Eisenstein's first sound movie? Why?
I just finished playing a run of Alexander Nevsky in concert with the New York Philharmonic, of which I'm a member. The music is great, the photography unbelievable (I was lucky enough to be able to see the screen from my place in the orchestra, and watched whenever I wasn't playing), but the acting is over-the-top silent style, and the foley effects brought some big laughs. (Examples: the kaboom when the horse slips on the ice, the sudden appearance of swishing sword noises halfway through the battle scenes, the way the background noise fades in advance when a character is about to speak during the fight.)
Eisenstein knew about the new sound movies from his time in Hollywood in 1930--did he just not have access to sound technology during the 30's after he went back to Russia? Seems amazing that this film was made in the same era as Gone With The Wind; at a glance, I would have guessed it from the late 20's.
It was a great experience to play it with the film. We've done excerpts in concert form, but the music is too repetitious to stand well on its own, as are most film scores.
Would love to hear from anybody who knows something about Eisenstein's history.
Judy