Reviews

I watched the film twice, first its old version, then the restored one and I have to say I can not describe it easily with few words. I found it rather boring and slow paced, which is hardly the best way to depict one of the most important periods in world history, dominated by the paramount figure of Napoleon. I do not want to go into many details, so I shall limit myself with several remarks: The Russian military uniforms are awful and incorrect in many ways, especially the uniforms of the cossacks, which really made me laugh... There are too few extras to depict realistically such an important battle of the Napoleonic period. Several hundred infantrymen and cavalrymen simply can not achieve the effect, achieved for example by Sergei Bondarchuk in "War and peace", where he had 15 000 extras. The difference between the battle scenes in the two films is huge! The emperors of Russia and Austria, Aleksandr I and Franz I, as well as the key figures among their respective staffs, including Mikhail Ilarionovich Kutuzov, are depicted in a rather grotesque and sneering way, which, I think, is not the right for a serious history movie. The cast is good. Pierre Mondy does a solid job portraying Napoleon, Jean Marais is a truly convincing Carnot, Claudia Cardinale is marvelous as always and Jack Palance is a credible Weyrother. As a conclusion: the film deserves to be watched once. After that everyone interested in the history of the Napoleonic wars should go on with "War and Peace' and "Waterloo".

Well... It's so easy to say that a movie is pathetic, or laughable or something like that! But before doing so with this particular movie, we must have in mind the following things: the filming started in 1989, as a risky private enterprise run by the team Getsov - Belovski. They have done a significant documentary research, with the help of the writers Petar Cholov and Petar Lazarov. Most of the filming was done in my hometown Bourgas, on the Black Sea coast. For the purpose, the creators of the film used an abandoned peer in the Bourgas port. They also succeeded in getting some funding from an American company and shot several scenes in the U.S. The cast was formed mostly by enthusiasts, who, and I must admit it, have negligible acting ability. From the beginning it was a daring idea, which was very difficult to realize - at the end of 1989 Bulgaria was already going through the political changes, which virtually destroyed the Bulgarian cinema as a whole. The film was left unfinished and it took some 8 years before it could be seen in the cinemas across Bulgaria. Yes, the film has its setbacks! But it is the first and the only movie, which deals, and I must say correctly, with the life of Dan Kolov, probably the most famous and legendary Bulgarian wrestler, who never accepted American citizenship and was always announced as a Bulgarian wrestler. There is a real event, which did not find place in the movie, but which could serve as the best depiction of Dan Kolov - when he arrived in Paris, where he was about to wrestle for the European Championship, a French customs officer asked for his papers and received an old and almost disintegrated I.D. card. It was Dan Kolov's Bulgarian I.D., which he kept for 20 years since his departure from the motherland, and which accompanied him in all his international tours! The customs officer later said that it was the first time in his long career that he saw such a thing! And here we can find the greatest value of the movie - it keeps the memory of the great Dan Kolov alive!!! And that is the reason that makes people, who are not drunk, and not incredibly stupid, to rate it with 9 or 10!!!

When Giuliano Gemma came to Bulgaria in 1970, on a working trip, he was very surprised to find out that he had already achieved some kind of a "legendary" status among the Bulgarian moviegoers. One of the reasons for that was "Per pochi dollari ancora", which had had its premiere in 1967... The plot of the movie is not typical for the most Spaghetti-Westerns. It is set in the late spring of 1865, immediately after the end of the American Civil war. A young Confederate lieutenant and POW, named Gary Diamond, is asked by the C-in-C of a Federal POW camp to accompany two of his men /capt. Lefevre and sgt. Pitt/ on a special mission - to give the commander of Fort Yuma a warning of an impending attack against it, prepared by the ex-Confederate 5th Colorado rgt., Diamond's ex-unit, commanded by major Sanders. The task is very complicated and tricky, because in the same time major Sanders has a different plan - to sneak in Fort Yuma through the so-called Red Mines, together with the gang of Nelson Riggs, an infamous villain, and steal a great sum of money. Of course Sanders's men of 5th rgt. are doomed - Fort Yuma is very well defended and their purpose is only to divert the attention of the Federal soldiers. Diamond, Lefevre and Pitt begin their dangerous mission and some new elements of the puzzle are added... The film contains a lot of action. There is one particularly good fighting sequence, when Giuliano Gemma shoots dead one of Riggs's henchmen /played superbly by Benito Stefanelli/- the sequence is very short and breath-taking, but is also perfectly executed. The cast is solid - particularly Gemma himself, Sophie Daumiers /as Connie Breastfull, the inevitable faithful and beautiful girl, who falls for Diamond/ and Nello Pazzafini as the tough sgt. Pitt. But the actors, who play the villains, are marvelous - Dan Vadis is memorable as the tough, crude and unmannerly Riggs, who nevertheless possesses certain charm. Many consider the role of major Sanders too small /and even a waste of talents/ for Jacques Sernas, but his cold and aristocratic presence is one of the key features of the movie. And not to forget the unforgettable performance of Angel del Pozo as the sly, treacherous and sarcastic capt. Lefevre. I like very much the march of 5th Colorado rgt towards Fort Yuma - it is indeed impressive and, in my opinion, catches the spirit of the historic time in which the film is set. And I should not forget to mention the wonderful soundtrack, composed by Gianni Ferrio, which is already available on CD. Anyway, this is a very interesting and entertaining western, which must be seen. It is already available on DVD, so there isn't any problem finding it. And it is definitely a must for the numerous fans of Giuliano Gemma!

It was one of the most famous martial art movies in Bulgaria in the late 1980's. And it definitely deserves its place! When I was about to see the movie for the very first time, I didn't know exactly what to expect - I hadn't had seen other North Korean movies by that time, it was time, when the Chinese cinema dominated overwhelmingly with "The Shao Lin Monastery", "The Martial Arts of Shao Lin" and many more. But "Hong Kil Dong", which follows the life of the famous \and legendary\ Korean hero, proved to be something different... The film opens with a dynamic fight between Hong Kil Dong and Japanese ninjas during which the credits are shown. One of the first things to be noted is the monumental music score - I must admit that to me it is the best score for a martial arts movie, together with John Barry's OST of Bruce Lee's "Game of Death"! The sequence ends almost abruptly, then we move forward to the birth of Hong Kil dong - son of the Royal Councillor Hon and his young concubine. The Councillor's wife, not surprisingly, dislikes Hong Kil Dong's mother and hires assassins to kill her and her little boy while on a trip in the province. But an old man, who happens to be master of the Tao arts, saves them from the assassins and then takes little Hong as his apprentice... Hong becomes an invincible fighter, fights corrupt noblemen and thugs, helps the poor and, at the end, fights Japanese ninja brigands, who had become the scourge of his homeland. Of course, it is typical story for a movie like that. The thing that makes "Hong Kil Dong" different from the other movies of that period is the psychological depth in which the main characters are revealed. There are numerous fighting sequences, but there are also many lyrical digressions, full with romance and emotion. I must also stress on the acting abilities of Ri Yong Ho and the other actors - they do their job just fine. There are many interesting details depicting life in Korea in the 17-th century, in which the movie action takes place. "Hong Kil Dong" attracted hundreds of thousands people to the cinemas across Bulgaria, it was almost impossible to get tickets for it, unless you book them 2 or 3 days earlier! I've never seen such thing in my life and I'm pretty sure I never will, but nonetheless the distant childhood memories remain. If you ever find this movie just see it! I'm sure at least you won't be disappointed.

This wonderful movie is set in the mid 1980's - three devoted friends work together in a Research Institute. They share everything /even their opera-glasses!/, they support each other and they know each other perfectly. Then suddenly everything starts to fall apart - a new director takes over the Institute and decides to develop close scientific partnership with similar institutes in Japan. And a rumor has it that one of our three friends might have a chance to go on a business mission there. But who? All the three friends take "secret steps" in order to get the "prize". Everything is at stake! Nothing is forbidden! Numerous sequences, full with humor, follow, and, at the very end, after the grotesque outcome, we can see the three friends together again. But this time, we hope, much wiser!

The film focuses on a key event in the history of Bulgaria - the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation \1877-1878\, after which the Bulgarian nation won its Freedom. The film follows the crucial moments of the war. Thousands of extras were used to depict the crossing of the Danube and the battle of Stara Zagora. At Stara Zagora the leading elements of the Russian army \the so called Forward squad\ and the Bulgarian volunteers met the army of generalissimo Suleiman pasha, fought bravely and, after all, were pushed back to the strategic Shipka pass. The defense of the pass in august 1877 proved to be one of the most famous battles, fought on Bulgarian soil. It also became a legendary victory for both the Bulgarians and the Russians. It is, of course, the climax of the film, with vivid battle sequences. The Russo-Bulgarian military comradeship is shown here at its best with a lot of memorable moments. The film then brings us to the siege of Pleven, where the army of marshal Osman pasha was surrounded, and, after several bloody assaults by the Russian forces, eventually was urged to surrender in November 1877. The film also shows the passing of the Balkan mountain range and the march to Constantinople, where, in a small suburb of the Turkish capital, called San Stefano, the cease-fire agreement took place \3.03.1878\ and Bulgaria emerged after 500 years of oblivion

The film depicts the battle of Drava, fought in the beginning of March 1945 mainly on Hungarian soil. Elements of the 1st Bulgarian Army took defensive positions along the Drava river, which, in this sector, divides Serbia and Hungary. In march 1945 the German OKW launched a counter-offensive operation against the Soviet, the Bulgarian and the Yugoslav forces, concentrated to the north and to the south of the Balaton lake. The Bulgarians were entrusted with the defense of the Drava sector, which was in fact th extreme left flank of the Soviet front, and was attacked by vastly superior numbers of German troops. Furious fighting occurred in the small villages of Drava Sobolch, Drava Czehi and Drava Polkonha, which were passing from hands to hands for a week or so. The Germans advanced only 8 to 10 km in a narrow strip and were unable to go on with the onslaught. At the end, after repelling all the enemy thrusts, the Bulgarians, at the expense of the blood of many comrades in arms, launched a counter-offensive, which regained the lost ground and enabled them to secure the flank of the Soviets. The Bulgarian army went on, pursuing the Germans to Austria, where on the 8.05.1945 met the British forces near Volkermarkt and Klagenfurt.

It is perhaps the best Soviet comedy ever made... But it`s very difficult for a person, who does not speak Russian to understand it completely. The movie is full with tricky details, specific language and many funny episodes, so typical for the Socialist era. It is a constant pleasure to watch over and over again!

During the socialist period the Romanian cinema was widely recognized in my home country. The story about Yellow Rose was one of the best loved adventure movies in the mid-eighties. I remember how me and my friends and classmates were saving money just to go and watch them, "Masca de argint" being the most dynamic and vivid. Concerning the plot, all the films devoted to the adventures of Margelatu /a.k.a. Trandafirul galben/ are set in the mid 1840's, just before the Romanian revolution of 1848. Margelatu himself is a rather rough, dour and taciturn character, whose presence, nevertheless, is much impressive. "Masca de argint" begins with a jail-break - Margelatu is being taken out by his faithful friend, Buza /a superb performance by Szabolcz Czeh/. Then both of them start fighting the Romanian authorities in their favorite way. There are enough pub fights, shootings, and, which is the best in the series, a big fight on a square, including a dynamite blast of police barriers. Assuming that the authorities can not deal with Margelatu and his friends, Agatha Slatineanu launches a perfidious plan in order to discredit Margelatu, in which is involved even the Turkish consul in Bucharest. She is aided by the inventive arch-rogue /and at the same time coward/ Trojanoff, who pretends to have a diplomatic immunity. Margelatu has to deal with the new threat. The stunts are perfectly executed, the soundtrack is wonderful, the scenery of the Romanian mountains is just marvellous, the musical score, composed by G. Grigoriu is once again powerful, so I can only recommend the movie to everyone, who likes and apprehends the kind of adventures, typical for the cinema industries across East Europe.

It was a pleasant summer day on the Bulgarian coast. The year was 1962. Two men were walking along the seaside near the wonderful Palace of Evksinograd, near the town of Varna talking to each other. The Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and his Bulgarian partner and colleague Todor Zhivkov had a lot to discuss... Probably at that moment the Soviet leader for the very first time mentioned that he had intention to deploy medium range ballistic missiles in his new ally Cuba. No one can say exactly how it all began, but many say that Todor Zhivkov unsuccessfully tried to persuade Khrushchev not to do so... The rest of the story is very well known. The movie Thirteen Days appeared in Bulgaria in 2001. Almost no one saw it and that`s pitty. Once again Kevin Costner stars in a realistic and even shocking political film, which, in my opinion stands along with the classic JFK. And both movies are closely connected. I was delighted to see this masterpiece and a month ago I bought it on a video tape. Probably the most important lesson one can learn from it is that the Greatb Powers are closely connected, much more than officially admitted. And we, the common people on the Planet, will never be aware of what really happens on the Great Stage of World Politics!

This is not a movie depicting the new Italian kingdom in the 19th century , it`s an absolutely true story about the struggle against the Sicilian Mafia. In 1925 Mussolini, who came to power 3 years ago, sent Cesare Mori/1872-1942/ to Sicily, as a police prefect, with the task of whiping the Mafia out.The Fascist regime was concerned about its power and influence, so the following 4 years entered the history as the time of the "Iron Prefect", who arrested and convicted over 2 000 mafiosi. His brave struggle ended in 1929, when he was dismissed and appointed senator in Rome, mainly because he attacked high-ranking Fascist officials, who were deeply involved with the Mafia. They proved to be too powerful to struggle against and Mori lost the war after winning so many battles /including the conviction of don Vito Cascio Ferro, the first known Capo di tutti Cappi/

It is an old film, made so many years ago, but it`s still capturing viewers in my country! It`s a witty sports and love story with the classic love triangle and many wonderful moments! I want to note the quality of the sound /for 1958 of course/ and the quality of the director`s work and the performance of the actors.

I've seen this movie 62 times and I can only say this is the greatest western movie in the world \that`s my opinion, of course\. The plot is wonderful, the actors give a flamboyant performance and the powerful music score of Moricone makes unforgettable impression!