More Soundtrack

I completely agree with you about the worth of the original soundtrack. Although a horrible quality recording there are some elements about it that make it better than modern ones. I listened to the Temirkanov, St. Petersburg Phil recording resently, and Gorohovskaya just does not do her solo after the battle the justice it deserves. The original made me want to cry, hers was crap in comparison.

And one note on the original soundtrack. One of the reaasons it (and the wole movie in general) are so bad quality wise, is that Eisenstein was not able to finish editing the film. He was asleep on the night when Stalin demanded to see the film. So his assistants gathered the existing (sometimes un-edited)material to take to the Kremlin. This included a sketchy version of the soundtrack (a piano played some sections meant for organ that had not yet been recorded), and left out one entire reel that Eisenstein had been working on and his assistants didn't find. After Stalin had given his approval to the film, Eisenstein and Prokofiev were literally scared for their lives to make and further changes.

As far as the Criterion recording, sorry, I don't know whether it includes both or not.

I'm not sure whether I saw the old or original soundtrack but on the Criterion version there were parts I absolutely hated. Namely, every time they played the "Russian" celebration music with the strange horn-flute instruments and it's absolutely bombastic and seemingly atonal and sounds like bad carnival music - for me personally it ruined every scene they used it in.

This is especially true when Nevsky first leads the flanks to attack and cries heroically "Na Rus'! Na Rus'!", then the other flank cries "Na Rus!" and you're all pumped up and and ready to go but then this ridiculous carnival music comes in and ruins the mood completely :S

I liked the slow, heavy and ominous motifs used for the Teutons though. haha