Originally posted by HorseradishTree
I might as well get my writing skills up to par by writing reviews of the films I watch. I'm also very eager to discuss these films with you guys, so any comments are appreciated.

Congrats, Tree. Enjoy college. This essay is informative and well written. I enjoyed it. Keep 'em coming!

Nevsky is, among other things, a film about nationalism, which is a concept I commonly deem abhorrent.

Bravo! Way I see it, when one is overly identified with one's nation, gender, race, religion, sexual preference, ethnic group, etc. one ends up losing touch with the fact that we are all human beings. One ends up viewing the world as "us vs. them", so to speak.

It reminded me instantly of the work of Sergio Leone, except Eisenstein's use of this technique was a lot more “in-your-face”

"In art sometimes, the crudest device works best. Never spare the viewer a direct blow between the eyes." (Sergei Eisenstein)

Eisenstein was a pioneer of film for a people who at the time lived under controlled oppression. He, like many Soviet filmmakers, was forced to play games with the censors in order to get his message across through his work. His struggle was ultimately our reward, thankfully, for Alexander Nevsky is yet another important chapter for the evolution of the motion picture.

Yep. I'd just like to add the names of two major contributors of Eisenstein: the Latvian cinematographer Eduard Tisse, who lensed every single film Eisenstein ever made or attempted to make; and composer Sergei Prokofiev, whose score is so crucial to the artistic success of Alexander Nevsky.