruction of Eisenstein’s unfinished film, by the Eisenstein Museum’s Naum Kleiman, plus scholar Jay Leyda’s photos and documents from the set.

Drawings and production stills

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Complete Criterion Collection By Spine #

-
The Complete Criterion Collection By Spine # 0000A: No spine #: Ingmar Bergman's Cinema (BERGMAN, Ingmar) [1946-2003] {Sweden} Crisis [1946] A Ship To India [1947] Port Of Call [1948] Thirst [1949] To Joy [1950] Summer Interlude [1951] Waiting Women [1952] Sawdust And Tinsel [1953]  [ 89 ] Summer With Monika [1953] A Lesson In Love [1954] Dreams [1955] Smiles Of A Summer Night [1955] The Seventh Seal [1957] Wild Strawberries [1957]  [ 93 ] Brink Of Life [1958] The Magician [1958] The Devil's Eye [1960] The Virgin Spring [1960] Through A Glass Darkly [1961] The Silence [1963] Winter Light [1963] All These Women [1964] Persona [1966]  [ 94 ] Hour Of The Wolf [1968] Shame [1968] The Passion Of Anna [1969] The Rite [1969] Fårö Document [1970] The Touch [1971] Cries And Whispers [1972] Scenes From A Marriage [1973] The Magic Flute [1975] The Serpent's Egg [1977] Autumn Sonata [1978] Fårö Document 1979 [1979] From The Life Of The Marionettes
Read more

#331: OZU, Yasujiro: Late Spring (1949)

-
Image
OZU, Yasujiro (Japan) Late Spring [1949] Spine #331 DVD One of the most powerful of Yasujiro Ozu's family portraits, Late Spring (Banshun) tells the story of a widowed father who feels compelled to marry off his beloved only daughter. Eminent Ozu players Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara command this poignant tale of love and loss in postwar Japan, which remains as potent today as ever — almost alone justifying Ozu's inclusion in the pantheon of cinema's greatest directors. 108 minutes Black & White Monaural in Japanese 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2006 Director/Writers Based on the novel Chichi to musume (Father and Daughter) by Kazuo Hirotsu . Script by Kogo Noda and  Yasujiro Ozu . Ozu was 46 when he directed Late Spring . Other Ozu films in the Collection: Eclipse Series 42: Walk Cheerfully (1930) Eclipse Series 42: That Night's Wife (1930) Eclipse Series 10: Tokyo Chorus (1931) Eclipse Series 10: I Was Born, But . . . (1932) Ec
Read more

#304: ROEG, Nicolas: The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)

-
Image
ROEG, Nicolas (United States) The Man Who Fell To Earth [1976] Spine #304 DVD OOP The Man Who Fell to Earth  is a daring exploration of science fiction as an art form. The story of an alien on an elaborate rescue mission provides the launching pad for Nicolas Roeg's visual tour de force, a formally adventurous examination of alienation in contemporary life. Rock legend David Bowie, in his acting debut, completely embodies the title role, while Candy Clark, Buck Henry, and Rip Torn turn in pitch-perfect supporting performances. The film's hallucinatory vision was obscured in the American theatrical release, which deleted nearly twenty minutes of crucial scenes and details. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Roeg's full uncut version, in this exclusive new director-approved high-definition widescreen transfer. 139 minutes Color Stereo 2:35:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2005 Director/Writers From the novel by Walter Tevis . Screenplay
Read more