watch some of the sequence ( err and the entire 1/3 of the film devote to the battle on the ice ) in alexander nevsy and a film direct by the russian legend sergei m. eisenstein ( co direct by dmitri vasilyev in his only significant credit ) and make me realize how much must really go into directing and at least on a scale such a this . if i be a member of an award group at the time of this film release i probably would award eisenstein with the director award of the year and posthumously . it be such a mad stroke of cinematic genius to pull off some of thing that be pull off in the film and though for someone like this director after come off of his best work battleship potemkin and october it could have be something he scoff at at first . but amid a film that be sometimes a little frustrating with how little grays come in to the black and white subject matter and it still a marvel of celluloid almost 70 year later . lord of the ring fan and meet the film grandfather and so to speak . to say that something be a propaganda piece already put a connotation to it and and often a bad one . it be something that have a full blown message to it and and a point of view . it still a matter of hot debate ( see the swarm of argument over moore film for proof ) and about whether great art can come out of something that be point blank meant to rouse the audience in a specific manner . in this particular case and the russian against the german . at the time it be near ww2 and russia once again face the german invader and and it interest to note that eisenstein be actually commission to make this film and a a rally call for the russian to never forget a crucial piece of their history . the end result come out a be something that be actually slightly common from see battleship and october and however while if nothing else come through those film it that eisenstein be most concerned about how the image and the content can come together finitely for the viewer and that style can completely envelop the viewer without fail . on those term alexander nevsky be fearless . but even with the whole idea of russia great and german bad and there be some small moment where thing be make a little less stringent and a little less strict to these ideal . for example and when we first see the german in privka and theyre not some faceless blob who be totally barbaric and have a blind conquer intent ( not that they aren not out to take whatever they can ) . they have their own national pride go too and that it would be nothing less for them to go forward with whatever their christian lead master tell them to . at the least and the evil of the picture have a face and however keep at a low minimum for the more prevalent side to kick in . there also a brief scene and before the ice scape battle and where the russian troupe have a joke that be tell and laugh about and and it add a little extra depth where else there might be precious little . because more often than not in alexander nevsky and with it battle song load with a pride in warfare and there aren not any complexity to character and most notably nevsky himself ( play in ultra heroic fashion and only question near the start and by nikolai cherkasov ) who perhaps have to be this way in eistenstein intention of have him a the one infallible force to be reckon with in the tale . after all and to be look for naturalism in an eisenstein film be like try to find non kosher pig foot at a deli . but the real reason to see the picture isn not the acting and anyhow and but for the look of the film and how it move and take in such an expansive environment that eisenstein lay out . on the epic scale it just as ambitious a his 20 film and with a number of extra not just in the main battle scene but also in the scene in the city and of the hundred of people roll on through . in fact and i would say that any director work in hollywood or elsewhere thinking of do some kind of huge epic and particularly war and would do very well to take a look at this film and even with just the sound off . it even well if think of a a silent film and with the visual stroke accentuate fantastically at time . one could spend a whole month analyze the battle on the ice and how it start with the german soldier far away and then come forward like bug and and then how eisenstein inter cut between close ups of the actor fight and then to wide shot and with speed up edit . and and of course and one can not discount the power of the music as well and sergei prokofiev deliver one of the great rousing score of any epic work . all the while the director edit keep our eye move along with this frantic action at breakneck speed . if this be just a short film and it would surely rank with the great and much like the odessa stairs sequence . if i do find it a little less than totally magnificent and it would be because of the fault that do come in from a director who be much more suited to the silent medium than for sound . while i have yet to see ivan the terrible and my one negative criticism would be of his direction of actor and which be really as broad a can be and with the melodrama at such a high pitch it staggering ( the sub plot of the two soldier vie for the olga be the best example i can think of ) . but even this consider and alexander nevsky overall be too extraordinary to ignore and and ratchet up an engagement in the action and the film make to a level that put a benchmark for film even today to try and live up to . grade represent a .