History Film / AlexanderNevsky

* CorruptChurch: The hideously withered archbishop and the black monk Grigory wish to subject the Russian people to UsefulNotes/ThePope, while the Russian monk [[MeaningfulName Ananias]] is willing to betray the people of Novgorod to TheTeutonicKnights.

* {{Expy}}: Just as TheTeutonicKnights are used as [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazis By Another Name]], the Mongols represent the [[ImperialJapan Japanese]].
* FacelessGoons: The soldiery of TheTeutonicKnights wear helmets covering the entire face except for a narrow slit for eyes which cannot be seen.

* KnightTemplar: TheTeutonicKnights ruthlessly slaughter all who oppose them, in Pskov going so far as to [[spoiler:burn their opponents' children alive]].

The film depicts the attempted invasion of Novgorod in [[TheHighMiddleAges the 13th century]] by TheTeutonicKnights of the HolyRomanEmpire and their defeat by the Russian people, led by Prince Alexander, known popularly as Alexander Nevsky. (In order to deal with the Knights, he foregoes a campaign against [[TheHorde the Mongols]].) It begins as the knights invade and conquer the city of Pskov with the help of the [[LesCollaborateurs traitor]] Tverdilo and massacre its population. In the face of resistance by the [[AristocratsAreEvil boyars]] and merchants of Novgorod (urged on by the monk [[CorruptChurch Ananias]]), Nevsky rallies the common people of Novgorod and in a decisive Battle of the Ice, on the surface of the frozen Lake Chudskoe.

* BadAssBeard: Alexander, and, what the heck, almost the entire Russian army. The Teutonic Knights are all clean-shaven, which is a [[ArtisticLicenseHistory departure from history]]: their rule ''required'' them to sport a BeardOfEvil. This was probably for patriotic reasons, as the Russian Orthodox Church ''also'' once required its members to have beards and not shave, so it serves as an easy way to highlight difference from the Russian perspective.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It is ''possible'' that the archbishop is supposed to represent particularly the then [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope, Pius XII]], who was ardently anti-communist and was regarded by some (then as now) as inclined to favor the Germans; the cardinal bears a very superficial resemblence to the rather emaciated [[http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/33d/projects/church/churchpix/PiusXII.gif Pontiff]]. Alexander, of course, stands for [[JosefStalin Stalin]], as he wished to be considered, though there is no physical resemblence.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The film features a Russian Orthodox saint as a protagonist, presents mediaeval Russia in a positive light, and glorifies non-Communist Russian patriotism. All these things were looked down upon by Soviet authorities and intellectuals critical of what was termed Great Russian Chauvinism, yet Eisenstein got away with it.
** Eisenstein even smuggled in a friggin' [[Literature/TheBible Biblical]] quote! At the end of the movie, Alexander says: "He who comes to us with a sword, shall die by the sword". It's a paraphrase of Matthew 26:52.
*** Actually, in media and literature, paraphrasing the Bible (typically in a nonspecific manner, without citation) was not uncommon even in this time period.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Prince Alexander was a very shrewd politician who spent most of his life feuding with other Russian princes. The film -- following a [[OlderThanTheyThink tradition]] much older than Stalinism -- focuses on his younger years.

* KickTheDog: Just to show how evil they are, a Mongol warrior lays a whip across the back of a young Russian peasant for daring to stand in the presence of the Mongol ambassador; and the ambassador climbs into his carriage on the back of one of his servants.
** Later, the Teutonic Knights toss infants onto a bonfire.

* PopCulturalOsmosis: The enormously successful film cemented the Battle on the Ice in Russian imagery. Most later takes on the subject (paintings, historical novels, ''etc''.) drew more on Eisenstein's film than on scant historical sources.
** Also, few people in Russia know about the Biblical origins of the famous "die by the sword" quote. And it's [[BeamMeUpScotty very often misquoted]].

* [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe Ye Old Butcherede Russhyanne]] : All the Russian characters speak ''faux'' Old Russian, sometimes bordering on [[YouNoTakeCandle Yoda Speak]].

* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:Vasiliy and Gavrilo]]

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Prince Alexander was a very shrewd politician who spent most of his life feuding with other Russian princes. The film -- following a [[OlderThanTheyThink tradition]] much older than Stalinism -- focuses on his younger years and his CrowningMomentofAwesome.

** And CrowningMusicOfAwesome during the battle scene, and the 'field of the dead' sequence afterwards, and... oh hell, all of it.

''' ''Alexander Nevsky'' ''' (Russian: ''Александр Невский'') is a 1938 historical drama film directed by Creator/SergeiEisenstein, also known for ''Film/TheBattleshipPotemkin'' and ''Film/IvanTheTerrible''.

* BeamMeUpScotty: A variation of the phrase "all who draw the sword will die by the sword", tends to be attributed to Alexander since it appears in the movie. In reality, there is no mention of him ever saying it in public, and the phrase is actually attributed to {{Jesus}}.

* DawsonCasting: 35-year old Nikolay Cherkasov, a superstar of Stalin-era Soviet cinema, was cast as the title character -- who was 22 at the time of the battle. Due to PopCulturalOsmosis (see below), most Russian people think that the prince was in his 30's when he fought the battle.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The production of the film was an important affair of the state, rigorously monitored by Soviet authorities. The film's ultimate censor was [[JosefStalin Stalin himself]].

* FakeNationality: All German characters, for obvious reasons, are played by Russian actors. The Mongol envoy is Chinese, but Mongol extras are played by actual Mongols (foreign students of Soviet universities or members of Soviet Mongol minority; Mongolia's first modern government independent of China was backed by the Soviet Union.)

* ReferencedBy: The film has been cited in a number of subsequent fictional works.
** The beginning of ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982''. Thulsa Doom and his warriors attack in the dead of winter, torch the Cimmerian village, slaughter the inhabitants -- all while [[http://goldenaxe.classicgaming.gamespy.com/daimages/Images2/fanart/3)-Thulsa-Doom-original.jpg wearing some strangely familiar helmets]]. Also, the "It's not the sword, but the hand that wields it" quote.
** Also, ''King Arthur'' (2005) features a battle on the ice (much smaller in scale).
** The ''[[Film/{{The Lord Of The Rings}} Lord of the Rings]]'' film trilogy seems to be full of them, particularly in the second movie.
** In the novel ''Literature/RedStormRising'', this film is shown on Russian TV shortly before the main FalseFlagOperation (detonating a bomb at the Kremlin and blaming WestGermany).
** ''Anime/FirstSquad'' has the {{Ghostapo}} raising the spirits of some Teutonic knights to fight the Russians on a frozen lake.

* PuttingOnTheReich: [[http://movieblog.ugo.com/cm/ugo/images/alexander-nevsky-teutons.jpg The helmets]] worn by the Teutonic soldiers resemble exaggerated versions of German soldiers' ''Stahlhelm'' from the 20th century. And the archbishop wears a mitre [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Nevski5.jpg with swastikas!]] Quite possibly the earliest example of the trope (five years after ThoseWackyNazis took power).

* CorruptChurch: The hideously withered archbishop and the black monk Grigory wish to subject the Russian people to ThePope, while the Russian monk [[MeaningfulName Ananias]] is willing to betray the people of Novgorod to TheTeutonicKnights.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It is ''possible'' that the archbishop is supposed to represent particularly the then [[ThePope Pope, Pius XII]], who was ardently anti-communist and was regarded by some (then as now) as inclined to favor the Germans; the cardinal bears a very superficial resemblence to the rather emaciated [[http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/33d/projects/church/churchpix/PiusXII.gif Pontiff]]. Alexander, of course, stands for [[JosefStalin Stalin]], as he wished to be considered, though there is no physical resemblence.

** The ''Film/{{The Lord Of The Rings}}'' film trilogy seems to be full of them, particularly in the second movie.
** In the novel ''RedStormRising'', this film is shown on Russian TV shortly before the main FalseFlagOperation (detonating a bomb at the Kremlin and blaming WestGermany).

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Not only does Prince Alexander lead the Russian troops, but when we first see him in the film, he is among a number of fishermen setting their nets.
* SceneryGorn: The frozen lake, strewn with bodies of fallen warriors. Oh, and the Mongol-induced devastation at the beginning.
* {{Sidekick}}s: Alexander has two, [[RecklessSidekick Vasiliy]] [[PluckyComicRelief Buslay]] and [[WarriorPoet Gavrilo Oleksich]].
* ShoutOut: The film has been cited in a number of subsequent fictional works.

** ''FirstSquad'' has the {{Ghostapo}} raising the spirits of some Teutonic knights to fight the Russians on a frozen lake.

* WarriorPoet: Alexander is [[IncrediblyLamePun as good with words as he is with swords]]. His {{Sidekick}} Gavrilo Oleksich also qualifies.

** Knowing the Bylins (folk stories) makes Vasiliy Buslay look more like HeroicComedicSociopath. Remember his plans of going to Volga to "play with the [[AxCrazy axe]]"

** The beginning of ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian'' (1982). Thulsa Doom and his warriors attack in the dead of winter, torch the Cimmerian village, slaughter the inhabitants -- all while [[http://goldenaxe.classicgaming.gamespy.com/daimages/Images2/fanart/3)-Thulsa-Doom-original.jpg wearing some strangely familiar helmets]]. Also, the "It's not the sword, but the hand that wields it" quote.

* BadAssBeard: Alexander, and, what the heck, almost the entire Russian army. The Teutonic Knights are all clean-shaven, which is a [[ArtisticLicenseHistory departure from history]]: their rule ''required'' them to sport a BeardOfEvil.

* FakeNationality: All German characters, for obvious reasons, are played by Russian actors. The Mongol envoy is Chinese, but Mongol extras are played by actual Mongols (students of Soviet universities; Mongolia's first modern government independent of China was backed by the Soviet Union.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The film features a Russian Orthodox saint as a protagonist, presents mediaeval Russia in a positive light, and glorifies non-Communist Russian patriotism. All these things were looked down upon by Soviet authorities, yet Eisenstein got away with it.

* FakeNationality: All German characters, for obvious reasons, are played by Russian actors. The Mongol envoy is Chinese, but Mongol extras are played by actual Mongols (students of Soviet universities; Mongolia was a CommieLand back then).

It is worth noting that because the movie was made during the Stalinist regime, it also contains quite a few Soviet political subtexts, such as the anti-religious, anti-German stance of the communist government of that time and the portrayal of Nevsky as a wise and courageous leader―reflecting how Stalin had himself portrayed during his "cult of personality" campaign. Unfortunately for Eisenstein, the film debuted just months before the non-aggression treaty between the USSR and Nazi Germany, and he was forced to pull the movie from theaters―until the German invasion of Russia in 1941, after which it was hurried into theaters again. Despite its ([''very'' [[{{Anvilicious}} heavy-handed]]) Soviet subtext, the film is still considered an excellent work and enjoyed great success and continuing influence both in and outside the Soviet Union.

* BadAssBeard: Alexander, and, what the heck, almost the entire Russian army. The Teutonic Knights are all clean-shaven, which is a [[DidNotDoTheResearch departure from history]]: their rule ''required'' them to sport a BeardOfEvil.

* ActionGirl: Vasilisa of Pskov. She avenges her father's death by gearing up and taking to the battlefield. Contrary to another trope, one of the other heroes [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon actively pursues the amazon]].

''' ''Alexander Nevsky'' ''' (Russian: ''Александр Невский'') is a 1938 historical drama film directed by Creator/SergeiEisenstein, also known for ''TheBattleshipPotemkin'' and ''Film/IvanTheTerrible''.

''' ''Alexander Nevsky'' ''' (Russian: ''Александр Невский'') is a 1938 historical drama film directed by Creator/SergeiEisenstein, also known for ''TheBattleshipPotemkin'' and ''IvanTheTerrible''.

''' ''Alexander Nevsky'' ''' (Russian: ''Александр Невский'') is a 1938 historical drama film directed by SergeiEisenstein, also known for ''TheBattleshipPotemkin'' and ''IvanTheTerrible''.